← All work

Mobile · iOS · 2020

MAI Social

Designed the core of an AI-powered social platform that went on to secure investor funding.

MAI Social Circles screen showing a map of member locations.
Client
MAI Social
Role
Lead Product Designer
Year
2020
Discipline
Mobile · iOS
Sector
Social networking · Internet content publishing · Communication services · AI
Services
Product design, iOS, Prototyping, AI interaction

MAI Social is an AI-powered social network built around one idea: put people back in control of their feed. I led the product design across its core, from a feed you can tune to political engagement tools and interest-based communities.

View the Figma prototype

Objectives

Three goals shaped the work. A feed people could shape with their own filters and modes. A politics space that surfaced only relevant, preference-aligned content. And Circles, a way to find and connect with people who share your interests. Success meant retention, active participation in Circles, and AI features that genuinely helped rather than distracted.

Wireframes

I started in wireframes, settling structure and content priorities before any surface design. Each flow was mapped around user preference: how the feed adapts, how politics stays relevant, and how Circles bring people together.

A suite of wireframes covering MAI Social's feed, politics and Circles features.
Wireframes first: structure and content priority before any surface design.

Feed, filters & modes

The feed is the heart of the product. I designed its flows, filters, and view modes, then layered in motion so browsing and switching modes feels responsive rather than mechanical.

The MAI Social feed with its filter and mode controls across three phones.
The feed, with filters and modes that let people tune what they see.

Profile, notifications & messages

Profile, notifications, and messaging were built for clarity. Settings and preferences stay easy to reach, notifications stay organised without clutter, and messages use threaded conversations with quick access to contacts.

MAI Social profile, notifications and threaded messaging screens.
Profile, notifications and messaging, designed for clarity over decoration.

Circles

Circles make online communities feel local. A built-in map view shows where members are, so an interest group becomes something closer to a real-world community you can navigate and connect within.

The Circles feature showing a map view of member locations.
Circles use a map view to ground online communities in real places.

MAI AI chat

The MAI AI chat takes both text and voice, meeting people however they prefer to communicate. It helps users find information, get assistance, and move through the app without friction.

The MAI AI chat interface supporting text and voice input.
One assistant, two ways in: type or talk.

MAI Politics

MAI Politics centres on a dynamic quiz that captures a person’s views, then personalises what they see: an interactive map, official profiles, AI-assisted browsing, and built-in tools to follow causes and fundraise. I designed the UI, flows, and prototypes across the feature.

The MAI Politics quiz and engagement tools.
MAI Politics: a quiz that captures views, then personalises everything downstream.

Results and takeaways

MAI Social shipped with engagement built on its personalised feed and political tools, and it secured investor funding to keep growing. Through all of it the design held one line: powerful features that stay centred on the person using them.

MAI Social feed, filters and modes.
MAI Social Circles with map view.
MAI Social profile, notifications and messages.
MAI AI chat with text and voice.
MAI Politics quiz and tools.
The MAI Social system: feed, Circles, profile and messaging, AI chat, and politics.