bondar.design/family_space

Family Space

b2c

Android

ios

web to app

Ux research

design system

Genealogy

Social network

Next-gen mobile genealogy social network designed to strengthen family bonds. 0→1 B2C startup with product launches in India, LATAM, UK, and the USA.

Design tasks which I had and completed::

Audited existing family space apps to identify UX issues, inconsistencies, and usability bugs;

Made deep market research and analyzed all contender’s solutions;

Set and optimized business → design → development process;

Established UX analysis processes and built a continuous feedback loop for issue tracking;

Shaped and defined key app features: family tree, blog, recipe book, quizzes, and media storage;

Developed and implemented a cross-platform design system (Android, iOS, Web);

Designed onboarding and monetization flows to initiate revenue income;

Redesigned the core logic of the family tree graph to fulfil the users desire “observe all relations on one level, not in branches”;

Created fast-turnaround (1–4 days) prototypes to validate new business hypotheses;

Designed marketing visuals and provided art direction for a marketing designer.

01

Family Space

B2C

ANDROID

IOS

WEBTO APP

PRODUCT

UX RESEARCH

DESIGN SYSTEM

SOCIAL NETWORK

GENEALOGY

Ilya Bondar, app, mobile, app, hunger.de, hunger, hunger, foodtech, food, restaurants

family.space

Project note from Ilya

For me was great to design product which centered around family connections. Despite its warm and emotional purpose, it presented surprisingly complex challenges - such as rethinking the logic and UX of the family tree graph to support real-world family structures. In business field the main challenge was to find a market fit

Tree graph research

I began by analyzing how existing apps visualize family trees - from mobile tools to 3D experimental web platforms.

I reviewed a wide range of 2D and 3D structures, identifying what worked and where users struggled. Most solutions favored formal hierarchy over usability, often presenting dense, technical layouts. I focused on defining a structure that would prioritize readability, emotional connection, and intuitive navigation, especially on mobile.

Tree graph research

Edge Case Mapping & Relationship Logic

Once the basic tree structure was established, I conducted deep research into edge cases — including multi-marriages, half-siblings, adoptions, and blended families. These scenarios are often under-supported or visually confusing in existing tools. I mapped relationship logic across generations and designed flexible interaction patterns that allow users to build accurate trees without unnecessary friction. This logic also supported new features like virtual relatives, tributes, and collaborative editing, making the tree not just accurate — but alive and meaningful.

I reviewed a wide range of 2D and 3D structures, identifying what worked and where users struggled. Most solutions favored formal hierarchy over usability, often presenting dense, technical layouts. I focused on defining a structure that would prioritize readability, emotional connection, and intuitive navigation, especially on mobile.

Edge Case Mapping & Relationship Logic

Competitor apps research

MyHeritage deep mapping

To understand the broader landscape of family history platforms, I conducted an in-depth audit of MyHeritage - not just the tree structure, but the entire digital ecosystem. I mapped out their full product surface: onboarding, user journeys, subscription funnels, DNA integration, media handling, search tools, and marketing flows.

This research gave me valuable insight into how a mature B2C genealogy product builds long-term engagement and monetization. I documented strengths, UX gaps, and growth tactics across web and mobile. These insights directly informed our product strategy for FamTree — helping us define a lighter, more emotional alternative focused on collaboration, contribution, and storytelling, rather than data-heavy archival research.

MyHeritage deep mapping

Bringing UX analytics to app

• Audited existing family space apps to identify UX issues, inconsistencies, and usability bugs;
• Bring UX analysis system akin HotJar and catched by it 400+ bugs and UX issues. Reported to Product owner and then designed solutions.
• Supervised development of every design feature.
• Tested app releases.
• Proposed to test US and Latam market during marketing campaign. KPIs increased, markets was added.

I reviewed a wide range of 2D and 3D structures, identifying what worked and where users struggled. Most solutions favored formal hierarchy over usability, often presenting dense, technical layouts. I focused on defining a structure that would prioritize readability, emotional connection, and intuitive navigation, especially on mobile.

