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KAYV App
Project Type:
Timeline:
Status:
Overview:
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2 Months
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Kayv (pronounced “cave”) was created to tackle a growing challenge: men struggling to form and maintain deep friendships. With modern life creating more isolation and fewer social opportunities, Kayv set out to foster authentic connections both online and in person.
Mobile
B2C
Done
Social Media
Project Background
Social App for Meaningful Friendships
The Goal
Design a mobile experience that helps men meet like-minded peers, reduce loneliness, and strengthen community bonds, while also building a product vision with clear opportunities for future engagement and monetization.
The Problem
Modern life has made forming and maintaining male friendships increasingly difficult:
Isolation
Many men feel lonely, worsened by digital lifestyles (especially post-pandemic)
Life Transitions
Relocation, work, and family commitments reduce opportunities to socialize
Social Barriers
Introversion and uncertainty about where to meet people prevent meaningful connections
“1 in 5 men report having no close friends” (Survey Center on American Life), which can negatively impact mental health and wellbeing.
The Solution
We built Kayv, a mobile platform that helps men build meaningful friendships through personalized profiles (“My Cave”) to express personality and interests, events (“Adventures”) to encourage real-life meetups, chats & forums (“Bonfires”) to spark organic conversations, and gamification & rewards to boost engagement and foster community participation.
My Role & Approach
As part of a design team (2) I was responsible for:
Vision crafting
Collaborated with founder and engineers to define the app’s concept and core experiences
Journey mapping
Mapped key journeys including onboarding, home, profile, events, and chats
Design
Designed mobile screens with retro/gamer aesthetic, balancing usability with playful visuals
Handoff
Delivered polished UI screens, assets, and prototypes for seamless developer implementation
Design Consulting
Guided post-handoff refinements, iterating on flows and visual elements
Design Outcome
App Conceptualization
In the initial discussions, we explored the founder’s original vision and began shaping the foundation of the app. This phase focused on high-level conceptualization, mapping out rough ideas of the user flow, identifying key features, outlining the core actions users would take, and defining the outcomes each interaction should lead to. These early conversations were essential in aligning the product goals with a realistic and user-centered design direction.
Onboarding
Gamified onboarding personalizes profiles and sets up the matching algorithm.
A Unique Home Screen
Instant access to core features: Bonfires (chat), Adventures (events), My Cave (profile).
My Man Cave
Personalized ‘digital sanctuary’ showcasing avatars, interests, and friend suggestions.
Adventures
Browse, create, and join in-person activities to foster meaningful connections.
Bonfires
Private and public chats for organic conversation and coordination around events.
Business Outcomes & Results
Team Launch
Delivered polished UI and flows to the distributed development team; app released for limited testing in 2024
User Testing
Gathered ~200 users for initial feedback, validating core features and usability
Gamification Roadmap
Designed a point-based system with levels and rewards to encourage engagement, event creation, and in-person meetups
Local Partnerships
Secured collaborations with bars and arcades in Denver to provide IRL rewards tied to in-app activity
Angel Investment
Raised $200K to fund app development and early growth
My Reflection
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Community-first approach is critical: Features alone are not enough; real-world partnerships and incentives drive adoption and retention.
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Keep scope tight: Early designs included too many gamification ideas. Learned to prioritize a core experience first before expanding.
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Testing with users early pays off: Feedback from ~200 testers helped refine flows and confirmed demand for in-person connection.
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Design for business impact: Aligning features (like rewards) with partner businesses opened revenue and growth opportunities beyond the app itself.
Next Steps
Kayv demonstrated the potential of combining social connection with light gamification to encourage meaningful offline interactions. While the MVP validated user interest in discovery and event participation, the next step was to integrate the rewards system — enabling users to earn points and unlock IRL perks through local bar and arcade partnerships.
This roadmap aimed to strengthen community ties, boost retention, and create a sustainable business model by driving value for both users and partner venues.