In a 48-hour design sprint at Stanford we created a feature for Corner that helps every group member — not just the planners — contribute to hangout decisions. The result is a low-pressure, expressive experience that surfaces hidden preferences and reduces the burden on group leaders.
Timeline:
May 10 - May 11th 2025
Role:
User research, synthesis, ideation, UX flows, Storytelling
Team:
2 designers
Tools:
Figma, Figjam
Quick Glance
1. Define the Problem
Uneven group dynamics were making planning stressful for leaders and invisible for others.
2. Research & Synthesis
Interviewed group leaders and passive members to uncover pain points and emotional tensions.
- Design a Solution
Created Group Vibe, a feature that collects and visualizes preferences to help groups make low-pressure, collaborative decisions.
- Prototype It
Designed full user flows and a working prototype for both Corner users and non-users.
5pm
Introduction
What is Corner?
Corner is a social map app that helps people discover places through personal, emotionally driven recommendations. It’s popular among the “head honchos” of the group — the ones who plan, suggest, and decide.
But what about everyone else?
Original Prompt:
“How might we create a positive experience on Corner for everyone in the friend group—not just the decision-makers?”
The Problem
In most friend groups, planning falls on one or two people. These “default planners” are expected to get it right for everyone — often with little input. Meanwhile, other members stay quiet, even though they still care about the outcome.
6pm
Research + Insights
To understand how group planning works and where it breaks down we interviewed:
- Leaders, who initiate and finalize plans
- Followers, who are more passive but still affected
Key Insights From Both Parties
Leaders
Controlled collaboration
Want discussion and decision
Emotional burden
Pressure to the right decision
Default responsibility
Forced to step up
Followers
Silent Preferences
Have opinions but are passive
Trust Without Engagement
Hate conflict and disagreements
Trust Without Engagement
They trust the leaders
Shared Themes
Respect &
acknowledgment
Tension & imbalance
Everyone wants inclusion
11pm
Problem Definition + HMW
After mapping user interviews and shared behaviors, we narrowed our focus to three recurring problems that affect the group planning experience:
Followers say they don’t care, but they do - and leaders know it. Their unspoken preferences still matter, and leaders want to hear them.
Leaders struggle with making a decisions that makes people happy
Sometimes there is a conflict of interest based on peoples preferences
With these key problems defined, we reframed our focus into a central question:
How Might We...
Ensure that everyone’s preferences are represented fairly, regardless of their willingness or ability to voice them?
1;30am
Ideation
We explored ideas that
Give quieter users a voice
Keep the experience low-pressure and expressive
Reduce leader burden
Step 1 : Brain Dump
From Me:
- Swipe-based vibe picker
- Anonymous mode for low-pressure sharing
- Highlighting underrepresented voices
- Post hangout feedback
- Side by side compare and contrast
Step 2: Finding Alignment
Aligned ideas needed to:
- Capture emotional tone
- Give everyone a voice
- Work for users + non-users
- Avoid planning friction
From this exploration to direction this became the foundation for Group Vibe
5am
Solution + Flows
We designed Group Vibe — a lightweight, expressive way to gather and visualize group preferences during hangout planning.
It helps every friend contribute without speaking up or downloading the app.
User Flows
Inviting a Non-User ( Follower )
Whether a user has the app or not, their experience is the same: they submit their preferences through a lightweight browser-based flow. This ensures that everyone can participate—quiet members, new users, and people who don’t want to download Corner.
Step By Step
- Opening the invite link
- Picking a vibe/aesthetic
- Adding practical preferences
- User has the option to install Corner
- Submitting anonymously or with a name
Inviting An App User
For the corner users who are followers they input the same preferences as those without the app the only difference is that it is not done through a browser
Leader invites user
User receives invite
Leaders ( Corner Users )
Leaders start parties, invite friends, and see the final vibe score of the places with the highest interest. They use Corner’s full app interface.
Step By Step
- Starts a Party
- Sets Hangout Type
- Invites Users
- Sees Group Vibe Score of locations based on group preferences
- Makes a decision
After looking at the places with the highest group vibe score all thats next is a simple text off the app to get your hangout going
Feature Spotlight
A group’s preferences, both aesthetic and practical, are combined into a party score that’s applied to any location in the app.
Scores above 60% indicate a potentially good match, and are highlighted directly on the map:
11am
Reflection
Our solution allows for everyone - leaders and followers alike - to have their voices heard in the group planning process. We’re introducing new users to Corner in a frictionless way, enhancing the experience of existing users, and keeping everyone within their comfort zone.
