
Bunches is a mobile app where people discover group chats that connect creators with like-minded communities. As the founding designer, I navigated ambiguity to define a user experience that propelled the product from 0 to 1, driving remarkable growth and engagement.
I spearheaded the design for closed-loop growth strategies that integrated acquisition, retention, and monetization, creating a seamless ecosystem that users loved while setting the tone and design foundation for the company’s vision in the creator economy.
1 Designer (Me as the Founding Designer)
1 PMs, 4 Engineers, 2 Business Partnership
End-to-End Design | Design System | Prototyping | User Research | Cross-functional Collaboration | Product Roadmap
Apr 2021 - Jan 2022
increase in # of creators
monthly subscribed chats
messages sent
From the early days of UGC platforms in the 2000s to the influencer era of the 2010s, the creator economy has continually evolved. Bunches is established to empower modern creators, enabling them to connect, grow, and monetize their content effectively.

The target users on Bunches include emerging and micro creators who are trying to build their online presence and gain recognition, thus bringing their followers onto the Bunches platform.

In reality, the growth flywheel was broken due to massive creator drop-off, inactive chats, and lack of monetization methods.

Creators on Bunches have long suffered from an effortful way to start their own Bunch. They have to fill out a long and possibly confusing form on the web and wait for our team’s email for manual creation of the Bunch.
Significant drop-off throughout the multi-platform experience
Major part of customer support questions come from the process
Most of existing Bunches are started by experienced social media influencers
Based on the user research findings, users would like a fast, simple, and joyful way to start a Bunch. Therefore we designed the process of starting a Bunch ultra fun and simple while still maintaining the basic usability and functionality.

All the way from low-fi concepts to high-fi prototypes, we tested out different hypothesis to craft an experience that strikes the right amount of "wow" factor and efficiency.

We shortened and simplified sign-up experience with user flexibility over App settings.



For the first-time Bunch starters, we'll show this welcome flow with educative information and illustrations to shed more light on the context.



Enter the Bunch info to best display and promote your Bunch to followers.



For those users who have not made the decision which category their Bunch beings to or which cover photo they'd like to use, we provide them with options to skip and placeholder images for them to use.



In the new version, we added more explanation and tool-tip design in the proper timing as users are faced with the choices.



Right after the Bunch is started, we'll present users with the share modal from where users can share their Bunch to their friends, followers, and fans to get started on chatting.



We also design a whole set of dark mode screens for our dark mode fans.



After the launch of Start a Bunch, more than 95% of new users have joined Bunches, started a Bunch, and shared the Bunch within 2 minutes of their registration. Detailed analytics available upon request.

Creators on Bunches have long suffered from an effortful way to start their own Bunch. They have to fill out a long and possibly confusing form on the web and wait for our team’s email for manual creation of the Bunch.
We shortened and simplified sign-up experience with user flexibility over App settings.

The updated core chat experience features interactive elements (GIFs/reactions/replies), engaging community conversations, and valuable responses to keep users connected and informed.



We’ve launched the Highlights feature, designed to spotlight all save-worthy content in one centralized location for easier access and enhanced user experience.



After the launch of Start a Bunch, we've seen 50+K messages sent within several months that we launched the updated experience. Detailed analytics available upon request.
Due to the lack of collecting payment on Bunches, creators aren't motivated to engage with the platform in long-term.
By customizing the feature introduction message and accompanying image, we effectively cater the message and next step action to each specific user group.



We provide a multi-step payment flow to make sure that users feel combortable to controlling the duration of subscription and payment amount they're selecting.



We offer followers a way to confirm the subscription details before finalizing, so that they feel confident about their purchase. Additionally, the encouraging message will make the payment more intimate and less transactional.



We launched waller feature to help followers keep track of their balance, and I designed a 5-day campaign to boost engagement.



After the launch of payment feature, we've had 100+ paid Bunches within several months. Detailed analytics available upon request.