Expressoh!
Expressoh!
Expressoh!
Expressoh!
Connect over coffee: meet professionals, build relationships, grow your network.
Connect over coffee: meet professionals, build relationships, grow your network.
Team: Project Manager, Graphic Designer, Product Designer
Role: Product Designer, UX Research
Team: Project Manager, Graphic Designer, Product Designer
Role: Product Designer, UX Research
Product Design
Product Design
Product Design
Product Design
UX Research
UX Research
Mobile App
Mobile App
0 to 1 Design
0 to 1 Design
UX Research
UX Research
UX Research
Mobile App
Mobile App
0 to 1 Design
0 to 1 Design
NYC connection paradox, connected yet isolated
NYC connection paradox, connected yet isolated
You’d think in a city like New York, meeting new people would be easy. But for many grad students, young professionals, and career-changers, it’s actually the opposite. Everyone’s busy, routines are packed, and starting a conversation can feel awkward. From our early interviews, it was clear that people want to connect, they just don’t know how or when.
You’d think in a city like New York, meeting new people would be easy. But for many grad students, young professionals, and career-changers, it’s actually the opposite. Everyone’s busy, routines are packed, and starting a conversation can feel awkward. From our early interviews, it was clear that people want to connect, they just don’t know how or when.
What if meeting someone in your field felt as easy as grabbing a coffee with a friend?
What if meeting someone in your field felt as easy as grabbing a coffee with a friend?
Introducing Expressoh!
Introducing
Expressoh!
Connecting young professionals across the city over shared values, goals, with a cup of coffee
Connecting young professionals across the city over shared values, goals, with a cup of coffee
Where Coffee Meets Connection
Where Coffee Meets Connection
Swipe to Explore Cafés
Swipe to Explore Cafés
Discover local cafés that fit your vibe.
Discover local cafés that fit your vibe.
Smart Matching
Smart Matching
Get curated daily matches based on shared café preferences, industries, and goals.
Get curated daily matches based on shared café preferences, industries, and goals.
Get curated daily matches based on shared café preferences.
AI assisted chat
AI assisted chat
Brew is an AI that suggests a time and café that works for both people effortlessly planning your meetup.
Brew is an AI that suggests a time and café that works for both people effortlessly planning your meetup.
Get curated daily matches based on shared café preferences.
Rewards
Rewards
Users earn Bean Bucks for engaging with the app, redeemable at partnered cafés.
Users earn Bean Bucks for engaging with the app, redeemable at partnered cafés.
Users earn Bean Bucks for engaging with the app.
Prompt-Driven Illustration System
Prompt-Driven Illustration System
Designed a reusable Sora prompt inspired by original sketches to create a hand-drawn icon set spanning categories, UI states, and avatar styles.
Designed a reusable Sora prompt inspired by original sketches to create a hand-drawn icon set spanning categories, UI states, and avatar styles.
Style Guide
Style Guide
How we identified user challenges?
How we identified user challenges?
100+
survey responses and among them 8 users were interviewed, young professionals new to NYC (less than 2 years), to explore challenges in building meaningful connections.
survey responses and among them 8 users were interviewed, young professionals new to NYC (less than 2 years), to explore challenges in building meaningful connections.
Why?
Young professionals find traditional networking awkward and overly formal.
Young professionals find traditional networking awkward and overly formal.
How?
We designed Expressoh! a swipe-based app that connects users over shared values and café meetups.
Who?
8 users interviewed: grad students and early-career professionals seeking authentic social connection.
The users loved…
The users loved…
What worked, what didnot
What worked, what didnot
Green indicates users were successful in completing the task, yellow means users experienced confusion or needed assistance, and red shows they were unsuccessful. Overall, most tasks were completed successfully across participants, as reflected by the predominance of green.
Green indicates users were successful in completing the task, yellow means users experienced confusion or needed assistance, and red shows they were unsuccessful. Overall, most tasks were completed successfully across participants, as reflected by the predominance of green.
High Confidence Rate
High Confidence Rate
Avg. 4.31/5
Avg. 4.31/5
Users felt comfortable exploring and completing task
Users felt comfortable exploring and completing task
High Satisfaction Rate
High Satisfaction Rate
Avg. 4.31/5
Avg. 4.31/5
Users generally enjoyed the experience despite small confusions
Users generally enjoyed the experience despite small confusions
Insight to Iteration
Insight to Iteration
Insight 1
Insight 1
4/8 Users needed a clearer, more focused rewards screen leading to a simplified design with integrated progress tracking.