In a 48-hour sprint at the Stanford Designathon, we created a feature for Corner that helps every group member — not just the planners — contribute to hangout decisions. The result is a low-pressure, expressive experience that surfaces hidden preferences and reduces the burden on group leaders.
Timeline:
May 10 - May 11th 2025
Role:
User research, synthesis, ideation, UX flows, Storytelling
Team:
2 designers
Tools:
Figma, Figjam
Quick Glance
1. Define the Problem
Uneven group dynamics were making planning stressful for leaders and invisible for others.
2. Research & Synthesis
Interviewed group leaders and passive members to uncover pain points and emotional tensions.
- Design a Solution
Created Group Vibe, a feature that collects and visualizes preferences to help groups make low-pressure, collaborative decisions.
- Prototype It
Designed full user flows and a working prototype for both Corner users and non-users.
5pm
Introduction
What is Corner?
Corner is a social map app that helps people discover places through personal, emotionally driven recommendations. It’s popular among the “head honchos” of the group — the ones who plan, suggest, and decide.
But what about everyone else?
Original Prompt:
“How might we create a positive experience on Corner for everyone in the friend group—not just the decision-makers?”
The Problem
In most friend groups, planning falls on one or two people. These “default planners” are expected to get it right for everyone — often with little input. Meanwhile, other members stay quiet, even though they still care about the outcome.
6pm
Research + Insights
To understand how group planning works and where it breaks down we interviewed:
- Leaders, who initiate and finalize plans
- Followers, who are more passive but still affected
Key Insights From Both Parties
Leaders
Controlled collaboration
Want discussion and decision
Emotional burden
Pressure to the right decision
Default responsibility
Forced to step up
Followers
Silent Preferences
Have opinions but are passive
Trust Without Engagement
Hate conflict and disagreements
Trust Without Engagement
They trust the leaders
Shared Themes
Respect &
acknowledgment
Tension & imbalance
Everyone wants inclusion
11pm
Problem Definition + HMW
After mapping user interviews and shared behaviors, we narrowed our focus to three recurring problems that affect the group planning experience:
Followers say they don’t care, but they do - and leaders know it. Their unspoken preferences still matter, and leaders want to hear them.
Leaders struggle with making a decisions that makes people happy
Sometimes there is a conflict of interest based on peoples preferences
With these key problems defined, we reframed our focus into a central question:
How Might We...
Ensure that everyone’s preferences are represented fairly, regardless of their willingness or ability to voice them?
1;30am
Ideation
We explored ideas that
Give quieter users a voice
Keep the experience low-pressure and expressive
Reduce leader burden
Step 1 : Brain Dump
From Me:
- Swipe-based vibe picker
- Anonymous mode for low-pressure sharing
- Highlighting underrepresented voices
- Post hangout feedback
- Side by side compare and contrast
Step 2: Finding Alignment
Aligned ideas needed to:
- Capture emotional tone
- Give everyone a voice
- Work for users + non-users
- Avoid planning friction
From this exploration to direction this became the foundation for Group Vibe
5am
Solution + Flows
We designed Group Vibe — a lightweight, expressive way to gather and visualize group preferences during hangout planning.
It helps every friend contribute without speaking up or downloading the app.
User Flows
Inviting a Non-User ( Follower )
Whether a user has the app or not, their experience is the same: they submit their preferences through a lightweight browser-based flow. This ensures that everyone can participate—quiet members, new users, and people who don’t want to download Corner.
Step By Step
- Opening the invite link
- Picking a vibe/aesthetic
- Adding practical preferences
- User has the option to install Corner
- Submitting anonymously or with a name
Inviting An App User
For the corner users who are followers they input the same preferences as those without the app the only difference is that it is not done through a browser
Leader invites user
User receives invite
Leaders ( Corner Users )
Leaders start parties, invite friends, and see the final vibe score of the places with the highest interest. They use Corner’s full app interface.
Step By Step
- Starts a Party
- Sets Hangout Type
- Invites Users
- Sees Group Vibe Score of locations based on group preferences
- Makes a decision
After looking at the places with the highest group vibe score all thats next is a simple text off the app to get your hangout going
Feature Spotlight
A group’s preferences, both aesthetic and practical, are combined into a party score that’s applied to any location in the app.
Scores above 60% indicate a potentially good match, and are highlighted directly on the map:
11am
Reflection
Our solution allows for everyone - leaders and followers alike - to have their voices heard in the group planning process. We’re introducing new users to Corner in a frictionless way, enhancing the experience of existing users, and keeping everyone within their comfort zone.
