I Can Has Cheezburger
One of the largest social humor sites on the Internet where millions of people come every day to laugh out loud and have others laugh with them. Visitors can view, create or remix themes, and share their favorite funny pictures.
Design Lead
As a Design Lead, I collaborated closely with cross functional teams which included product, engineering, and research to drive the end-to-end redesign of the Cheezburger iOS app. I led the design of new mobile first experiences, ensuring a cohesive and user centered approach throughout the product lifecycle. My role also involved supporting user research efforts, turning insights into actionable design solutions that balanced user needs with business goals. Also introduced an updated brand refresh that played throughout the app.
Team
Alexi Maczka (Design Director), Paul Major (VP of Product), Jeffery Brown (CTO), Andrew Smith (Director of Product Management, Ed Williams (Engineer), Hannah A (Engineer), Andrew Weaver (Engineer)
Challenge
Before the rise of modern social media, Cheezburger was a leading force in online humor, dominating the internet with its quirky, meme-driven content. While our desktop experience had a massive following, transitioning to a mobile-first world was essential. With a diverse and passionate user base, our challenge was to craft a smart, intuitive experience that could unite our community while still allowing users to explore content that aligned with their unique tastes.
Funny Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
Research revealed that humor isn’t one-size-fits-all—just because someone loves cat memes doesn’t mean they’re into Star Wars-style humor. We needed a structure that was both inclusive and intelligently segmented, giving users the freedom to explore or stay niche, all within a unified experience. With such a wide-ranging audience, I designed a navigation system that celebrated diverse interests while allowing core users to stay immersed in their preferred content lanes.
Turning viewers into voices
User research also suggested that our audience didn’t just want to consume content but wanted to actively participate in the humor conversation as well. While most users continued to browse and enjoy media passively, an emerging segment showed a strong interest in leaderboard style interactions and community recognition. One of the key insights was the need for a dedicated space to showcase top content, paired with a seamless way to create and remix memes on the go. In response, I designed our first ever content creation experience positioned front and center in the app to reflect our core principle of empowering users to contribute, not just consume.