Bringing UX analytics to app

UX research and bugs listings

Onboarding, Login and Feed

High drops in “first time user” flows was investigated. I redesigned web2app and app sign up / sign in flows, reducing user dropoffs
from 50% to 1%;

Ilya Bondar, POS, app, app, mobile, foodtech, design design, product design, UX, UI

High drops in “first time user” flows was investigated. I redesigned web2app and app sign up / sign in flows, reducing user dropoffs from 50% to 1%;

Redesigned the login flow to ensure full coverage of all entry scenarios — including invite links, shared content, and deep links — making the web-to-app transition seamless and intuitive across platforms.

Initiated revenue generation by designing several versions of onboarding flows and paywalls. Redesigned basic App navigation UX which led to user engagement growth by 21%. Below is recording of registration > onboarding flow end-to-end. Invite link opened at desktop. Flow finished in mobile app in tree (edge case).

Multimarriages, siblings from various parents and partners of partners

User research revealed a strong desire to add relatives connected through multiple marriages - especially children who live under one roof. To address this, I redesigned the family tree’s UX and UI to support complex, multi-marriage relationships and edge cases, making it easier for users to accurately reflect their real family structures.

I created first and other development “steps” for dramatic logic tree graph changes. And then divided all further features for easier and step-by-step development to covear all possible edge cases.

UX solution for “family branch” issue

Designed UX solution for “family branch” issue on tree graph (common fo all family tree services) - when as user you can’t observe all tree connections because of “family branches” logic.

Relative profiles in family tree

Following the tree structure update, I redesigned relative profiles to motivate users to add more personal details — increasing engagement and depth of family storytelling. Designed also tree printing and sharing flows.

Ilya Bondar, app, mobile, app, Family Space, family

Following the tree structure update, I redesigned relative profiles to motivate users to add more personal details — increasing engagement and depth of family storytelling. Designed also tree printing and sharing flows.

Recipe global community hypotheses

Proposed and designed a global Recipe Community feature to boost content virality and increase user engagement through shared family traditions and storytelling. In just two weeks of testing, the community attracted over 10,000 users, with strong activity in family recipes posting and discussion.

Photo and video storage

Designed photo and video storage features to allow users to preserve and share visual family memories within the app. Focused on emotional usability - enabling intuitive upload, tagging, and contextual linking of media to family members and events. Integrated mobile-friendly UI for quick access and added prompts to encourage content enrichment over time. This feature helped strengthen user retention by transforming the app into a living archive of personal and generational history.

Photo and video storage

New invitations

Problem investigated: low quantity of invitations because of strange UX. The main purpose with invites was to increase quantity of relatives joining to app. Transformed a complex, low-converting invite flow into a simple 2-click experience. Conversion rate increased to 16%, making invites a viable channel for user acquisition.

Other features and hypotheses

• Designed an AI-powered virtual relative to increase emotional engagement and create a more immersive family experience. The feature mimics natural conversations, shares family memories, and helps guide users through the app - blending utility with storytelling to deepen user connection.
• Designed feedback, settings and profile deletion flows;

Other features and hypotheses

AI relative

Feedback

Profile deletion

Design system

Developed a scalable cross-platform design system for Android, iOS, and Web - including detailed guidelines, reusable components, and variable-driven theming. Supervised implementation across teams, resulting in a 4x increase in development speed and significantly improved consistency across the product.

Other responsibilities

• Managed app localization into English and Russian to ensure clear, culturally appropriate UX across key markets.
• Designed marketing visuals and provided art direction to a marketing designer, ensuring brand consistency across all channels.

Key results

I redesigned the family tree to support real-world structures like multi-marriages, built a scalable cross-platform design system, and launched features like the recipe community and filling relative’s profile. As a result, user engagement increased more than by 21%, revenue generation was initiated and development speed improved more than 4 times.

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