SocialZ
SocialZ
As a product designer, not every feature you design makes it to launch—but that doesn’t take away from the value of the process! SocialZ was one such project for me. It was an experimental feature aimed at creating new business opportunities for Zywa by benefiting both our users and potential partners.
The idea was simple: give users access to exclusive offers from their favorite stores and restaurants. While it didn’t ultimately go live, the experience of designing it was both challenging and rewarding.
The swipe-to-swap concept was designed to bring surprise and excitement to how teens discover offers. With a gamified "swipe right" interaction, users could explore and exchange deals from their favorite restaurants, apparel stores, and more. Though still in feasibility discussions with investors and partners, this feature aimed to redefine how teens engaged with offers while keeping the experience fun and intuitive.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Timeline
Research : 2 weeks
Design : 3 weeks
—— PROJECT OVERVIEW ——
—— PROJECT OVERVIEW ——
To showcase Zywa’s potential to current investors and partners, we conceptualized and designed a feature overhaul that transformed the app into an engaging feed of offers. This feature leveraged the swipe-and-swap mechanic, allowing users to exchange deals by swiping right on offers they liked. Rooted in our understanding of the spendthrift behavior of UAE teens, the goal was to amplify user engagement, attract new users, and position Zywa as a hub for exclusive discounts.
To showcase Zywa’s potential to current investors and partners, we conceptualized and designed a feature overhaul that transformed the app into an engaging feed of offers. This feature leveraged the swipe-and-swap mechanic, allowing users to exchange deals by swiping right on offers they liked. Rooted in our understanding of the spendthrift behavior of UAE teens, the goal was to amplify user engagement, attract new users, and position Zywa as a hub for exclusive discounts.
—— THE OPPORTUNITY ——
—— THE OPPORTUNITY ——
Our data revealed two critical insights:
Spendthrift Behavior: Teens were enthusiastic about discounts and offers, making deals a significant factor in their spending habits
User Acquisition Challenge: Attracting new users required an innovative value proposition that resonated with teens while demonstrating our platform's potential to investors
Our data revealed two critical insights:
Spendthrift Behavior: Teens were enthusiastic about discounts and offers, making deals a significant factor in their spending habits
User Acquisition Challenge: Attracting new users required an innovative value proposition that resonated with teens while demonstrating our platform's potential to investors
Our data revealed that TTV peaked during April and June when we rolled out offers and discounts on top UAE brands. User interviews further supported this insight, with teens expressing that they are constantly on the lookout for deals to stretch their monthly allowances.
Our data revealed that TTV peaked during April and June when we rolled out offers and discounts on top UAE brands. User interviews further supported this insight, with teens expressing that they are constantly on the lookout for deals to stretch their monthly allowances.
Most of the spending we saw from teens on Zywa was for eating out, food, and shopping for clothes and accessories. So, for this initiative, we decided to start by partnering with brands that matched those interests.
Most of the spending we saw from teens on Zywa was for eating out, food, and shopping for clothes and accessories. So, for this initiative, we decided to start by partnering with brands that matched those interests.
—— BUSINESS STRATEGY ——
—— BUSINESS STRATEGY ——
To align the Swipe & Swap feature with Zywa’s broader business objectives, we outlined a comprehensive strategy:
Enhance Engagement:
Introduce a dynamic, gamified mechanic that aligns with teen users' preferences for interactive and visually appealing experiences
Encourage recurring app usage through the thrill of discovering and swapping offers, creating a habit-forming loop
Drive User Acquisition:
Position the feature as a unique selling point to attract new users through word-of-mouth and social sharing
Leverage the feature to differentiate Zywa in a competitive fintech landscape, appealing to both users and partners
Monetization Opportunities:
Partner with brands to offer exclusive deals and incentivize participation, creating new revenue streams for Zywa
Develop a data-driven approach to provide targeted offers, increasing the perceived value of the platform for both users and partners
To align the Swipe & Swap feature with Zywa’s broader business objectives, we outlined a comprehensive strategy:
Enhance Engagement:
Introduce a dynamic, gamified mechanic that aligns with teen users' preferences for interactive and visually appealing experiences
Encourage recurring app usage through the thrill of discovering and swapping offers, creating a habit-forming loop
Drive User Acquisition:
Position the feature as a unique selling point to attract new users through word-of-mouth and social sharing
Leverage the feature to differentiate Zywa in a competitive fintech landscape, appealing to both users and partners
Monetization Opportunities:
Partner with brands to offer exclusive deals and incentivize participation, creating new revenue streams for Zywa
Develop a data-driven approach to provide targeted offers, increasing the perceived value of the platform for both users and partners
—— RESEARCH ——
—— RESEARCH ——
To validate the Swipe & Swap concept, we conducted a series of research activities that revealed:
Behavioral Patterns: Data analytics showed that transactions surged by 68% when teens availed discounts or exclusive offers, affirming that deals significantly influenced spending behavior
Market Opportunity: Competitor benchmarking highlighted a gap in the market for a gamified, deal-centric feature that also leveraged social dynamics to enhance engagement
To validate the Swipe & Swap concept, we conducted a series of research activities that revealed:
Behavioral Patterns: Data analytics showed that transactions surged by 68% when teens availed discounts or exclusive offers, affirming that deals significantly influenced spending behavior
Market Opportunity: Competitor benchmarking highlighted a gap in the market for a gamified, deal-centric feature that also leveraged social dynamics to enhance engagement
—— THE SOLUTION ——
—— THE SOLUTION ——
We developed the "Swipe & Swap" concept to address these goals:
Core Mechanic:
Users browsed a feed of offers curated from participating partners and other Zywa users
By swiping right on offers, users could exchange deals with others who reciprocated the swipe
UI Redesign:
A refreshed, sleeker interface with customized icons tailored to a teen audience
Animated elements to make interactions dynamic and visually engaging
Gamification:
Added a "surprise reveal" element for swapped offers to heighten anticipation
Leaderboards showcasing users with the most swapped offers to foster friendly competition
Investor Focus:
Highlighted the feature's ability to create new monetization opportunities by collaborating with brands and offering exclusive deals through the app
We developed the "Swipe & Swap" concept to address these goals:
Core Mechanic:
Users browsed a feed of offers curated from participating partners and other Zywa users
By swiping right on offers, users could exchange deals with others who reciprocated the swipe
UI Redesign:
A refreshed, sleeker interface with customized icons tailored to a teen audience
Animated elements to make interactions dynamic and visually engaging
Gamification:
Added a "surprise reveal" element for swapped offers to heighten anticipation
Leaderboards showcasing users with the most swapped offers to foster friendly competition
Investor Focus:
Highlighted the feature's ability to create new monetization opportunities by collaborating with brands and offering exclusive deals through the app
REDESIGNING the INTERFACE
With the new feature positioned as Zywa's potential centrepiece, the navigation bar was redesigned based on usability research findings. Insights revealed that features like savings were less popular among users, prompting a focused overhaul to emphasize and streamline access to the new feature.
