BLOSSOM
Interaction design · Community · Personalization
BLOSSOM
MY ROLE
Product Designer
TEAM
Irene Wong, Mansi Saini, Pichy Jumpholwang, Rishab Bajaj, Wing Koon, Blythe Chen, Michelle Tan
TECHNOLOGIES
Figma, Gemini 2.0
PERSONALIZED BINGO
Networking Design Systems
CONTEXT
In a post-pandemic world where casual conversations often feel strained, Blossom set out to reimagine the networking experience.
CHALLENGE
Networking events such as luncheons, conferences, and mixers are designed to foster collaboration and connection. However, their large scale often results in surface-level interactions, limiting opportunities for meaningful conversations and personal growth.
SOLUTION
Blossom used personalized prompts with blended interactions to engage participants in authentic, goal-driven conversations. The result: 89.8% of participants reported enjoying the event, 85.7% deepened existing relationships, and 89.8% expanded their networks.
The Landscape
Overview
Networking events are designed to foster connection, but their scale almost always works against them. Large rooms, vague prompts, and no structure beyond "mingle" produce surface-level interactions at best and avoidance at worst. Previous research highlights the value of icebreakers and shared experiences, but most tools focus on presenter-audience engagement, and few help attendees connect meaningfully with each other in real time.
Research Gap
Previous research highlights the value of icebreakers, shared experiences, and digital facilitation tools in supporting early-stage interaction. However, these methods often feel generic or fail to support deeper, individualized connections. While some tools support presenter-audience interaction or group engagement, few designs focus on helping attendees connect meaningfully with each other in real time.
Problem Statement
How can community events be designed to foster authentic, goal-aligned connections between attendees with diverse interests and needs?
Research Approach
We picked the human bingo experience to reimagine because it's a familiar, low-barrier social activity that naturally encourages people to approach and interact with others, with little to no learning curve. By augmenting the format with attendee survey data and personalized prompts, we created Blossom: Personalized Human Bingo.
Research Questions
- To what extent does Blossom meet diverse individual and community goals in collocated settings?
- How do participants perceive the personalization, interaction design, and community-building value of the activity?
- What design challenges or contextual barriers limit the depth or longevity of the connections made?
- As AI tools like Gemini 2.0 became viable: could automation replace the manual analysis behind Blossom without sacrificing what made it feel personal (Version 2)?
Study Design
To find out, we ran two comparative studies across five events.
Version 1 used manual analysis to generate a shared board displayed by projector.
Version 2 replaced that process with Gemini 2.0, producing personalized printed boards for each participant.
29 user interviews across both methods gave us the depth to compare.
Workshop facilitation flow
Each study began the same way: a facilitation script walked participants from introductions through an explanation of the bingo prompts, into the activity itself, and out through a post-event survey.
Behind the scenes, pre-survey responses fed into prompt squares tailored to each attendee, which Gemini 2.0 then assembled into a complete personalized bingo board.
Early directions
We ultimately transitioned to a phone-based experience to reduce friction and leverage a device attendees already carry. This enabled a real-time solution without requiring participants to manage additional physical materials.
Early paper sketches mapped out the admin flow for creating an event and the attendee flow for joining one, from sign-in through grouping and gameplay.
From there, we built wireframes for both sides of the experience: an Attendee View for joining a board and answering prompts, and a Host/Admin View for creating events and surveys.
Each prompt type (Find, Connect, Debate, Share, and Idea) was designed as its own card variant, giving Gemini 2.0 a library of formats to pull from when generating a personalized board.
Key findings
Across two comparative studies and 29 interviews, four themes stood out.
Network Building
Participants expanded and deepened their networks
- 85.7% deepened relationships
- 89.8% expanded their networks — many continued conversations beyond the event
Support & Collaboration
- Enabled hands-on help (resume reviews, debugging, user studies)
- Sparked idea generation and collective brainstorming
- Exposed participants to each other's creative processes
Technology Trade-offs
- Digital boards (V1): enabled tracking and real-time displays, but consumed time and reduced face-to-face interaction
- Projector displays fostered community, but were removed in V2 to reduce screen time
- Analog boards (V2): maximized in-person interaction with simpler completion via signatures, but lost tracking and shared displays
Limitations
- Shallow connections due to time constraints
- Name and contact exchange wasn't guaranteed
- Long-term impact unclear given the short follow-up period
- Single-university context limits generalizability
The shift
V1 used digital boards displayed by projector, with manual analysis generating shared prompts. It worked, but the screen pulled attention away from the people in the room.
V2 replaced the projector with printed, personalized boards and swapped manual analysis for Gemini 2.0. The trade-off was deliberate: we lost real-time tracking and communal displays, but gained more face-to-face time and simpler completion through physical signatures. The technology receded so the conversation could take center stage.
Digital (V1)
Analog (V2)
Impact
We ran two comparative studies across five events with 29 user interviews. The numbers told one story; the behavior told a deeper one.
"Designed to turn strangers into collaborators."
COMMUNITY
80% felt stronger connections beyond their usual groups
CONNECTIONS
90% expanded their network
RELATIONSHIPS
86% deepened existing relationships
EXPERIENCE
90% enjoyed the experience
LASTING IMPACT
Participants continued conversations after the event, connected on LinkedIn and Instagram, and reported feeling more comfortable approaching peers in future meetings.
Reflection
Plan for content variability
As an early designer, I made the mistake of not having set layouts while designing. In future projects, I'll better anticipate how copy affects layout, legibility, and flow.
Pixel structure
Prototyping Blossom showed me the value of grid-based spacing. Using consistent pixel measurements and layout systems ensures alignment and visual cohesion across screens.
Screens should support, not distract
A light game framework like bingo can guide interaction, but it's crucial to balance engagement without pulling users away from in-person connection.
UX can extend beyond screen-based interfaces
Designing and understanding the environment was just as vital as the interface to support the user's needs.