Picue
social messaging app
In collaboration with Marcell Jansen, former World Cup soccer player and current president of Hamburger SV
The Challenge
Social media platforms in 2015 were built around the individual: fragmented accounts, endless feeds, and little real privacy. We saw an opportunity to flip the model: from “I” to “WE.”
How might we create a platform that lets groups, whether close friends or professional teams, own their moments together in a way that feels private, authentic, and safe?
My role
Lead designer
I owned:
Product strategy and UX roadmap
Information architecture and interaction design
Prototyping, and user testing
Collaboration with Marcell Jansen and our dev team in Germany
The solution
1. Rich Content + Powerful Group Messaging
2. Privacy by Design
3. Strategic Platform Rollout
Rich Content +
Powerful group messaging
Built a dual-layered model of private groups and public groups:
Private groups: Safe, invite-only spaces for close friends to share freely without outside interference.
Public groups: Unified presence for influential collectives (sports teams, bands, casts) where fans could follow the group as one entity.
Privacy by Design
Centered on the core value of privacy, I focused on creating a space where users could connect in private groups, sharing freely among friends without outside interference. This is your safe haven… to truly be yourself.
Designed flows that made privacy settings transparent, simple, and trust-building.
Prioritized ephemerality, group ownership, and clear permissions over noisy, individual-first feeds.
Strategic Platform Rollout
Impact
Positioned Picue as a differentiated alternative to existing platforms — a space where groups, not individuals, are the center of the experience.
Gained early traction through sports + entertainment partnerships (leveraging Marcell Jansen’s network).
Designed a platform that could flex between consumer engagement and B2B sponsorship/monetization models, increasing appeal for investors.