With the new feature positioned as Zywa's potential centrepiece, the navigation bar was redesigned based on usability research findings. Insights revealed that features like savings were less popular among users, prompting a focused overhaul to emphasize and streamline access to the new feature.
With the new feature positioned as Zywa's potential centrepiece, the navigation bar was redesigned based on usability research findings. Insights revealed that features like savings were less popular among users, prompting a focused overhaul to emphasize and streamline access to the new feature.
Old Navigation
Redesigned Navigation
With the UI overhaul central to this release, the homepage experience was redesigned by creating new icons that complemented the feature launch while seamlessly aligning with existing Zywa card touch points.
With the UI overhaul central to this release, the homepage experience was redesigned by creating new icons that complemented the feature launch while seamlessly aligning with existing Zywa card touch points.
With the UI overhaul central to this release, the homepage experience was redesigned by creating new icons that complemented the feature launch while seamlessly aligning with existing Zywa card touch points.
SWIPE AND SWAP
SWIPE AND SWAP
Each week, users receive personalized offers. With this feature, they can explore offers shared by other Zywa users by swiping through them. If they find an offer they like, they can swipe right to initiate a trade, exchanging it for one of their own.
Each week, users receive personalized offers. With this feature, they can explore offers shared by other Zywa users by swiping through them. If they find an offer they like, they can swipe right to initiate a trade, exchanging it for one of their own.
Each week, users receive personalized offers. With this feature, they can explore offers shared by other Zywa users by swiping through them. If they find an offer they like, they can swipe right to initiate a trade, exchanging it for one of their own.
OFFERS FEED
OFFERS FEED
Users can explore a dynamic offer feed showcasing the overall activity of Zywa users. This feed highlights who received which offers, redeemed offers, trades made, and the most popular deals. Additionally, it provides timely snippets of expiring offers, ensuring users never miss out on their existing offers.
Users can explore a dynamic offer feed showcasing the overall activity of Zywa users. This feed highlights who received which offers, redeemed offers, trades made, and the most popular deals. Additionally, it provides timely snippets of expiring offers, ensuring users never miss out on their existing offers.
Users can explore a dynamic offer feed showcasing the overall activity of Zywa users. This feed highlights who received which offers, redeemed offers, trades made, and the most popular deals. Additionally, it provides timely snippets of expiring offers, ensuring users never miss out on their existing offers.
IN CONCLUSION…
While this was a concept feature, we designed the prototype to share with potential partners and investors, highlighting its potential to drive user engagement and business growth. The initial set of partners were enthusiastic about the idea and eager to sign deals, validating the concept's promise. Since leaving the team, I’m unsure of its full implementation, but as a Product Designer, I recognize that not every design goes live. For me, the joy lies in the process—the ideation, strategy, and creativity that shape meaningful solutions. This project remains a proud milestone in my portfolio.
While this was a concept feature, we designed the prototype to share with potential partners and investors, highlighting its potential to drive user engagement and business growth. The initial set of partners were enthusiastic about the idea and eager to sign deals, validating the concept's promise. Since leaving the team, I’m unsure of its full implementation, but as a Product Designer, I recognize that not every design goes live. For me, the joy lies in the process—the ideation, strategy, and creativity that shape meaningful solutions. This project remains a proud milestone in my portfolio.
While this was a concept feature, we designed the prototype to share with potential partners and investors, highlighting its potential to drive user engagement and business growth. The initial set of partners were enthusiastic about the idea and eager to sign deals, validating the concept's promise. Since leaving the team, I’m unsure of its full implementation, but as a Product Designer, I recognize that not every design goes live. For me, the joy lies in the process—the ideation, strategy, and creativity that shape meaningful solutions. This project remains a proud milestone in my portfolio.
You can reach out to me at adesh169@pratt.edu
Copyright © 2024 Areen Deshmukh | Last updated February 2025
You can reach out to me at adesh169@pratt.edu
Copyright © 2024 Areen Deshmukh | Last updated February 2025
You can reach out to me at adesh169@pratt.edu
Copyright © 2024 Areen Deshmukh | Last updated February 2025