DEPT - PRIDE
uniting a community
Company
Company
DEPT
Role
Role
Social Designer
Category
Category
UX
Social Design
Year
Year
2024
A tailor-made social media platform for DEPT's LGBTQ+ community. The DEPT - Pride Bar.
What was the opportunity?
DEPT came to us with a challenge from DEPT-Pride, their global LGBTQ+ community. On paper the group looked strong, with around 250 members. In reality many of them still felt like their community was spread thin. This beckoned the following question.
How might we foster meaningful global connections between the DEPT-Pride community?
The process
We kicked things off by trying to map out the community. Who they are, how they talk, what makes them feel at home. At one point we found ourselves knee-deep in identity, emotion, and all the things people rarely explain directly. That was our hint that the usual research path was hitting a wall.
Time to switch tactics.
Probe kits to the rescue.
We put together packages that looked like small gifts but were secretly research tools. Members opened them, discovered short activities inside, and spent a week reflecting on what belonging meant in their daily lives. When they finished the kit, we met with them and talked through their experiences. These stories gave us patterns we could finally work with.
From there the picture became clearer. People wanted to feel recognised. They wanted connection that did not depend on office walls. They wanted a community they could actually see. With that clarity we started sketching ideas, poking holes in our own concepts, and testing anything that had potential. Every iteration took us a step closer to a way to connect these Depsters.
The solution
The final concept became a digital space that helped the community feel a little more present, even across continents. We focused on real people from DEPT-Pride, placing their stories and faces at the centre so members could get a clearer sense of who they share this community with.
The visual tone stayed warm and welcoming, reflecting the identity DEPT-Pride had already built. We kept the structure light so participation felt easy, whether someone wanted to engage often or simply check in occasionally. Instead of pushing for big, dramatic interactions, the design aimed to support small moments of connection that could grow naturally over time.
When we shared the concept, the feedback was encouraging. People recognised themselves in it and felt that the direction reflected their experiences. For us this confirmed that listening closely and co-creating with the community was the right approach. Our goal was never to reinvent DEPT-Pride, but to give the group a space that supports the connection they were already building together.
And a special thank you to those I got to work with during this project.
Christien, Jennifer, Richelle, SanYee and Quint.
You had a lasting impact on me.
