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Sunday, October 25, 2026

5:21:40 AM

New folder, My travels

Planning a trip? I mapped out everywhere I've been worth a look before you go.

1/1/24

New folder, My travels

Planning a trip? I mapped out everywhere I've been worth a look before you go.

1/1/24

Say hi to Geronimo

My new voice AI. Just say "Geronimo" or "Hey Geronimo" to browse my work hands free.

8/7/26

I added MP3 Player

Made you a playlist. Hit play and take a listen.

8/7/26

Back

Trendnow

Trendnow turns live search trends into conversation.

Keywords refresh every five minutes, and each one opens a board that lives
for thirty unless people keep talking. Every post and comment buys the board more time.

Keywords refresh every five minutes, and each one opens a board that lives for thirty unless people keep talking. Every post and comment buys the board more time.

Role

Team Side Project

Duration

2025

Team

Web / Chrome Extension

Focus

UX/UI Design, Prototyping

Challenge

Trends move fast
Understanding them takes time

Trending rankings show what's popular, but rarely explain why. Users must jump between search, news, and communities to understand a topic. By the time they catch up, the moment may have passed.

Meanwhile, community discussions often remain open long after interest fades.

Research

The gap wasn't information
It was the journey from discovery to discussion

I analyzed search portals, news platforms, and communities to understand
how users discover, interpret, and discuss trending topics.

Rankings

Fast, but lack context

Rankings highlight trending topics but rarely explain why they matter.

News

Informative, but disconnected

News provides context without a clear path to active discussions.

Communities

Engaging, but slow to move on

Discussions often continue long after a topic loses relevance.

The Spike

Attention rises and fades quickly. A trending topic can become irrelevant within hours.

The Thread

Discussions take time to grow, but often remain active beyond a topic's relevance.

How might we?

How might we connect trending topics, context, and discussion before the moment passes?

My Role

I led product design
across web and Chrome extension

I led product design across
web and Chrome extension

As the product designer, I shaped the experience
from discovering trending topics to joining discussions.

My work covered research, product strategy, user flows, UI/UX design,
prototyping, validation, and developer handoff.

Market and competitor research

Product strategy and IA

Time limited discussion board system

Community and interaction design

AI-powered topic summaries

Chrome extension UX

Key Solutions

Three steps from discovering
a trend to joining the conversation

Trendnow connects discovery, understanding,
and participation in one seamless experience.

Key Solution 01
Discover what's worth discussing now.
The main page combines the Top 10 trending keywords with ranking changes,
discussion activity, and remaining board time.
Users can quickly identify relevant topics without opening every board.
Design Decision
Combine trend rankings with live discussion signals to make relevance easier to judge.
Design Principle
Make urgency visible without overwhelming users.
Key Solution 02
Understand before joining in.
AI-powered summaries bring essential context directly into the discussion journey.
Users can understand unfamiliar topics without switching between multiple platforms.
Design Decision
Integrate concise summaries into the discovery-to-discussion flow.
Design Principle
Reduce the gap between understanding and participation.
Key Solution 03
Keep conversations relevant to the moment.
Time-limited boards reflect the lifecycle of trending topics, while active participation can extend discussions.
The Chrome extension provides direct access to boards while browsing.
Design Decision
Use visible timers and activity-based extensions to encourage timely participation.
Design Principle
Balance urgency with meaningful engagement.

Key Solution 01
Discover what's worth discussing now.
The main page combines the Top 10 trending keywords with ranking changes,
discussion activity, and remaining board time.
Users can quickly identify relevant topics without opening every board.
Design Decision
Combine trend rankings with live discussion signals to make relevance easier to judge.
Design Principle
Make urgency visible without overwhelming users.
Key Solution 02
Understand before joining in.
AI-powered summaries bring essential context directly into the discussion journey.
Users can understand unfamiliar topics without switching between multiple platforms.
Design Decision
Integrate concise summaries into the discovery-to-discussion flow.
Design Principle
Reduce the gap between understanding and participation.
Key Solution 03
Keep conversations relevant to the moment.
Time-limited boards reflect the lifecycle of trending topics, while active participation can extend discussions.
The Chrome extension provides direct access to boards while browsing.
Design Decision
Use visible timers and activity-based extensions to encourage timely participation.
Design Principle
Balance urgency with meaningful engagement.

Live Trending Board

Timers, not just rankings

Trending lists tell you what is hot,
never how long it lasts.

Every keyword carries its own countdown,
so readers can see what is peaking and
what is about to disappear.

Keyword Detail

Timers, not just rankings

Trending lists tell you what is hot,
never how long it lasts.

Every keyword carries its own countdown,
so readers can see what is peaking and
what is about to disappear.

Community Boards

Not everything needs
a countdown

Trending threads expire by design. Some conversations shouldn't.

Free, politics, and entertainment boards stay open, so the community has somewhere to live between spikes.

Chrome Extension

Trends where you already are

Checking what's trending meant leaving whatever you were doing.

The extension puts the Top 10, AI summaries, and boards one click from any tab.

Outcome

The MVP improved activation and engagement.

The MVP showed positive changes in user activation and session duration,
with faster access to trending discussions.

+40%

Increase in new user activation

5 → 8 min

Average session
duration

5 min

Trend ranking
refresh cycle

1 click

Board access via
Chrome extension

"These results suggest stronger engagement, though discussion quality still needs further validation."

Reflection

Good engagement design rewards meaningful behavior.

The MVP increased engagement, but its activity-based board extensions revealed a limitation: low-effort comments could keep discussions alive as effectively as meaningful contributions.

This showed me that more activity doesn't always mean better engagement.

Next project

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