Ambi
Finding study cafes you can feel before you arrive
ROLE
Product Designer
SKILLS
User Research
Product Design
Prototyping
TOOLS
Figma
TIMELINE
5 weeks, 2025
Ambi
Finding study cafés you can feel before you arrive
ROLE
Product Designer
SKILLS
User Research
Product Design
Prototyping
TOOLS
Figma
TIMELINE
5 weeks, 2025
CONTEXT
CONTEXT
CONTEXT
Turn “Where Should I Study Today?” Into a Confident Decision
Turn “Where Should I Study Today?” Into a Confident Decision
Cafes have become more than places to get matcha. They’re creative workspaces, social environments, and extensions of how students structure their day.
Cafes have become more than places to get matcha. They’re creative workspaces, social environments, and extensions of how students structure their day.
Ambi is a study cafe discovery app designed to help UCSD students confidently choose where to work by making ambience, amenities, and social signals visible before they arrive.
Ambi is a study cafe discovery app designed to help UCSD students confidently choose where to work by making ambience, amenities, and social signals visible before they arrive.
CONCEPT
CONCEPT
CONCEPT
Explore Cafes Without the Risk of Showing Up to the Wrong Vibe
Explore Cafes Without the Risk of Showing Up to the Wrong Vibe
Students want novelty, but they default to familiar cafes because uncertainty threatens focus.
Students want novelty, but they default to familiar cafes because uncertainty threatens focus.
Ambi reframes cafe discovery from a search problem into a confidence problem, helping students explore new spots while minimizing the risk of a distracting or unproductive environment.
Ambi reframes cafe discovery from a search problem into a confidence problem, helping students explore new spots while minimizing the risk of a distracting or unproductive environment.
DESIGN CHALLENGES
DESIGN CHALLENGES
DESIGN CHALLENGES
Make Amenities & Ambience Legible Before Arrival
Make Amenities & Ambience Legible Before Arrival
Noise level, crowdedness, vibe, and “study friendliness” are hard to gauge from maps and reviews alone.
Noise level, crowdedness, vibe, and “study friendliness” are hard to gauge from maps and reviews alone.
Reduce the Cost of Exploration
Reduce the Cost of Exploration
Trying a new cafe takes time, effort, and mental energy. A bad choice can derail an entire study session.
Trying a new cafe takes time, effort, and mental energy. A bad choice can derail an entire study session.
Support Consistency, Not Just Discovery
Support Consistency, Not Just Discovery
Ambi needed to stay valuable beyond the first few wins.
Ambi needed to stay valuable beyond the first few wins.
Build Trust Through Familiar Signals
Build Trust Through Familiar Signals
Students rely heavily on friends’ experiences when deciding where to go but those insights are scattered across texts and memory.
Students rely heavily on friends’ experiences when deciding where to go but those insights are scattered across texts and memory.
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Know What You’re Walking Into at a Glance
Know What You’re Walking Into at a Glance
Amenity-First Discovery
Amenity-First Discovery
Ambi leads with amenities and operating details such as WiFi, outlets, seating type, hours so students can quickly rule out places that won’t support their needs.
Ambi leads with amenities and operating details such as WiFi, outlets, seating type, hours so students can quickly rule out places that won’t support their needs.
Choose the Right Time, Not Just the Right Place
Choose the Right Time, Not Just the Right Place
Live Crowd Confidence
Live Crowd Confidence
Ambi gives students a clear, one-sentence signal that tells them whether it’s a good time to head out or if waiting a bit longer might lead to a better chance at securing a seat.
Ambi gives students a clear, one-sentence signal that tells them whether it’s a good time to head out or if waiting a bit longer might lead to a better chance at securing a seat.
This quick “go now or wait” guidance is paired with a live busy time visualization, helping students anticipate crowd levels, avoid unexpected noise or lack of seating, and make time aware decisions with confidence.
This quick “go now or wait” guidance is paired with a live busy time visualization, helping students anticipate crowd levels, avoid unexpected noise or lack of seating, and make time aware decisions with confidence.
A Cafe "Picked for You" & Advanced Filtering
A Cafe "Picked for You" & Advanced Filtering
Fast Decisions for Busy Students
Fast Decisions for Busy Students
Ambi opens with a "Picked For You" cafe, a personalized, low-effort starting point based on past visits, preferences, and time context. From there, advanced filters let users quickly refine by amenities, ambience, and distance.
Ambi opens with a "Picked For You" cafe, a personalized, low-effort starting point based on past visits, preferences, and time context. From there, advanced filters let users quickly refine by amenities, ambience, and distance.
Feel the Space Before You Arrive
Feel the Space Before You Arrive
Moodboards as Emotional Preview
Moodboards as Emotional Preview
Colors, keywords, and imagery communicate ambience quickly, helping students decide if a space matches their desired energy and focus level.
Colors, keywords, and imagery communicate ambience quickly, helping students decide if a space matches their desired energy and focus level.
Explore Through People You Trust
Explore Through People You Trust
Friend Reviews as Trust Infrastructure
Friend Reviews as Trust Infrastructure
Students can see where friends have studied, read their reviews, and revisit their own past impressions.
Students can see where friends have studied, read their reviews, and revisit their own past impressions.
This social layer turns exploration into a shared experience and encourages confidence driven discovery rather than defaulting to the same familiar spots.
This social layer turns exploration into a shared experience and encourages confidence driven discovery rather than defaulting to the same familiar spots.
Capture How a Place Felt, Not Just Where You Went
Capture How a Place Felt, Not Just Where You Went
Memory as a Design Surface
Memory as a Design Surface
Over time, study spots become scattered across maps, notes, and memory.
Over time, study spots become scattered across maps, notes, and memory.
After visiting a cafe, students can complete a short moodboard style survey capturing ambience, focus level, and overall vibe. These snapshots live on the user’s profile, creating a personal archive they can revisit when deciding where to study next.
After visiting a cafe, students can complete a short moodboard style survey capturing ambience, focus level, and overall vibe. These snapshots live on the user’s profile, creating a personal archive they can revisit when deciding where to study next.
OUTCOME
OUTCOME
OUTCOME
Ambi sparked smiles and nods across the room as students immediately envisioned it becoming part of their daily study routines, urging us to ship it as a real product.
Ambi sparked smiles and nods across the room as students immediately envisioned it becoming part of their daily study routines, urging us to ship it as a real product.
My biggest takeaway was learning to consistently tie design decisions back to data backed insights while also seeing firsthand how truly great teams are built on supportive communication around progress, ideas, and bandwidth.
My biggest takeaway was learning to consistently tie design decisions back to data backed insights while also seeing firsthand how truly great teams are built on supportive communication around progress, ideas, and bandwidth.
Ambi
Finding study cafés you can feel before you arrive
ROLE
Product Designer
SKILLS
User Research
Product Design
Prototyping
TOOLS
Figma
TIMELINE
5 weeks, 2025