ILLA Direct Messaging
ILLA is a mobile app that helps women+ build meaningful connections through outdoor activities and shared experiences. This project centers on designing a private messaging feature that feels safe, intuitive, and community-minded—supporting everything from spontaneous meetups to deeper, lasting friendships.
The Basics
PROJECT TYPE: End-to-end mobile feature design
ROLE: UX & Interaction Designer
INDUSTRY: Outdoor + Adventure, Social Media, Women+
TOOLS: Figma, Figjam
DURATION: April 2025
Project Description
This project aims to design a private/direct messaging feature for ILLA, a mobile application that creates a space for women+ to connect and enjoy outdoor activities together.
About ILLA
ILLA is a mobile app designed to help women+ connect through shared outdoor experiences. It was created to foster meaningful connections during times of transition, such as moving to a new place, working remotely, or navigating major life changes. ILLA provides a safe, inclusive space for building community. With features like group messaging, activity planning, and location-based discovery, ILLA empowers users to find belonging through adventure, support, and real-world connection.
Problem
ILLA currently lacks a private messaging feature. We believe the integration of a private messaging feature within the ILLA mobile app would improve the ability to nurture connections while increasing user control and customization. Our goal, with ILLA’s new private messaging feature is for users to coordinate activities and build meaningful connections.
Goals & Objectives
Research
UX Audit
As part of our design process, we conducted a UX audit to evaluate the existing messaging experience and identify key areas for improvement. Our goal was to ensure that the new direct messaging feature not only aligned with user expectations but also reflected ILLA’s bold and supportive brand identity.
Action Buttons
We found that key action buttons were greyed out in their default state, making them appear inactive and reducing overall usability. Updating these buttons to a more vibrant, clickable resting color increases clarity and encourages interaction.
Customization
The initial experience lacked opportunities for user expression and control. By introducing more customizable features—like chat names, color themes, and user reactions—we aimed to make the space feel more personal and engaging.
Branding
While ILLA’s overall tone is friendly, vibrant, and empowering, the existing messaging UI felt overly neutral and disconnected. We recommended refining the visual language and micro-interactions to better reflect the brand’s voice and build consistency across the experience.
These strategic updates laid the foundation for a messaging experience that feels intuitive, expressive, and aligned with ILLA’s mission to help women+ build community both on and off the screen.
Competitive Analysis
To inform our direct messaging design, we conducted a competitive analysis of similar platforms that support social connection and outdoor activity: Bumble BFF, Patagonia Chat, and Strava. Each offered valuable insights into how messaging can facilitate community building, coordination, and meaningful interaction.
Takeaways for ILLA
Prompt Conversations with Purpose
Apps like Bumble BFF use prompts to spark dialogue. ILLA could adapt this by offering adventure-focused prompts that make starting conversations easier and more relevant.
Infuse Personality and Warmth
Reactions, emojis, and voice notes create a more human, expressive experience. These simple touches help users feel more connected.
Streamline Planning
Integrating event details directly into the chat eliminates context switching and makes coordination more seamless and user-friendly.
Design Process
Wireframes
We created both low and high fidelity wireframes to visualize and test the flow of ILLA’s new direct messaging feature. Early wireframes focused on core messaging interactions, while high fidelity designs refined layout, color, and brand consistency.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
High-Fidelity Wireframes
User Testing
Through user testing, we uncovered key behavioral insights that shaped the final design:
Input Flow: When creating a new message, 2 out of 5 users hesitated at the recipient input step, unsure whether they needed to add users before typing. This led us to rework the input flow for greater clarity and guidance.
“Add More” Menu: Nearly all users immediately understood how to use the new “add more” menu, which allows users to upload media and add a calendar event, confirming that its placement and iconography were intuitive.
User Behavior: Testers naturally gravitated toward unread messages, highlighting the importance of clear visual hierarchy and notifications.
Contact Expectations: Several participants expected recent or suggested contacts to appear when starting a new message, inspiring us to consider predictive contact suggestions in future iterations.
Direct Messaging Feature Capabilities
Create New Message
Starting a new conversation is simple with predictive search and interactive name "pills" that appear when selected, making it seamless to find and add connections.
Reactions
Inspired by familiar messaging platforms, users can react to messages with expressive icons. This adds personality and customization, helping conversations feel more dynamic and engaging.
Upload Media
Users can easily upload photos and videos from their device and add captions, enabling richer, more personal communication that complements the outdoor experiences they're sharing.
Create Events
Users can schedule activities directly within the chat. Events appear as a banner at the top of the conversation, encouraging real-world meetups and deeper connection beyond the app.
Details Page
Each chat includes a details page where users can leave the conversation, view all members of a group chat, and customize chat names, colors, and images—making each space feel unique and intentional.
Prototype
Business Impacts
Introducing a private messaging feature would enhance user engagement, retention, and overall community growth by making it easier for women+ to coordinate outdoor activities. Strengthening communication within the app deepens connections, increases daily usage, and sets ILLA apart from competitors. This added functionality could also unlock new revenue opportunities through premium offerings, supporting long-term growth and sustainability.
Reflection
Working on the direct messaging feature for ILLA was a valuable and rewarding experience that taught me a great deal about designing for connection and community. This project required thoughtful attention to user safety, accessibility, and emotional needs, especially given ILLA’s focus on supporting women+ through periods of change. Designing a feature that could help users feel more comfortable reaching out, planning activities, and building relationships was both a creative and deeply human challenge.
One of the most impactful parts of this experience was collaborating with a talented and passionate team. Together, we worked closely to align the messaging feature with ILLA’s broader mission while remaining realistic about the technical and operational constraints. Through ongoing communication with stakeholders and iterative feedback sessions, I strengthened my ability to balance user goals with product vision and technical feasibility.
From initial research and wireframes to testing and refinement, I learned how even a seemingly small feature like direct messaging can have a powerful impact on user retention and community building. This project reinforced the importance of designing not just for functionality, but for trust, belonging, and real-world engagement.
