ThirdPlace
Helping newcomers build a sense of belonging through gamified city exploration
Role
Product Design & Research
Team
Arnav Sharma - PD & UXR
Qasim Malik - PD & UXR
Nisheta Gupta - PD & UXR
Timeline
Jan - May (2025)
Skills
Product design
Prototyping
Interaction design
User Experience Research
ThirdPlace
Helping newcomers build a sense of belonging through gamified city exploration
Role
Product Design & Research
Team
Arnav Sharma - PD & UXR
Qasim Malik - PD & UXR
Nisheta Gupta - PD & UXR
Timeline
Jan - May (2025)
Skills
Product design
Prototyping
Interaction design
User Experience Research
Moving to a new city can be exciting, but it also comes with the challenge of finding your people and feeling at home in unfamiliar places.
Beyond settling in, people want to find spaces to relax & build social connections.
This project was also inspired from the firsthand experiences of my team and I.
THE CHALLENGE
How might we help newcomers to a city find spaces where they feel a sense of belonging beyond work & home?
The high-level goals that informed our design:
Help newcomers find spaces where they feel a sense of belonging beyond work and home.
Make discovering and connecting with local communities feel natural, personal, and rewarding.
THE SOLUTION
ThirdPlace
Capture social & discovery preferences during onboarding
The intention is to capture preferences of what kinds of spaces they enjoy, how social they want to be, and what activities make them feel comfortable.
Discover places through multiple pathways
The search bar offers quick access, the map view supports visual browsing, and the personalized feed suggests spots based on user preferences and past activity.
Build connections within communities by planning meetups
Users can create meetups and events by adding a location, time, and invite list. It reinforces belonging by making users feel like contributors to their social landscape.
Increase engagement through personalized challenges & rewards
The profile gives users a quick snapshot of their activity: places visited, photos captured, and meetups created/joined.
It also highlights progress through rewards and challenges and helps users see how their exploration adds up over time.
Going back to the start
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
We wanted to explore how people discover places & build social connections
The focus was exploring social habits, discovery modalities, motivations, challenges, needs & desires.
Interviewee profiles
Graduate Students
“I wish there was something more personalized though, not just the same big events or parties everyone already knows about.
Like, reddit. I want something genuine.”
Working professionals
“I usually find places on my own. It takes time, but that’s the only way to find spots that actually fit me. The apps out there just show the same popular places, so I end up relying on friends or digging around myself.”
Affinity mapped findings
Insights to inform design direction
01
Social experiences should flex with context and intent
“Some days I just want a quiet café to read. But I have my moments where I want to invite a new friend to something cool.”
02
Social connection should feel natural, not forced
“I want to meet new people, but not in a super awkward or forced way. It should just happen, like through a shared experience.”
03
Discovery should celebrate individuality and effort
“I like finding spots on my own. It feels good when I stumble upon something that fits me, like I discovered it, not an algorithm.”
04
Discovery should feel connected, not scattered
“Right now, I look at TikTok, reddit reviews, vlogs, ratings, and pictures. Having it in one place would be a blessing.”
05
Recommendations should feel personal & contextual
“I don’t know if it’s possible but recommendations would be more relevant if I could search by my mood or vibe.”
IDEATION
Uncovering market gaps & exploring design opportunities
Building on our research and uncovered market gaps, we explored ideas to see where the most meaningful impact can be made.
Market gaps
Fragmented discovery experience. There’s no app that unifies events and locations.
Lack of context-aware recs. Recs are mostly generic: based on history or interest tags.
Skewed to organizer needs over user needs. Limited personalization and low motivation to return.
Platforms don’t actively facilitate connection. Lack of subtle nudges for people to build social connections.
Design opportunities
switching from insight to interface
DESIGN
Designing for exploration and ease
We designed the flow with first-time users in mind, making exploration feel approachable while gradually introducing key features.
The first steps were defining the information architecture and user flow for a first-time user.
