Real-World Connections in a Digital Age
Fabrik is a community that believes meeting in person is still kind of magical. While the world scrolls endlessly, Fabrik gently nudges people to step outside and join real-life gatherings. I led the design for joinfabrik.com, turning this idea into an experience that helps people find their people offline, on purpose.
Wearing Many Hats: My Role in Shaping Fabrik
As the only Product Designer on the project, I did a bit of everything: from early concept scribbles to final pixels. I ran research sessions, sketched wireframes, built prototypes, designed the UI, and tested things until they made sense. I worked closely with the founder, PM, and dev team, making sure every screen felt inviting, intentional, and aligned with the bigger mission of sparking genuine connection.
The Gap We
Aimed to Bridge
A lot of people want to connect in real life, they just don’t know where to start. Most apps out there make it feel like you're booking a dentist appointment, not joining a community. Fabrik set out to fix that, making it easier and more human to discover, host, or join small gatherings around the things people actually care about.
My Contribution
to Their Mission
I kicked things off by listening. Through interviews and surveys, I dug into how people really felt about meeting up in person: the excitement, the hesitation, and everything in between. What I heard was clear: people want real connection, but the tools out there often miss the mark. Between social anxiety, trust issues, and apps that feel more like spreadsheets, the experience needed a major re-think. What people were craving? Simplicity, warmth, and a shared sense of purpose.
Hard to Find, Easy to Miss
People wanted to get together, they just didn’t know where to start. Local events were often buried, scattered, or simply invisible.
The Wrong Vibe
Most platforms felt like they were built for selling tickets, not building trust. Too transactional. Too corporate. Not the vibe.
Emotion at the Core
When folks described their ideal experience, they used words like “safe,” “authentic,” “meaningful,” and “fun.” Connection wasn’t just a feature, it was the feeling they were after.
Fear of Showing Up Alone
A lot of people worried about walking into a room full of strangers. They needed something that felt friendly, familiar, and low-pressure.
A Desire for Discovery, Not Noise
People didn’t want another feed full of generic events. They wanted thoughtful, relevant gatherings that spoke to them without the clutter.
I used those insights to shape an experience that felt light, inviting, and easy to jump into. From low-friction discovery to friendly visuals and flows that made showing up feel exciting instead of nerve-wracking.
We refined the app through rounds of usability testing (read: watching, listening, tweaking, repeating). I partnered closely with engineering to make sure every detail, from layout to micro-interactions, felt intentional, smooth, and alive.
What We
Achieved Together
For People. We built something that helped people actually meet. Early adopters shared stories of new friendships, first-time hosts, and finally feeling part of something local. Fabrik made community feel less like a buzzword and more like a real, human thing.
For the Business. Behind the scenes, we replaced a bunch of manual work with a smoother, smarter system. That gave the team more time to grow the platform and connect with the people using it instead of chasing spreadsheets. The product scaled, and the operations kept up.
For Me. I got to lead the design end-to-end, from digging into user insights to shaping flows, pixels, and everything in between. I worked side-by-side with the founder, Product Manager, and dev team, making sure every decision stayed rooted in real human needs. It was a reminder of why I do this: thoughtful, empathetic design really can make a difference.