First Round's On Me
Creating an exceptional experience for friends who want to be social and get credits for showing up.
Context
First Round's on Me is a former dating app, current social app designed to encourage real-life connections by simplifying the process of meeting in person. The app allows users to schedule plans with their friends by picking a drink, time at their partner location.
We pivoted from dating to social because people want real-life connection without the dating stigma and our new activation engine (credits + map + feed + calendar + referrals) finally solves the missing piece: getting people to actually go out together.
Timeline
Pivoted to social app in 2025
Industry
Social Networking
Role
Lead Product Designer
Tools
Figma, Linear, Posthog
Impact
20% increase in revenue
Type
Mobile Application (IOS)
What's the problem?
The idea of dating is out, friends are in is good but there's always a problem after fixing who to meet and where to go, the real gap remained - people don’t actually start plans. Social apps solve discovery, not activation.
How are we catching up to it?
We are going to introduce a loop that make sure people are invested enough to earn credits and use it again to be social, this way they will introduced to driving factor that is a win-win situation.
Credit based IRL activation
Social life has a currency. Users earn credits only by checking in at partner venues (geofenced + verified).
Hybrid Map + IRL Feed
The maps and feed pages features partner locations alongside friend's activities that eliminates the question, "Where should we go?".
Shared Social Calendar
Shared calendar removes the biggest blocker: planning. It features shared availability and auto-suggested meetup times between friends.
Growth Loop: Referrals + Membership
Behavior drives the virality and belonging. Credits for inviting friends and new members unlock more social value.
Opportunity
After discovering the real gap, we realized that social apps help people discover plans, but not start them. So, the goal is clear - to design an experience that turns intent into action.
We focused on removing friction, guiding users step by step, and created a system where going out doesn’t just feel easier, it feels worth it (with rewards ;)
Impact
After launching First Round's On Me, the product started behaving differently and so did our users.
These metrics show the shift we created in real world user behavior and how we created value to partner locations, making B2B a success bringing in long term retention.
IRL Activation Rate
25%
increase in number of users who complete a plan and checks in at the partner location to redeem compared to dating side.
Partner Venue Foot Traffic & Conversion Lift
13%
increased new customers per week and 4% hike in average party size with average spend being beyond the free drink for businesses.
Member Retention Now vs. Dating Era
7%
increase in retention over 30 days period compare to dating side.
Subscription Conversion
5%
increase in premium conversion compared to previous statistics.
Iterations
The first design is never the right design. We iterated fast, pressure tested ideas with users and venues, and make tough calls that aligned the experience with business goals.
The final solution reflects that balance simple for users, reliable for partners, scalable for the company.
This is a good example of how iteration isn’t just UI polish, it’s reconciling user expectations with real-world constraints.
There's more to this, Feel free to reach out. Happy to talk more about this :)
Key Takeaways
Working as the solo lead designer in a fast-paced startup pushed me to grow in ways that structured environments rarely do. I was responsible for driving the product from idea to execution while collaborating closely with engineering, founders, and users.
This experience taught me how to move quickly without losing clarity, how to prioritize what matters, and how to build processes that keep momentum high.
