How might we create a more efficient and engaging way for event guests to order drinks while reducing chaos for bartenders and organizers?
During my Product Space Fellowship, I designed Drinq, a gamified order-management system inspired by my own experience bartending at a social event where drink orders were constantly lost, misassigned, or abandoned. As the PM and designer on this project, I led discovery, research, product strategy, and end-to-end UX design to reimagine how events could manage high-volume drink orders more efficiently. This experience strengthened my product thinking and user-centered design skills.
Understanding the problem
I started with my own experience, but I also interviewed bartenders and event organizers to understand where breakdowns actually happened (dropped orders, unclear ownership, constant distractions, and overwhelming peak-time volume). These insights helped clarify who I was designing for and which problems mattered most.
User Experience Mapping
I then mapped the end-to-end journey for both bartenders and guests, highlighting where inefficiencies occurred. This visualization helped me identify the biggest opportunity areas and set the foundation for the product direction.
Designing the system
I translated key needs into detailed user flows and built high-fidelity Figma prototypes covering the full guest and staff experience. This included designing core features such as ID verification, order customization, real-time order status, and a payment flow. I focused on interaction patterns, visual hierarchy, and reducing cognitive load, iterating on each screen to refine usability and the overall end-to-end experience.
