Snapchat x Communities Reimagined

Role

Product Designer &
UI/UX Designer

Skills

Design Research
Product Design
UI/UX Design

Timeline

August 2025 (3 weeks)

Overview

In Summer 2025, I participated in the Snap Design Academy, where I collaborated with a team of engineers and marketer for our final project focused on redesigning Snapchat’s School Communities. We presented our concept to Snap stakeholders, showcasing solutions that would improve discoverability, inclusivity, and safety for marginalized students.

My contributions included leading the UX copywriting, designing onboarding flows, and creating mockups for key features such as tag-based group discovery, the Connect tab for 1:1 peer connections, and Saturn class integration.

Initial Observation

LGBTQ+ youth of color, struggles with low discoverability, limited personalization, and a lack of safe for affirming spaces.

School Communities are difficult to discover and often fail to provide inclusive, affirming spaces for marginalized students. Initial discussions with LGBTQ+ youth of color and our partner, Rainbow Lab, helped us uncover two key pain points:

Pain Points

Low Discoverability

The Communities feature is buried within profiles and offers little incentive for students to reach out, making it difficult to take the first step.
Lack of Inclusive Spaces

Students, especially LGBTQ+ youth of color, struggle to find safe, affirming environments where they can connect authentically.
Key Insight: Students want more personalized ways to connect with peers who share their identities, classes, and interests, but need guardrails to ensure safety and trust.

Market Research

How do Online Communities Promote Inclusivity?

Reddit
Subreddits like r/LGBT, r/Transgender, and r/Queer serve as inclusive online spaces where users can explore identity, share stories, and seek advice anonymously. This structure allows individuals—especially those not yet out—to participate without fear of judgment. However, inclusivity on Reddit depends heavily on each subreddit’s moderation team. The platform lacks consistent guardrails, and harassment or misinformation can still surface despite efforts to maintain safety.
Tiktok
Subreddits like r/LGBT, r/Transgender, and r/Queer serve as inclusive online spaces where users can explore identity, share stories, and seek advice anonymously. This structure allows individuals—especially those not yet out—to participate without fear of judgment. However, inclusivity on Reddit depends heavily on each subreddit’s moderation team. The platform lacks consistent guardrails, and harassment or misinformation can still surface despite efforts to maintain safety.
Discord
Subreddits like r/LGBT, r/Transgender, and r/Queer serve as inclusive online spaces where users can explore identity, share stories, and seek advice anonymously. This structure allows individuals—especially those not yet out—to participate without fear of judgment. However, inclusivity on Reddit depends heavily on each subreddit’s moderation team. The platform lacks consistent guardrails, and harassment or misinformation can still surface despite efforts to maintain safety.
How might we help LGBTQ+ youth of color discover and join inclusive, school-based communities on Snapchat, where they can safely connect with peers and build genuine relationships?

THE PROBLEM ON SNAPCHAT COMMUNITIES

Snapchats Communities is hidden away and provides no incentives to connect with classmates.

Online platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and Discord promote inclusivity through visibility and shared interests, but Snapchat’s School Communities fall short. The feature lacks discoverability, personalization, and inclusive design—making it difficult for students

Solution

Overhauling the onboarding and discoverability experience for students through a tag system

We redesigned the onboarding and discoverability experience within Snapchat’s School Communities to make it more inclusive and personalized. By integrating tag-based recommendations, interest-driven groups, and safer connection tools, students easily discover communities, connect with peers who share their interests, and feel a stronger sense of belonging within their school.
Discoveribility + Onboarding
We redesigned the onboarding and discoverability experience within Snapchat’s School Communities to make it more inclusive and personalized. By integrating tag-based recommendations, interest-driven groups, and safer connection tools, students easily discover communities, connect with peers who share their interests, and feel a stronger sense of belonging within their school.
Group
The updated group feature introduces three curated sections — Groups For You, Emerging Groups, and Groups You May Like — all powered by the new tagging system. These sections encourage exploration and help students find inclusive spaces tied to their interests, classes, or cultural identities. Groups can now also host events and share resources, giving students more ways to engage both online and on campus.
Connect
Within each school page, the new Connect tab promotes safe 1:1 peer connections. Using shared tags and verified school information, Connect suggests like-minded classmates and allows students like Danny to reach out confidently, even if they’re too shy to engage in group chats. Built-in guardrails like verification and reporting tools ensure every connection feels genuine, safe, and intentional.

Figma Prototype

Reflection

What I learned

Collaboration Across Disciplines
Working with marketers and engineers introduced me to a new layer of collaboration. I learned how design decisions are shaped by technical feasibility and market potential, which helped me think beyond visuals and understand the real-world impact of our work.
Navigating Team Dynamics
During this fast-paced project, our team faced moments of disagreement and frustration. As challenges arose, I stepped in to mediate discussions, realign our goals, and maintain momentum. It was a valuable lesson in leading with empathy and adaptability under pressure.