AirBar

A startup born in response to the global pandemic to rethink the future of work.

overview

About the Project

Abstract: Culture is one of the biggest liabilities for remote teams.

Remote workers value informal connections with their team and company. Currently, it takes them twice as long as non-remote workers to build a solid network within their companies. They currently socialize on tools meant for work (combination of Zoom, Slack, Tandem). These tools make spontaneous, informal relationships difficult to build and makes them always feel like business meetings. Similar to the context-switching that occurs when you walk from your office to a bar: Zoom is for meetings, AirBar is for socializing.

The Solution: A virtual lounge for remote employees to build meaningful connections within their companies. We plan on starting by facilitating group social interactions in a way that video-conferencing has never seen before. We’re combining Zoom’s large meeting rooms (hosting up to 100 people), Houseparty’s spontaneity, Slack’s role as the center of communication (but in our case center for socializing), and the social cues used in groups IRL to create a virtual space for socializing.

Think of it as a virtual water cooler, lobby, or bar where you go when you want to shoot-the-breeze with coworkers you know or meet new ones you don’t. You never know - maybe you’ll bump into the CEO of your company.

Timeline: May 2020 - Present

My Role: Product Design Lead, User Research, Systems Thinking

Content Strategy Role: As the sole Product Design Lead, I had devised everything from the name of the startup (AirBar) and the tag line to the words that go in each button.