Community Groups
Problem Statement
In every apartment community, there’s one thing that quietly brings people together "The Community Groups". From cricket buddies to mommy circles, youngsters to senior citizens, these chats are where real connections happen.
But then there is some problem. Most new residents, even long-time residents don’t even know these groups exist. And sometimes, a resident wants to be part of a group, wants to feel connected, but doesn’t know how. They feel left out. A community that could feel alive ends up feeling distant.
Solution
We imagined a space where:
✦ Residents can explore all community groups, whether by block, interest or category
✦ They can join any group instantly using a shared link
✦ Group creators can easily add their group so others can find and join it too
Personas
We designed this feature keeping two core users in mind:
Starters
✦ A resident who already manages or just started a group and wants to make it discoverable for others.
Seekers
✦ A new or unaware resident who wants to feel more connected.
✦ They’re looking to join a group that fits their block, interest, etc., (sports, pets, hobbies, etc.)
Insights
We spoke with residents from different apartment communities to understand the types of groups they are part of and the struggles they faced when they wanted to get connected with the community.
Some of the insights from the conversation:
✦ Residents don’t want to be part of all groups. They prefer joining only the ones that matter to them.
✦ Group admins are overwhelmed by having to manually share invite links with every new member.
✦ Many groups are interest-based or block-specific, but there’s no easy way to discover or filter them inside the community.
✦ New residents often feel hesitant to ask around or don’t know who to approach to join a group.
✦ In some cases, multiple residents from the same group may try to add the group link separately, leading to duplicate entries and confusion.
✦ Group chats primarily happen on WhatsApp, but users also rely on Telegram, Facebook, and more. The experience should support all.
✦ Sometimes the shared group links can be invalid which will creates a poor experience for residents trying to join.
Designs & Flows
I created a design that supports both key user journeys. One for residents who want to add a group link for others to discover and another for those who want to join a group using a shared link.
User Story 1 ✦ Adding a Group
Somali Sharma
✦ Living in an apartment community for 3+ years and started a whatsapp group called "Blue Sky Apartments Ladies Group" to connect, support and celebrate with fellow women in her community.
User Story 2 ✦ Discovering/Joining a Group
Rithika Rao
✦ Recently moved into Blue Sky Apartment and feels left out, looking for ways to feel connect.
User Story 3 ✦ Editing/Deleting a Group
Impact
The initial response was so successful that it resulted in the following metric:
No. of Groups Created So Far
2.6K+
No. of Communities Adopted the feature
1K+
No. of Users Clicked Join CTA
4.8K+
Learnings
What shaped this feature was not just research but empathy. We understood the pain points by living them, not just by asking. Sometimes, real user behavior is seen only through observation and experience, not just through words.
👋Hey mate! Mobile view’s still in progress. I request you to switch to a desktop or laptop for the best experience.
