Community Connections
Discover connections from your community
Role: Designer, Researcher
Duration: 3 Weeks (Dec - Jan)
The Problem
Users on Discord struggle to find servers they actually want to join. The current category tag system just isn't cutting it - it shows a huge list of servers under generic tags, making it hard for users to find communities that match their specific interests or share the same vibes as servers they already enjoy.
A Discord User on Reddit
"I'm trying to branch out and make new friends so I thought I'd join some Discord servers to meet people with similar interests, but I'm having a hard time finding some."
- r/discordapp
Servers
Quests
Home
Discover
Notifications
You
Midjourney
The official server for Midjourney, a text-to-image AI where your imagination is the only limit.
941,079 Online
21,084,900 Members
Genshin Impact official
Welcome to Teyvat, Traveler! This is the place to discuss with others about your favorite game: Genshin Impact!
367,030 Online
1,985,861 Members
Art
Coding
Gaming
Music
Entertainmen
Current Server Discovery
Generic categories that don't reflect specific interests
Overview
Research Process
Looking at Other Platforms
To find a better approach, I looked at how other community platforms handle discovery
Telegram's Solution
Their 'Similar Channels' feature showed exactly what I was thinking - using shared memberships to recommend related communities. This personalized approach helped users find content they actually cared about.
Guilded's Approach
In contrast, Guilded showed what not to do. Their basic search bar forced users to rely on external websites like guildedservers.net to find communities, making discovery even harder.
Search
Chats
Apps
Media
Downloa
Channels
Channels you joined
Wallpapers Central
Lofi Girl
@lofi_girl_music, 8 943 subscribers
Similar Channels
@wallpaperselection, 61 520 subscribers
Du Rove’s Channel
MB4K_Tech
@durov, 12 410 202 subscribers
@MB4K_Tech_Telegram, 13 452 subscr…
Deep Tech Minimal
Best Wallpapers
@behnamdeephouse, 6 012 subscribers
@wallpapersya, 2 595 subscribers
Wallpapers
HiMinds ❄️
@Wallsplace, 1 494 subscribers
@HiMindsMusic, 2 768 subscribers
selection music
🪐 SOUL OF MUSIC 🎶
@selection_musice, 5 889 subscribers
@SoulMusices, 3 224 subscribers
Wallpapers Central
Lofi Girl
@wallpaperselection, 61 520 subscribers
@lofi_girl_music, 8 943 subscribers
Wallpapers Central
Lofi Girl
@wallpaperselection, 61 520 subscribers
@lofi_girl_music, 8 943 subscribers
Wallpapers Central
Lofi Girl
@wallpaperselection, 61 520 subscribers
@lofi_girl_music, 8 943 subscribers
Wallpapers Central
Moon noises
@wallpaperselection, 61 520 subscribers
@Moonnoisez, 1 867 subscribers
Uses shared memberships to recommend channels
Shows related content based on what you already follow
Telegram's Approach
Empathy Map
Understanding Our Users
How Kipple Approaches Server Discovery
Introducing Community Connections
The Solution
Based on Kipple's journey and my research, I designed Community Connections to help users discover servers through their existing communities.
Put it right in Discord's discovery section with other categories - easy to find when looking for new servers.
Finding Community Connections
Servers
Quests
Home
Discover
Notifications
You
941,079 Online
21,084,900 Members
Midjourney
The official server for Midjourney, a text-to-image AI where your imagination is the only limit.
Genshin Impact official
Welcome to Teyvat, Traveler! This is the place to discuss with others about your favorite game: Genshin Impact!
367,030 Online
1,985,861 Members
Community Connections
Gaming
Music
Entertain
Clear instructions tell users to "Tap a Server to See What Your Community Enjoys" and lets them know they can select multiple servers.
First Time Using It
Tap a Server to See What Your Community Enjoys
Multiple servers can be selected
Imagisphere
A welcoming community dedicated to documenting, modifying, and preserving the beloved LittleBigPlanet franchise.
954 Online
2,889 Members
Trixel Creative
The Music Hub
Home
Discover
Notifications
You
Community Connections
NEW
Select one server like Plush Haven and see what other members of your community are enjoying.
Starting Your Search
Pick multiple servers like Plush Haven + Music Hub to find communities matching your specific interests.
Mix and Match
Dreamwalk Academy
Dreamwalk is an animated series that blends reality with the world of dreams. 🌙✨
2,708 Online
14,160 Members
Style Society
Largest fashion community online. Curated by @StyleSociety
2,300 Online
17,641 Members
Creative Compass
Creative Compass is a community dedicated to all genres of art. Come start a creative friendship with us!
