Pop Square Gamified Community Project
I was tasked with creating a brand-new design from scratch for a K-pop forum and community called HiPop (also known as PopSquare). This was the third startup project I worked on during my time at Gaia Online. HiPop’s mission was to become a gamified K-pop and K-drama community.
While developing my mood board, I noticed that K-pop visuals often feature vibrant, contrasting colors, commonly seen in music videos, teaser photos, and album covers. Inspired by this, I designed a young, energetic, and dynamic aesthetic that captured the essence of K-pop culture. With no predefined instructions or limitations, I had complete creative freedom—every design decision was my own.
Unfortunately, due to funding limitations, we were unable to move forward with the full execution of this project. While the features were conceptualized and designed, we were not able to bring them to life within the community.
Tools: Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Illustrator
SPECIAL FEATURES
Grant/Money
We wanted to give users the option to grant points/money to other users. For example, if User A likes User B’s post, comment, or thread, they can reward User B with points for being a great community member. Users can then use the points/money they have earned to purchase items or participate in other activities within the community.
Wall of Fame
The Wall of Fame is the community’s spotlight corner, visible throughout the platform. Users can pay with the points/money they’ve earned to feature their own topic. This feature is designed to encourage users to stay more active and engaged in the community.
Personalized Profile
This feature allows users to showcase their bias (favorite K-pop artist or group). Having a bias is an important aspect of the K-pop industry, so we thought it would be fitting to allow users to display this in their profile.