In a 48-hour sprint at the Stanford Designathon, we created a feature for Corner that helps every group member — not just the planners — contribute to hangout decisions. The result is a low-pressure, expressive experience that surfaces hidden preferences and reduces the burden on group leaders.
Timeline:
May 10 - May 11th 2025
Role:
User research, synthesis, ideation, UX flows, Storytelling
Team:
2 designers
Tools:
Figma, Figjam
Quick Glance
1. Define the Problem
Uneven group dynamics were making planning stressful for leaders and invisible for others.
2. Research & Synthesis
Interviewed group leaders and passive members to uncover pain points and emotional tensions.
- Design a Solution
Created Group Vibe, a feature that collects and visualizes preferences to help groups make low-pressure, collaborative decisions.
- Prototype It
Designed full user flows and a working prototype for both Corner users and non-users.
5pm
Introduction
What is Corner?
Corner is a social map app that helps people discover places through personal, emotionally driven recommendations. It’s popular among the “head honchos” of the group — the ones who plan, suggest, and decide.
But what about everyone else?
Original Prompt:
“How might we create a positive experience on Corner for everyone in the friend group—not just the decision-makers?”
The Problem
In most friend groups, planning falls on one or two people. These “default planners” are expected to get it right for everyone — often with little input. Meanwhile, other members stay quiet, even though they still care about the outcome.
6pm
Research + Insights
To understand how group planning works and where it breaks down we interviewed:
- Leaders, who initiate and finalize plans
- Followers, who are more passive but still affected
Key Insights From Both Parties
Leaders
Controlled collaboration
Want discussion and decision
Emotional burden
Pressure to the right decision
Default responsibility
Forced to step up
Followers
Silent Preferences
Have opinions but are passive
Trust Without Engagement
Hate conflict and disagreements
Trust Without Engagement
They trust the leaders
Shared Themes
Respect & acknowledgment
Tension & imbalance
Everyone wants inclusion
11pm
Problem Definition + HMW
After mapping user interviews and shared behaviors, we narrowed our focus to three recurring problems that affect the group planning experience:
Followers say they don’t care, but they do - and leaders know it. Their unspoken preferences still matter, and leaders want to hear them.
Leaders struggle with making a decisions that makes people happy
Sometimes there is a conflict of interest based on peoples preferences
With these key problems defined, we reframed our focus into a central question:
How Might We...
Ensure that everyone’s preferences are represented fairly, regardless of their willingness or ability to voice them?
1;30am
Ideation
We explored ideas that
Give quieter users a voice
Keep the experience low-pressure and expressive
Reduce leader burden
Step 1 : Brain Dump
From Me:
- Swipe-based vibe picker
- Anonymous mode for low-pressure sharing
- Highlighting underrepresented voices
- Post hangout feedback
- Side by side compare and contrast
Step 2: Finding Alignment
Aligned ideas needed to:
- Capture emotional tone
- Give everyone a voice
- Work for users + non-users
- Avoid planning friction
From this exploration to direction this became the foundation for Group Vibe
5am
Solution + Flows
We designed Group Vibe — a lightweight, expressive way to gather and visualize group preferences during hangout planning.
It helps every friend contribute without speaking up or downloading the app.
User Flows
Inviting a Non-User ( Follower )
Whether a user has the app or not, their experience is the same: they submit their preferences through a lightweight browser-based flow. This ensures that everyone can participate—quiet members, new users, and people who don’t want to download Corner.
Step By Step
- Opening the invite link
- Picking a vibe/aesthetic
- Adding practical preferences
- Submitting anonymously or with a name
- User has the option to install Corner
Inviting An App User
For the corner users who are followers they input the same preferences as those without the app the only difference is that it is not done through a browser
Leader invites user
User receives invite
Leaders ( Corner Users )
Leaders start parties, invite friends, and see the final vibe score of the places with the highest interest. They use Corner’s full app interface.
Step By Step
- Starts a Party
- Sets Hangout Type
- Invites Users
- Sees Group Vibe Score of locations based on group preferences
- Makes a decision
After looking at the places with the highest group vibe score all thats next is a simple text off the app to get your hangout going
Feature Spotlight
A group’s preferences, both aesthetic and practical, are combined into a party score that’s applied to any location in the app.
Scores above 60% indicate a potentially good match, and are highlighted directly on the map:
11am
Reflection
Our solution allows for everyone - leaders and followers alike - to have their voices heard in the group planning process. We’re introducing new users to Corner in a frictionless way, enhancing the experience of existing users, and keeping everyone within their comfort zone.