Information Architecture
First-time user flow
We then sketched out key screens & explored iterations of wireframes
We designed the flow with first-time users in mind, making exploration feel approachable while gradually introducing key features.
Sketches & annotations
Notable explorations in wireframes based on user feedback
CONCLUSION
We built the design system to capture the sense of fun & approachability people look for
Inspired by how people explore their cities, the design uses warm colors and friendly type to feel social and effortless. The tone stays inviting and conversational, mirroring users’ curiosity and openness.
If I had more time…
I’d dig deeper into how social features could turn casual discovery into lasting connection and test ways to help users find common ground without pressure.
I’d also explore how ThirdPlace could adapt to smaller towns or suburban contexts, where community looks different.
Finally, I’d want to analyze long-term engagement data to see what keeps people coming back and how the app could grow into a habit, not just a helper.
MY LEARNINGS
Design evolves through reflection.
ThirdPlace was shaped as much by personal experience as by research. Having recently moved myself, I understood the quiet mix of excitement and disconnection that comes with starting over in a new city. Those early feelings became the foundation for our design questions: how do people find their spaces, and what helps them feel they belong?
Clarity comes from distilling complexity.
Throughout the process, our research surfaced many directions. Each had potential to become a separate feature or experience. The challenge was learning how to bring these fragmented insights together without losing focus. What helped was stepping back, and finding the core human need behind each idea. Repetition of this exercise eventually led to connecting to one clear intent: helping people feel at home through discovery and connection.
How about another read?
Client project
Mobile design
Reducing confusion & boosting discoverability by 40% for first-time users
Going back to the start
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
We wanted to explore how people discover places & build social connections
The focus was exploring social habits, discovery modalities, motivations, challenges, needs & desires.
Interviewee profiles
Graduate Students
“I wish there was something more personalized though, not just the same big events or parties everyone already knows about.
Like, reddit. I want something genuine.”
Working professionals
“I usually find places on my own. It takes time, but that’s the only way to find spots that actually fit me. The apps out there just show the same popular places, so I end up relying on friends or digging around myself.”
Affinity mapped findings
Insights to inform design direction
01
Social experiences should flex with context and intent
“Some days I just want a quiet café to read. But I have my moments where I want to invite a new friend to something cool.”
02
Social connection should feel natural, not forced
“I want to meet new people, but not in a super awkward or forced way. It should just happen, like through a shared experience.”
03
Discovery should celebrate individuality and effort
“I like finding spots on my own. It feels good when I stumble upon something that fits me, like I discovered it, not an algorithm.”
04
Discovery should feel connected, not scattered
“Right now, I look at TikTok, reddit reviews, vlogs, ratings, and pictures. Having it in one place would be a blessing.”
05
Recommendations should feel personal & contextual
“I don’t know if it’s possible but recommendations would be more relevant if I could search by my mood or vibe.”
IDEATION
Uncovering market gaps & exploring design opportunities
Building on our research and uncovered market gaps, we explored ideas to see where the most meaningful impact can be made.
Market gaps
Fragmented discovery experience. There’s no app that unifies events and locations.
Lack of context-aware recs. Recs are mostly generic: based on history or interest tags.
Skewed to organizer needs over user needs. Limited personalization and low motivation to return.
Platforms don’t actively facilitate connection. Lack of subtle nudges for people to build social connections.
Design opportunities
switching from insight to interface
DESIGN
Designing for exploration and ease
We designed the flow with first-time users in mind, making exploration feel approachable while gradually introducing key features.
The first steps were defining the information architecture and user flow for a first-time user.
Information Architecture
First-time user flow
We then sketched out key screens & explored iterations of wireframes
We designed the flow with first-time users in mind, making exploration feel approachable while gradually introducing key features.
Sketches & annotations
Notable explorations in wireframes based on user feedback
CONCLUSION
We built the design system to capture the sense of fun & approachability people look for
Inspired by how people explore their cities, the design uses warm colors and friendly type to feel social and effortless. The tone stays inviting and conversational, mirroring users’ curiosity and openness.
