The Problem
Social media makes documenting life easy—but at a cost. Endless scrolling, algorithmic feeds, and data harvesting turn precious memories into engagement metrics. People want to capture moments without the distractions.
My Role
Product Manager leading product strategy and UX improvements:
- Product Strategy — Defined roadmap and feature prioritization
- User Flow Redesign — Improved key journeys for better retention
- Feature Scoping — Balanced user needs with development constraints
- Cross-functional Coordination — Aligned design, engineering, and business goals
The Solution
A private memory app—social media UX without the social media downsides:
- Personal Timeline — Document moments for yourself, not followers
- Smart Search — Find memories by date, text, or custom tags
- Daily Featured Moments — Resurface meaningful entries automatically
- Cloud Backup — Secure storage without data exploitation
- Privacy First — No ads, no data selling, no algorithmic manipulation
UX Redesign Impact
Onboarding Flow
Simplified first-time experience to reduce drop-off. Focused on immediate value—users create their first memory within 60 seconds.
Memory Capture
Streamlined the capture interface to minimize friction between "moment happening" and "moment saved."
Discovery
Redesigned how users rediscover old memories—balancing serendipity ("On This Day") with intentional search.
Key Decisions
Privacy vs Features
Premium features like sharing with family created tension with the core privacy promise.
Decision: Sharing is opt-in, end-to-end encrypted, and never affects the algorithm. Privacy remains the default.
Simplicity vs Power
Power users wanted advanced organization (folders, albums, tags). Casual users wanted zero friction.
Decision: Tags are optional, search is smart enough to work without them, and organization emerges naturally from usage patterns.
Platforms
- iOS (App Store)
- Android (Google Play)
What I Learned
- Emotional products need emotional onboarding — First impression isn't about features, it's about feeling
- Privacy is a feature — In a post-social-media world, "we don't sell your data" is a competitive advantage
- Retention beats acquisition — For memory apps, users who stay 30 days stay forever