cs/koinos

Platform to Connect with Industry Professionals

Role

As the Lead Product Designer for Koinos, my role encompassed steering the design process in collaboration with the team. This included conducting research, developing strategies, creating UI designs, user interviews, testing, and prototyping.

Team

Sole Designer + Sam Cho (Product) + Axented (Engineering Team)

Company

Koinos

Insights & Research

During the initial phases of the Koinos project, comprehensive insights were gleaned, shedding light on pivotal aspects that guided the design journey. The project's overarching objective was to create a platform fostering meaningful connections within global networks through unique group activities. Notably, these insights underscored specific challenges that required nuanced solutions. The onboarding process emerged as a significant pain point, demanding attention due to its impact on user engagement and satisfaction. Manual event management also surfaced as a considerable challenge, posing obstacles to scalability and efficiency. Additionally, in a competitive landscape of social connecting platforms, the necessity to differentiate Koinos and make it stand out became a key consideration. These insights formed the foundation for strategic decision-making and solution ideation.

The team initiated the launch with a series of trial events, specifically targeting recent graduates from the Cornell MBA program. These events served as invaluable tryouts to gauge how effectively the system supported users in self-managing events and making meaningful connections. I played a key role in planning and structuring user sessions, ensuring a seamless and casual environment for participants.

Each table at these events was attended by individual team members, including product/founders, engineers, and myself, fostering a direct and personal connection with users. This approach facilitated in-depth feedback discussions, covering various aspects of the user journey, from receiving invites to post-event interactions. Participants shared insights on their motivations for attending, their expectations, and suggestions for improvement throughout their entire event experience, including logistics, location, and post-event engagement.

The outcomes were highly positive, with an impressive 98% interest from participants to join future events hosted by Koinos. Despite this success, the team encountered challenges related to the maintenance and scalability of self-managed events, prompting a focused effort on designing and building a system that could effectively support and scale with the growing demand.

Opportunity

Within the challenges identified, numerous opportunities were uncovered, aligning with the overarching goals of Koinos. A prime opportunity lay in streamlining the business onboarding process, recognizing that establishing commonalities between individual joiners would enhance connection and engagement. Addressing the complexities of manual event management presented another fertile ground for improvement.

The goal was to create a scalable system for self-managed events, providing users with a seamless and efficient event management experience. Furthermore, the challenge of standing out in a competitive market was reframed as an opportunity to enhance user engagement. By developing features that distinguished Koinos from other social connecting platforms, the platform could offer a unique value proposition. These opportunities guided the strategic direction, shaping the design solutions and features implemented to elevate Koinos as an industry leader.

Goals

The primary goals were to achieve 30K subscribers and $9M/year revenue by 2020, with an ambitious target of 100K subscribers and $24M/year revenue by 2025. Additional goals included revenue growth through conferences and professional recruiting services.

Design Process & Challenges

The design process involved in-person interviews, branding, defining problems and hypotheses, identifying opportunities, proposing solutions, and establishing key metrics. Challenges were addressed iteratively, focusing on the core problem of simplifying onboarding and automating event management.

Connectable

Koinos revolutionizes networking by offering users a familiar social platform experience, enabling them to effortlessly view profiles and connect with like-minded individuals. The platform goes beyond virtual interactions, seamlessly integrating in-person activities to foster meaningful connections in the real world. Users can actively engage by sharing impressions and notes on other professionals, creating a dynamic and collaborative ecosystem within the Koinos community.

Engaged

Within Koinos, users embark on a personalized journey with curated activities and conferences tailored to their unique interests, goals, and desired industry. This personalized experience is meticulously crafted based on insights gathered during the onboarding process, ensuring relevance and engagement. By exploring content that resonates with their professional aspirations, users seamlessly connect with opportunities that align with their individual preferences and career objectives.

Manageable

Koinos empowers users to take control of their networking experience by offering options to either host an event or share their availabilities. Users can become event hosts, taking ownership of the gathering, or contribute their availability information. The platform leverages a sophisticated algorithm to match users with similar commonalities, ensuring that connections are meaningful and align with their professional interests. This user-centric approach fosters a dynamic and engaging environment where individuals actively shape their networking opportunities based on shared attributes and availability.

User Flow

Impact

Following implementation, the Koinos platform garnered positive projections, boasting an impressive 98% interest from users in participating in future events. The challenges related to maintenance and scalability were effectively tackled through a series of iterative improvements, enhancing the platform's overall performance and user experience. However, it's essential to acknowledge that the global spread of the Covid-19 pandemic posed significant hurdles, impacting the platform's ability to achieve sustained long-term success. The unforeseen circumstances brought about by the pandemic presented a unique set of challenges, altering the landscape and dynamics of in-person events and networking.

What Could Have Done Better

Reflection on the design process revealed opportunities for a more comprehensive onboarding process. Future steps include iterative improvements based on user feedback, expanding features, and further research to enhance the overall onboarding experience.

Next Steps and Future Consideration

The journey with Koinos sets the stage for continuous improvement and innovation. The next steps involve ongoing iterative enhancements, expanding features, and conducting further research to refine and elevate the user experience continually. Koinos represents a transformative approach to connecting industry professionals, and its success is underpinned by a commitment to user-centric solutions and design innovation.

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