If I had more time…
I’d dig deeper into how social features could turn casual discovery into lasting connection and test ways to help users find common ground without pressure.
I’d also explore how ThirdPlace could adapt to smaller towns or suburban contexts, where community looks different.
Finally, I’d want to analyze long-term engagement data to see what keeps people coming back and how the app could grow into a habit, not just a helper.
Going back to the start
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
We wanted to explore how people discover places & build social connections
The focus was exploring social habits, discovery modalities, motivations, challenges, needs & desires.
Interviewee profiles
Graduate Students
“I wish there was something more personalized though, not just the same big events or parties everyone already knows about.
Like, reddit. I want something genuine.”
Working professionals
“I usually find places on my own. It takes time, but that’s the only way to find spots that actually fit me. The apps out there just show the same popular places, so I end up relying on friends or digging around myself.”
Affinity mapped findings
Insights to inform design direction
01
Social experiences should flex with context and intent
“Some days I just want a quiet café to read. But I have my moments where I want to invite a new friend to something cool.”
02
Social connection should feel natural, not forced
“I want to meet new people, but not in a super awkward or forced way. It should just happen, like through a shared experience.”
03
Discovery should celebrate individuality and effort
“I like finding spots on my own. It feels good when I stumble upon something that fits me, like I discovered it, not an algorithm.”
04
Discovery should feel connected, not scattered
“Right now, I look at TikTok, reddit reviews, vlogs, ratings, and pictures. Having it in one place would be a blessing.”
05
Recommendations should feel personal & contextual
“I don’t know if it’s possible but recommendations would be more relevant if I could search by my mood or vibe.”
IDEATION
Uncovering market gaps & exploring design opportunities
Building on our research and uncovered market gaps, we explored ideas to see where the most meaningful impact can be made.
Market gaps
Fragmented discovery experience. There’s no app that unifies events and locations.
Lack of context-aware recs. Recs are mostly generic: based on history or interest tags.
Skewed to organizer needs over user needs. Limited personalization and low motivation to return.
Platforms don’t actively facilitate connection. Lack of subtle nudges for people to build social connections.
Design opportunities
switching from insight to interface
DESIGN
Designing for exploration and ease
We designed the flow with first-time users in mind, making exploration feel approachable while gradually introducing key features.
The first steps were defining the information architecture and user flow for a first-time user.
Information Architecture
First-time user flow
We then sketched out key screens & explored iterations of wireframes
We designed the flow with first-time users in mind, making exploration feel approachable while gradually introducing key features.
Sketches & annotations
Notable explorations in wireframes based on user feedback
CONCLUSION
We built the design system to capture the sense of fun & approachability people look for
Inspired by how people explore their cities, the design uses warm colors and friendly type to feel social and effortless. The tone stays inviting and conversational, mirroring users’ curiosity and openness.
If I had more time…
I’d dig deeper into how social features could turn casual discovery into lasting connection and test ways to help users find common ground without pressure.
I’d also explore how ThirdPlace could adapt to smaller towns or suburban contexts, where community looks different.
Finally, I’d want to analyze long-term engagement data to see what keeps people coming back and how the app could grow into a habit, not just a helper.
MY LEARNINGS
Design evolves through reflection.
ThirdPlace was shaped as much by personal experience as by research. Having recently moved myself, I understood the quiet mix of excitement and disconnection that comes with starting over in a new city. Those early feelings became the foundation for our design questions: how do people find their spaces, and what helps them feel they belong?
Clarity comes from distilling complexity.
Throughout the process, our research surfaced many directions. Each had potential to become a separate feature or experience. The challenge was learning how to bring these fragmented insights together without losing focus. What helped was stepping back, and finding the core human need behind each idea. Repetition of this exercise eventually led to connecting to one clear intent: helping people feel at home through discovery and connection.