Zaia means light
Dec 21, 2022
Client
A faith-based startup founded by the former CMO of Amazon Media, with a bold mission:
Create the first centralized digital hub for faith communities worldwide.
Challenge
Faith communities lacked a unified space online. While platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter were widely used, none offered a safe, centralized place for people of faith to connect, share, and support each other spiritually.
The client came to me with a vision—but no blueprint—for how that platform should look, feel, or function. The challenge was to design a scalable MVP that could combine social media mechanics with spiritually intentional features like prayer requests, donations, and community-building tools.
My Approach
As the sole designer and product owner on the project, I led the end-to-end design of the MVP—from research to system architecture.
Key steps I took:
Sprint-Based Collaboration: Maintained weekly checkpoints with the client to align on priorities and accelerate delivery.
Competitive Research: Analyzed social media patterns from TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter, mapping them against the needs of faith-based users.
High-Fidelity First: Prioritized high-fidelity prototyping early to speed up stakeholder alignment and reduce ambiguity.
Design System Architecture: Built a scalable UI kit that included typography, color tokens, and reusable components to support long-term product evolution.
Cross-Functional Sync: Worked closely with both the leadership and development teams to ensure the final designs were technically feasible and easy to implement.
MVP Features Designed
A vertically scrollable, TikTok-style feed for short-form faith-driven content.
Prayer request posts with built-in community interaction tools.
Donation flows designed to support various giving models within the app.
Concepted livestream capabilities for worship services, sermons, and events.
Results
The MVP launched successfully on both the App Store and Google Play Store.
The design system enabled rapid development without sacrificing visual consistency.
The platform now provides a strong foundation for future features like livestreaming and community giving.
Reflection
Zaia represents the kind of project I’m passionate about—mission-driven, community-focused, and built for scale.
This was a case study in how thoughtful design systems, fast feedback loops, and tight cross-functional collaboration can turn a bold idea into a functioning product with long-term potential.
Visit Zaia to download the experience.