Umee's rebrand project aimed to define brand guidelines, a lightweight design system, and then build/integrate across 100+ app screens. I collaborated closely with the Brand Design Lead, CEO, and a small design team to align Umee’s visual identity with its mission and values, and then delivered to our development team.
Role
UX Designer
Duration
2 Quarters
Deliverables
Brand Guidelines, Design System, High-Fidelity Brand-integrated Screens
Stakeholders
Design Team, Brand Design Lead, CEO
Tools
Figma, Adobe Suite, Google Suite, Trello
Umee lacked brand guidelines, leading to fragmented, inconsistent designs across primary app features.
Our brand identity did not resonate with the needs of our app's target user demographic.
Ensure the design choices reflect Umee's core mission and values, fostering a sense of community and connection among users.
Produce high-fidelity wireframes and UI designs for all app screens, ready for the first live launch and development handoff.
Umee's Vision
Umee is an innovative community-building platform that supports members of exclusive communities (gyms, clubs, and other community organizations) by fostering connection and promoting social wellness.
Umee.socialOur target user group were adults over 40 who are members of exclusive social clubs, such as gyms and community organizations. This demographic was at an increased risk of negative health impact from the loneliness epidemic.
A 2016 meta-analysis found that poor social relationships in this demographic are linked to a 29% higher risk of coronary heart disease and a 32% higher risk of stroke.
Umee planned to soft launch to three gyms the next quarter, so we focused our research on gym members to gain an understanding of exclusive communities. We could later apply our insights to other communities more broadly.
Our goal for research was to identify the user goals for our product.
I collaborated with my team to narrow down qualitative and quantitative questions, and we specifically chose to interview members of gym communities. These are the two participants I interviewed:
Through our user interviews, we found that this older demographic needed to feel the same sense of belonging on the app that they experienced within their fitness communities.
Although they were comfortable with phones and technology, they were initially hesitant to adopt and use a new app within their community.
I led research into three competitors where Umee drew most of its visual inspiration: Nextdoor, Hinge, and Meetup.
Using our research, we needed to define Umee's core brand values to guide Umee's visuals and brand messaging. We worked closely with our CEO to ensure we built from their vision for Umee. My Brand Lead began the visualization process by leading mood board exercises.
Visualization exercises like mood boards based on our user research helped us refine Umee's vision of fostering community into emblematic words and imagery.
We most strived to capture a sense of "belonging" in our imagery.
After weeks of research, visualization exercises, and collaborative discussion, we refined Umee's mission and vision into 3 core brand values.
Umee is a warm, cozy place. The experience should be bright and comfortable.
Umee is rooted in empathetic relationships. Genuine emotional connection is the foundation of positive relationships
Umee is for every member of community, fostering connection between users no matter who their differences.
By the end of the quarter, we solidified Umee’s brand foundation. With the app’s soft launch delayed due to development setbacks, we used Q1 2024 to establish brand guidelines and a lightweight design system.
In Q1 of 2024, our goal was to deliver clear brand guidelines and a simplified design system. I then led their integration across all Umee screens—including Onboarding, Match, Chat, and Newsfeed. Guided by our mood boards and core values of warmth, empathy, and inclusivity, we defined the logo, color palette, typography, and overall tone.
The core components of Umee's visual identity.
I started a foundational token system for Umee, designed to scale as the project grows.
In Q2, I led the rollout of Umee’s new visual identity across 100+ app screens, beginning our first design system, adapting brand elements for usability, and aligning the new look with existing wireframes. Final designs were approved by our design lead and CEO and handed off to our dev team.
I designed over 100 high-fidelity screens including all essential user interactions and outcomes across the Umee app.
"Spark" Screen Prototype
Where users will find and connect to each other.
Glowing Profile Pictures
A sea of members who joined Umee within your gym community.
Match
A sea of members who joined Umee within your gym community.
Try out the Figma onboarding prototype for yourself!
Since this was the first time we applied the brand to a real feature, the process was hands-on and iterative. With a short deadline and lots of trial and error, I worked closely with my PM, gathering daily feedback and refining designs for her and our CEO’s approval.
I created the first complete design of Umee’s mobile app. The brand work helped establish a clear visual identity and provided the Umee team a shared direction moving forward.
New design components were ready to be defined.
The best measure of success will come after Umee soft launches to three trial gyms. But, the work I did, shaped with input from my leads and CEO, enabled Umee to move forward with its mission for fostering community .
Umee is a health & wellness company created to address negative of the loneliness epidemic. Umee's mission is to help members of exclusive communities like gyms, country clubs, and other social groups bond and create new connections.
"The combined insights from studies by Marta Zaraska, Robert Waldinger, and Vivek Murthy redefine our understanding of health and longevity. They show that it’s about more than just what we eat or how often we exercise; it’s about our connections, community, and feeling safe within our communal networks.
Umee offers a practical solution to prioritize our "social fitness" — just as we do our physical fitness. By bridging research and technology, we're presenting a pathway to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. The evidence is clear, and the tools are at hand — it's time to harness the power of connection."
– Umee Mission Statement