13,573 Online
4,282 Members
Music Hub
Plush Haven
Community Connections
Servers enjoyed by members across
Home
Discover
Notifications
You
Search
Music Hub
NEW
Quick Search
Style Society
Largest fashion community online. Curated by @StyleSociety
2,300 Online
17,641 Members
Music Hub
Plush Haven
Community Connections
Servers enjoyed by members across
Home
Discover
Notifications
You
Fashion
Music Hub
NEW
Added search to help find specific types of servers within your trusted recommendations.
Design Decisions
Choosing Shared Memberships
Looking at how users struggle with generic categories, I realized we could use their existing communities as a better way to find servers. If most members in your community are in server B, there's a good chance you'll like it too - it's more personal than browsing endless category lists.
After seeing how users like Kipple are interested in multiple types of art communities, I added multi-select. This lets users who enjoy different interests, like drawing and sculpting, find servers that match their specific combination of interests rather than just broad categories.
Adding Multi-Select
Adding First-Time Guidance
I added the "Tap a Server" message and simple vector to give users a clear starting point without overwhelming them with instructions.
Making Selection Management Easy
I designed server tags with X buttons so users can easily see what they've selected and remove servers quickly if they want to try different combinations.
Including Search
Added search to help users find specific types of servers within their recommendations, making it easier to find exactly what they're looking for.
Added search to help users find specific types of servers within their recommendations, making it easier to find exactly what they're looking for.
Testing & Iterations
Could users figure out how to use the multi-select feature?
Did they understand how server recommendations worked?
Would they actually find it useful?
Testing Goals
Testing Approach
Users tested directly in Discord, letting them explore at their own pace in a familiar environment.
Key Findings
What Worked Well
Community Connections placement
Community-based recommendations
Initial Challanges
First-time user confusion
Multi-select understanding
Selection management issues
First-time user confusion
Multi-select understanding
Selection management issues
Interface Changes
Interface Changes
Before
Updated messaging for mult-select
After
Added
Clear placeholder
After
Updated server profile into tags with X buttons
Music Hub
Before
Before
This server is your one stop shop for cat plushies! We have developed a lovely community to make friends, come join!!!
616 Online
4,282 Members
Servers that are loved in AniBox
AniBox
🎵 Music Store Growtopia 🛒
Server dedicated to Growtopia in-game music / song composing services.
177 Online
1,389 Members
StreamBeats
StreamBeats is the most listened to free library of copyright free music for your live streams and YouTube videos.
4,048 Online
18,378 Members
Music City
A place to share and listen to music! Meet other people with similar music tastes, share some tunes, and jam out!
284 Online
2,183 Members
We Suck At Producing
The official Discord of You Suck At Producing, where musicians share knowledge and feedback to help each other improve.
4,141 Online
29,053 Members
Servers that are liked in
The Music Hub
Your servers favorites
Home
Discover
Notifications
You
Updated server line indicator
After
This server is your one stop shop for cat plushies! We have developed a lovely community to make friends, come join!!!
616 Online
4,282 Members
Servers that are loved in AniBox
AniBox
🎵 Music Store Growtopia 🛒
Server dedicated to Growtopia in-game music / song composing services.
177 Online
1,389 Members
StreamBeats
StreamBeats is the most listened to free library of copyright free music for your live streams and YouTube videos.
4,048 Online
18,378 Members
Music City
A place to share and listen to music! Meet other people with similar music tastes, share some tunes, and jam out!
284 Online
2,183 Members
We Suck At Producing
The official Discord of You Suck At Producing, where musicians share knowledge and feedback to help each other improve.
4,141 Online
29,053 Members
Servers that are liked in
The Music Hub
Your servers favorites
Home
Discover
Notifications
You
Impact
After implementing these changes, users not only understood the feature better but could see themselves actually using it to find relevant communities
Final Thoughts
Discord's current category tags weren't really helping users find servers they'd actually want to join. That's why I created Community Connections - it helps users discover new servers through the communities they're already part of. When you select your servers, it shows you what other servers those community members are joining too. This makes finding new communities more personal and relevant.
This project taught me some key things about design:
Looking forward, I'm excited about maybe helping users find not just servers but also people who share their interests. This project showed me that finding relevant communities works better when it's based on users' existing connections rather than just browsing through category tags.
How to use UI elements creatively to make features clear
Why designing with users in mind is super important
How to add new features while keeping Discord's familiar feel
How to design features that can grow with Discord's user base