The redesigned CoffeeUp Card simplifies the experience by removing visual clutter and emphasizing key details like balance and QR code. Clear “Add Funds” and “Redeem” buttons guide users toward action, addressing past issues of low visibility and vague calls-to-action. The result is a more intuitive, engaging loyalty experience that encourages consistent use.
4/8 Users needed a clearer, more focused rewards screen leading to a simplified design with integrated progress tracking.
The redesigned CoffeeUp Card simplifies the experience by removing visual clutter and emphasizing key details like balance and QR code. Clear “Add Funds” and “Redeem” buttons guide users toward action, addressing past issues of low visibility and vague calls-to-action. The result is a more intuitive, engaging loyalty experience that encourages consistent use.
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Insight 2
Insight 2
7/8 Users found the anonymity disconnecting and wanted to see faces earlier to feel more comfortable and engaged.
"I would like to see their faces. Seeing the real person's face humanizes them."
The redesigned Daily Matches feature improved visual clarity by replacing avatars with real faces, giving users the context they needed to engage confidently. The “Heart” tab was renamed to “Match” to better align with user expectations and create a clearer, more intuitive path for relationship-driven interactions.
7/8 Users found the anonymity disconnecting and wanted to see faces earlier to feel more comfortable and engaged.
"I would like to see their faces. Seeing the real person's face humanizes them."
The redesigned Daily Matches feature improved visual clarity by replacing avatars with real faces, giving users the context they needed to engage confidently. The “Heart” tab was renamed to “Match” to better align with user expectations and create a clearer, more intuitive path for relationship-driven interactions.
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Insight 3
Insight 3
The Home page was redesigned to prioritize upcoming meetups and café discovery, shifting the focus from user avatars to shared spaces for more intentional and intuitive connections.
This change addressed confusion around feature relationships and content expectations, creating a more intuitive experience that aligns with how users plan and engage with in-person meetups.
The Home page was redesigned to prioritize upcoming meetups and café discovery, shifting the focus from user avatars to shared spaces for more intentional and intuitive connections.
This change addressed confusion around feature relationships and content expectations, creating a more intuitive experience that aligns with how users plan and engage with in-person meetups.
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Final Design
Concept
Final Design
Final Design
Concept
Find Your People,
One Café at a Time
Find Your People,
One Café at a Time
You’ve swiped through cafés, connected with your daily match, and scheduled a meetup, now the Home screen brings it all together.
Revisit your liked cafés, see your upcoming meetup, and explore spontaneous tables you can join in real time.
Whether you’re planning ahead or showing up in the moment, Espressoh! turns every café visit into a chance to connect.
You’ve swiped through cafés, connected with your daily match, and scheduled a meetup, now the Home screen brings it all together.
Revisit your liked cafés, see your upcoming meetup, and explore spontaneous tables you can join in real time.
Whether you’re planning ahead or showing up in the moment, Espressoh! turns every café visit into a chance to connect.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Connection needs context
Connection needs context
Users were more open to networking when they could see real faces and shared café preferences
Users were more open to networking when they could see real faces and shared café preferences.
Clarity drives engagement
Clarity drives engagement
Clarity drives engagement:
Small UX changes—like simplifying navigation and labels—helped users feel more confident exploring the app.
Small UX changes, like simplifying navigation and labels, helped users feel more confident exploring the app.
Small UX changes, like simplifying navigation and labels, helped users feel more confident exploring the app.
Iterate with users
Iterate with
users
Iterate with users
Iterate with users
User testing challenged our assumptions and pushed the design to be more human, intentional, and adaptable.
User testing challenged our assumptions and pushed the design to be more human, intentional, and adaptable.
Curious to see more? Check out the Prototype
Curious to see more? Check out the
Prototype
Expressoh!
A complete component library for Resy featuring foundations, reusable elements, and responsive patterns.
Expressoh!
A complete component library for Resy featuring foundations, reusable elements, and responsive patterns.
Expressoh!
A complete component library for Resy featuring foundations, reusable elements, and responsive patterns.
Expressoh!
A complete component library for Resy featuring foundations, reusable elements, and responsive patterns.
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© 2025- Shreesa Shrestha
© 2025- Shreesa Shrestha
© 2025- Shreesa Shrestha
© 2025- Shreesa Shrestha