Venn
Creating Belonging in Urban Neighborhoods
Role
Head of Design
Industry
Professional Networking
Duration
3+ years
The Challenge
Professional networking needed a refresh. While LinkedIn dominated the space, there was an opportunity to create more meaningful connections between professionals through shared interests, skills, and collaborative projects rather than just job titles and company names.
Venn aimed to build communities where professionals could connect around actual work and interests, not just resume building. This required designing for authentic relationship building rather than transactional networking.
Community Research & Strategy
Studied how professionals actually form meaningful work relationships beyond traditional networking
Identified pain points in existing professional platforms and opportunities for more authentic connection
Developed design principles focused on shared interests and collaborative potential rather than hierarchical networking
Platform Architecture & User Flows
Designed community structures that encouraged collaboration and knowledge sharing
Created matching algorithms that connected people based on skills, interests, and project potential
Built conversation tools that facilitated meaningful professional discussions rather than superficial networking
The Challenge
Professional networking needed a refresh. While LinkedIn dominated the space, there was an opportunity to create more meaningful connections between professionals through shared interests, skills, and collaborative projects rather than just job titles and company names.
Venn aimed to build communities where professionals could connect around actual work and interests, not just resume building. This required designing for authentic relationship building rather than transactional networking.
Community Research & Strategy
Studied how professionals actually form meaningful work relationships beyond traditional networking
Identified pain points in existing professional platforms and opportunities for more authentic connection
Developed design principles focused on shared interests and collaborative potential rather than hierarchical networking
Platform Architecture & User Flows
Designed community structures that encouraged collaboration and knowledge sharing
Created matching algorithms that connected people based on skills, interests, and project potential
Built conversation tools that facilitated meaningful professional discussions rather than superficial networking
Design System & Team Building
Established the complete design organization from ground up, including processes, tools, and culture
Created design systems that could scale with rapid user growth and feature expansion
Built design team capabilities and cross-functional collaboration practices
Growth & Product Evolution
Designed features that encouraged active participation rather than passive browsing
Created onboarding experiences that helped users find their professional communities quickly
Iterated on engagement features based on user behavior and community feedback
Key Achievements
Design Organization: Built the design team and processes from zero, establishing design culture and practices that supported rapid product development
Community Engagement: Created platform experiences that fostered active professional communities around shared interests and collaborative projects
Product Foundation: Established design systems and user experiences that supported the platform through growth phases and feature expansion
Cross-functional Leadership: Led design strategy in close collaboration with founders, influencing product direction and user experience vision
Reflections
Building Venn taught me about designing for human connection rather than just functionality. Professional networking platforms often feel transactional, but we were trying to create something that felt more like finding your creative collaborators or thinking partners. Leading design from the ground up showed me how crucial early design decisions are in shaping not just the product, but the entire culture of how teams work together. The foundation we built at Venn influenced everything from how we approached user research to how we collaborated with engineering teams.
Key Achievements
Design Organization: Built the design team and processes from zero, establishing design culture and practices that supported rapid product development
Community Engagement: Created platform experiences that fostered active professional communities around shared interests and collaborative projects
Product Foundation: Established design systems and user experiences that supported the platform through growth phases and feature expansion
Cross-functional Leadership: Led design strategy in close collaboration with founders, influencing product direction and user experience vision
Reflections
Building Venn taught me about designing for human connection rather than just functionality. Professional networking platforms often feel transactional, but we were trying to create something that felt more like finding your creative collaborators or thinking partners. Leading design from the ground up showed me how crucial early design decisions are in shaping not just the product, but the entire culture of how teams work together. The foundation we built at Venn influenced everything from how we approached user research to how we collaborated with engineering teams.
Other projects
Marina Sokolov
Work
Copyright @2025 · Marina Sokolov
Marina Sokolov
Work
Copyright @2025 · Marina Sokolov
Marina Sokolov
Work
Copyright @2025 · Marina Sokolov