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Airhub
Designing Airhub: The ultimate social platform built for airsoft enthusiasts.
Casestudy, Social Networking
Client
LabLamb Works Limited
The Challenge
The goal was to create a community-driven ecosystem that caters to every aspect of the airsoft experience while promoting interaction, trust, and accessibility for players of all levels. The platform needed to be robust in terms of maintainability, reliability, scalability and consistency, while adhering to modern design standards.
This case study is a peek into my experience—what our process was like, what challenges we solved, and the things we learned along the way.
This case study is a peek into my experience—what our process was like, what challenges we solved, and the things we learned along the way.
What is Airhub?
Airhub is a new type of social platform designed with airsoft gamers in mind. When you open the app, you can access the latest airsoft news and updates, participate in interactive forums with like minded people, and you can buy or sell airsoft gear. It is a social network—a place where users can share posts, connect with others and immerse themselves in all things airsoft.
Contribution
Carl Emefo — Product designer 🎨
UX Design, Visual Design, Research, Prototyping, Usability testing, Design System
Tools used
Figma, Google Forms, Mobbin, Jamboard, Gitlab
Team
Meet Patel — Lead engineer ⛑️
Devesh Maurya — Engineer
Duration
Development ongoing
I conducted research, defined the design language and branding, created & refined the UI components, as well as built tokens, and so on for our design library which led to a 20% increase in development speed, improved product consistency, and increased overall team productivity.
Get the Airhub app
Use any of the links to get the app from the app stores
Business goals & objectives
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Creation of a connected community of like-minded individuals who share experiences, and participate in events, fostering a sense of belonging.
✦
Building of a trusted marketplace for buying and selling airsoft gear by prioritizing user security and authenticity.
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Exploring opportunities to expand AirHub globally, tapping into active airsoft communities in different regions.
Experience strategy & process
Gathering insights and validating design hypotheses became our initial step to define what our project would be. We asked ourselves given the pain points - what existing products were users using to solve this problem? We held bi-weekly meetings to discuss design and technical progress of how the platform should work and chart a path towards what we needed to bring it to life. This collaborative approach allowed us to learn from the team’s experiences from the months of building and maintaining projects we had worked on in the past and refine our strategy.
Understanding users’ need
Our target
1
Enthusiasts and Hobbyists
People who are passionate about military simulations, tactical gameplay, and the overall experience of airsoft.
People who are passionate about military simulations, tactical gameplay, and the overall experience of airsoft.
2
Military and Law Enforcement Professionals
Many active-duty military and law enforcement personnel engage in airsoft for training purposes, as it provides a realistic and tactical simulation environment.
Many active-duty military and law enforcement personnel engage in airsoft for training purposes, as it provides a realistic and tactical simulation environment.
3
Recreational Players
Individuals who play airsoft for fun, team-building, and recreational purposes. This group often includes friends and family members.
Individuals who play airsoft for fun, team-building, and recreational purposes. This group often includes friends and family members.
4
Competitive Players
Some participants engage in competitive airsoft events and tournaments, where teams compete against each other in organized scenarios.
Some participants engage in competitive airsoft events and tournaments, where teams compete against each other in organized scenarios.
The problem
- Lack of a centralized platform makes communication and event coordination challenging.
- Finding specific airsoft gear or discovering new/used equipment can be challenging, especially for those new to the community.
- Organizing and managing airsoft events can be time-consuming and prone to logistical challenges due to the lack of platforms specifically tailored to the airsoft community's needs.
- Finding like-minded individuals, forming teams for airsoft activities or even having a space for users to share their airsoft experiences, loadouts, and strategies without discrimination can be challenging.
Competing platforms used by users for anything airsoft related
Questions we had to face
To create a balance between business and user needs, our design solution aims to solve for these questions:
- How can we deliver airsoft-related information that is tailored to each user's interests and needs?A curated news feed as the homepage brings airsoft news directly to the user every time they launch the app.
- How can we implement features that foster interaction and build community among airsoft gamers?Interactive forums which users can create and moderate, as well as providing information on local airsoft arenas, groups and shops can promote a vibrant community.
- How might we enhance the marketplace on Airhub to cater to different interests and play styles?Utilizing tags for listings, simplifying the seller onboarding process, offering deals and insights into market trends, and advanced filtering options provides a personalized shopping experience.
- How might we optimize the P2P payment system on Airhub to ensure secure and seamless transactions?Providing detailed chat logs for both parties, along with features like verified user profiles, in-app messaging and reporting tools ensures a transparent and smooth transaction process.
