Ani
TIMELINE
Jan 2023 - Nov 2024
ROLE
Lead Product
Designer
SERVICES
Interaction Design
User Research
Design Systems
Ani is an anime and manga social platform that brings fans together through shared stories and passions. I led the redesign of its onboarding and discovery experience to make every user’s feed feel uniquely theirs, transforming Ani from just another fandom app into a space that feels personal, familiar, and alive.
Problem
Users struggle to find their favorite anime and manga genres due to irrelevant content in their feeds
Without feed customization, users are frustrated and disengaged, struggling to find relevant content. This reduces user retention and overall engagement on platforms like Ani.
Research
How do existing apps approach content discoverability?
We explored content curation in social media apps, drawing insights from Pinterest, Flipboard, Instagram, and TikTok. Guiding questions refined our design decisions for the final solution.
At what part of the user flow would customized content curation be most intuitively implemented?
02
How can we streamline the current feed navigation to minimize redundant links and cognitive overload?
03
Beyond the initial preferences selection, how will users be able to adapt their feed to their changing interests?
FINDINGS
FROM PROBLEM TO OPPORTUNITIES
Solution
Feed personalization during onboarding
Our market research revealed a critical gap in our app: inadequate feed customization. To bridge this, we introduced a feature that lets users select their interests, using this data to offer personalized suggestions of similar users.
We began with lo-fi wireframes to explore layouts and key features. After presenting these to internal stakeholders, including the founder, we chose to implement a multi-step onboarding process to better refine user interests.
After creating hi-fi prototypes, we consulted the founder and developers. Due to complications with unique title chips, we chose user-set titles to simplify development while maintaining profile filtering.
DECLUTTERING THE FEED
Curate Your Experience
Quickly specify your interests to start
Seamlessly set up your profile and preferences
Instantly follow recommended users
A Cleaner, Smarter Feed
Experience a mix of articles, videos, images, and reviews curated to your tastes
Enjoy posts and updates from the people you follow
Stay in the Loop
Filter your feed instantly to view only the content format you want
Switch between “Trending” and “For You” to see what’s hot or what’s personally curated
Discover New Friends!
Explore trending users and see who’s making waves in the community
Dive into detailed profiles featuring interests, recent posts, and personal media reviews
Let Favorites Guide Your Discovery!
Effortlessly navigate trending content by specific titles or dive into genres that captivate you
Get suggestions for other titles and genres based on your current favorites and viewing history
LEARNINGS & FUTURE PLANS
OUTCOMES
What Was Built and What It Proved
The redesigned onboarding and discovery experience was validated internally and received strong approval from the founder and cross-functional team. The solution addressed what the research identified as the core problem: that without feed customization, users were frustrated and disengaged, struggling to find content relevant to them in a way that hurt retention. Our competitive analysis across Pinterest, Flipboard, and TikTok confirmed that interest-based onboarding was the right strategic direction, and the multi-step flow we built — genre selection, profile suggestions, and user-controlled sorting — put that directly into practice.
Conclusion
Leading Through Ambiguity
Ani taught me what it means to lead without a safety net. In a startup with a small team, a big vision, and shifting constraints, I learned that design leadership isn't just about the work on screen, it's about creating the conditions for good decisions, building trust across functions, and designing the systems that allow the product to grow.
It also taught me not to get overly attached to a particular solution. When technical or product constraints challenged an idea, I learned to step back and ask what user outcome we were actually trying to preserve and find another way to get there.
I left Ani with a much broader understanding of what it means to lead design: knowing when to push, when to adapt, and how to create enough structure for a team to move confidently through ambiguity.
