Turning everyday product interactions into reasons to come back

In 2025, Sewjo was preparing for its official launch alongside Frocktail, an event bringing the sewing community together online and in person.

We had built features that helped sewists organize materials, document projects and connect with each other. But having those features available didn't mean people would discover them or use them regularly. Rather than treating the event and in-app engagement as separate efforts, we saw a chance to connect them.

What if taking part in Frocktail also encouraged people to explore Sewjo?

Instead of inventing a separate set of tasks, I designed a points-based challenge around things people could already do in Sewjo. Each action supported a different part of the product, so earning points meant exploring the app.

I looked at how products like Duolingo break activities into manageable steps and make progress visible. The challenge was translating those patterns into Sewjo without the experience feeling bolted on.

Finding the right way to show progress

Early concepts used circular points indicators and task cards with progress bars. They made individual goals prominent, but I also needed to show where people were in a campaign that changed every week. The final direction gave these two ideas their own space: points earned, which tracks participation and raffle entries, and a weekly timeline that shows where you are in the campaign.

Challenges introduced several unfamiliar ideas at once: points, raffle entries, weekly themes and social submissions. I wanted people to understand how it worked before asking them to start earning. The entry experience answered three questions.

Each week had a new theme, from impulse fabric purchases to unfinished projects. I designed one reusable layout where only the week, theme, description and timeline change, so there was something new each week without anyone relearning the interface.

I designed a participant board where people could see each other, visit profiles and give Kudos. Kudos let someone recognize another person's work while adding to their points, which brought a supportive interaction into an otherwise competitive experience.

Designing the Kudos interaction

People could only give Kudos so often, so each state explains what just happened and why an action might not be available.

A total on the main screen couldn't explain every activity behind it, so I designed a points history and the supporting states around it. For consequential actions like leaving a challenge, the confirmation explains the impact first.

Behind the scenes, the team needed to manage points, social submissions, participant information and weekly prizes. I designed the admin experience for these workflows and worked with the developer on how the participant side connected to the processes needed to run the campaign.

The developer was involved from the start, helping us work through how the experience would function. The founder reviewed designs as they evolved. As the sole designer, I evaluated that feedback and worked it into the final experience.

Points could be earned across many parts of Sewjo, so during QA I checked that what people saw matched what the system recorded. People were participating for rewards. If the app acknowledged an action but didn't reflect the reward, it could undermine trust in the whole experience.

Downloads reflect the combined work of product, marketing, partnerships and the event itself. Daily, weekly and monthly active users also trended upward during the campaign. Challenges gave people an in-app reason to explore features and take part in the community. The feature was built for Frocktail and paused after the campaign ended.