Laying the foundation for a seamless user experience
A unified visual language
Typography
Color Palette — Light (Top) & Dark (Bottom)
Designing the homepage while ensuring visual appeal
To ensure the homepage captivated users, I focused on designing an engaging news interface specifically for airsoft gamers. The homepage features a dynamic news feed that delivers the latest updates, trends, and news from both local and international sources. Users can personalize their feed with categories like 'Top Headlines,' 'For You,' and 'Local,' ensuring they receive the most relevant information. The design incorporates bold visuals and concise headlines for easy readability, while a prominent location selector ensures news relevance based on the user's region.
Anatomy of the Homepage
Building Interaction & Airsoft Community Engagement with Forum Conversations
To foster seamless interaction among the airsoft community on the platform, we developed a forum module tailored to enhance user experience and accessibility.
Forums
Forum Chat Room
Create Forum, Recently Visited Forums
Long-press Chat Bottom Sheet
Inside the redesigned Airhub marketplace - Buy, sell, & gear up like a pro
Our task here was to create a marketplace where airsoft gamers could easily trade their pre-owned gear among themselves, while maintaining the platform's cohesive design. Given the financial limitations and the need for simplicity and autonomy, we opted for peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions for all marketplace items transaction on Airhub.
This approach prioritizes user control and privacy over their financial dealings, allowing users to buy and sell directly with each other meaning no extra-fee or charges.
This approach prioritizes user control and privacy over their financial dealings, allowing users to buy and sell directly with each other meaning no extra-fee or charges.
Marketplace v1, Marketplace v1.1
Anatomy of the Marketplace
Verification Prompt for first-time Sellers, Create Listing
Price Trend - Sellers (Premium)
Advanced Options - Sellers (Premium)
Marketplace Search - Phrase Input
Marketplace Search - Results
Item Detail - Buyer
Features to help you Build Connections in the Airsoft Community, with Image feeds, Local Shops, Nearby Arenas & Groups
We think meeting new friends and growing your airsoft community should be effortless. So, whether you’re interested in exploring shared experiences by others, locate local shops, discover nearby arenas, or connect with groups near you, we think there’s a community for everyone to join.
The primary goal for this feature is for Airhub to serve as a comprehensive hub for all things airsoft, enabling gamers and enthusiasts to connect with the local community around them.
The primary goal for this feature is for Airhub to serve as a comprehensive hub for all things airsoft, enabling gamers and enthusiasts to connect with the local community around them.
Image Feed, Image Detail, Nearby Arenas, Arena Detail
Local Shops, Shop Detail, Nearby Groups, Group Detail
Creating a unifying design system that enables consistency at scale.
The Airhub design system enables universal brand alignment, allowing shifts to reflect changing priorities. It is ever-evolving—components can be added and removed from the library as needed. This flexibility ensures that Airhub’s brand values are recognizable in any aesthetic framework, saves design and development time, and guarantees a more cohesive user experience.
Color Guidance
Some icons created by me
Components Overview
Why isn’t Airhub available to all users yet?
Airhub's development is guided by a commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and we're working hard to make it available globally as soon as possible. Our aim is not to create an exclusive platform but to ensure an exceptional user experience by carefully managing the rollout. As a small team of three full-time employees, we face challenges in scaling infrastructure, addressing regional limitations, developing features, gathering product feedback, and building the company, which has slowed progress.
Our strategic marketing campaign has focused on engaging airsoft communities across various platforms, generating excitement and anticipation for the platform's official launch.
We're confident that our measured approach will lead to a thriving and inclusive Airhub community.
Our strategic marketing campaign has focused on engaging airsoft communities across various platforms, generating excitement and anticipation for the platform's official launch.
We're confident that our measured approach will lead to a thriving and inclusive Airhub community.
Wrapping up
Key Learnings
Building an app from scratch with a small team has been an intense learning experience, requiring us to adapt and find solutions at every turn. I was surprised by how long it took to lay the groundwork for what Airhub is today. I spent about two months on user interviews and initial research to understand the unique needs of the airsoft community. The most challenging part wasn't the technical work but switching between roles—from research and user interviews to brainstorming and collaborating with engineers to build the platform. It was like building a ship while sailing it, all while communicating progress and blockers and getting to know my coworkers in a remote setting.
Ultimately, the key to our success has been our ability as a team to ruthlessly prioritize milestones and feature releases.
Ultimately, the key to our success has been our ability as a team to ruthlessly prioritize milestones and feature releases.
Next Steps
Before transitioning from a closed to general release, we want to ensure that the platform can handle a larger user base. This includes establishing robust community policies and tools to maintain a positive and supportive environment as the platform scales up.
These safeguards will include:
These safeguards will include:
- Comprehensive community guidelines: Clearly defined rules of conduct to ensure a respectful and inclusive environment for all users.
- Effective moderation tools: A system for identifying and addressing any potential issues or violations of our community guidelines.
- User feedback mechanisms: Channels for users to provide feedback and suggestions, enabling the team to continuously improve the platform.
We're confident that our measured approach will lead to a thriving and inclusive Airhub community.