As founder and lead designer of Korner, I created an anonymous income comparison tool to help service industry workers make informed career decisions. Drawing from my decade of bartending experience, I identified that workers lacked visibility into job quality and earning potential before starting new positions. Working with a single developer over three months, I designed and launched an MVP that allows front and back-of-house workers to anonymously compare their nightly income against local peers through an intuitive data visualization. The Nashville launch attracted 100+ users and validated the core need for workplace transparency tools, establishing a foundation for broader service industry career empowerment solutions.
demo it!
Company: Korner (Founded as Delaware C-Corp)
Timeline:3 months from solution concept to launch
My Role:Founder, UX Designer, Product Manager
Team:1 Developer + myself
Market:Nashville service industry workers (front and back-of-house)
Korner addresses the systemic challenges facing service industry workers, including unpredictable earnings, limited workplace protections, and lack of transparency around job quality. The platform aims to empower workers with information and tools to improve their career outcomes in an industry where traditional job evaluation methods are inadequate.
Service industry workers face significant workplace challenges with limited recourse for improvement. A critical gap exists in workers' ability to evaluate job opportunities and current positions effectively.
Core problems identified:• Workers have no reliable way to assess job quality before starting a position
• Traditional networking through friends provides incomplete information
• Current employees cannot benchmark their situation against market alternativesInformation asymmetry prevents workers from making informed career decisions
• Fear of retaliation limits workers' willingness to share workplace information openly
Primary user needs:• Anonymous comparison of earning potential across similar roles
• Market insights to inform "stay or go" career decisions
• Accessible tool that requires minimal time investmentTrustworthy platform that protects worker privacy
• Simple interface suitable for use during brief work breaks
The challenge was designing a solution that could build user trust while providing immediate value, setting the foundation for addressing larger systemic issues within realistic budget constraints.
As founder of Korner, I led the entire product development process from problem identification through launch and iteration. My decade of bartending experience provided deep user empathy and industry knowledge that informed every design decision.
Key responsibilities:
• User research and problem validation with service industry workers
• Product strategy and feature prioritization within budget constraints
• Complete UX/UI design from concept through final implementation
• Developer collaboration and technical requirement definitionGo-to-market strategy and user acquisition execution
• Post-launch iteration based on user behavior and feedback
Strategic considerations:
• Bootstrap funding required lean, focused MVP approach
• Single developer partnership necessitated clear communication and realistic scope
• Service industry user base demanded high trust and low friction experience
• Nashville market provided concentrated user density for efficient testing and launch
Discovery and ValidationLeveraging my industry experience, I conducted targeted interviews with service industry workers to validate problem assumptions and understand current workarounds.
Key insights discovered:Workers actively discuss need for workplace reforms but lack actionable recourseMoney remains a core consideration in workplace evaluation despite broader concernsUsers were enthusiastic about solutions being developed but hesitant to provide critical feedbackAcquiring engaged users proved more challenging than anticipated
Strategic Product DecisionsGiven funding constraints, I prioritized an income comparison tool as the entry point to build user trust and platform awareness, while positioning for future comprehensive solutions.
Core design principles:
• Simplicity over completeness:Broad "average nightly income" terminology accommodated both tipped and non-tipped workers without complex calculation coaching • Immediate value:Users reach success state with minimal input friction • Privacy protection:Anonymous data collection with optional email signup • Professional credibility:Clean, authoritative design using color theory and spatial hierarchy to build trust
Design and Development ProcessI created comprehensive Figma prototypes with detailed annotations, communicating requirements through regular developer calls and email documentation.
Key design solutions:
• Streamlined user flow:Simple categorization (front/back-of-house) plus income input • Clear data visualization:Bell curve graph showing user position relative to peer median earnings • Trust-building interface:Professional design aesthetic appropriate for the user base • Friction reduction: Iterative removal of email requirement pre-results based on user behavior analysis
Go-to-Market StrategyI developed a multi-channel approach targeting Nashville's concentrated service industry community:
• Direct outreach to personal and professional networks
Social media awareness campaigns
• Strategic physical marketing (custom coasters with messaging like "making good tips or just good enough?")
• Targeted advertising to service industry workersDistribution at popular service industry gathering spots
The Nashville launch successfully validated core assumptions about service industry worker needs while providing valuable insights for platform development and user acquisition strategies.
Launch outcomes:
• 100+ usersengaged with the income comparison tool • Successful iteration:Removing mandatory email signup significantly increased user participation and data collection• Market validation:Clear patterns emerged in reported Nashville service industry wages, confirming platform utility• User sentiment: Workers expressed enthusiasm for solutions being developed, though organic advocacy has not yet emerged• Acquisition insights: Direct personal outreach proved most effective, while paid advertising showed lower conversion rates
Key learnings:
• User acquisition complexity:Building engaged user base requires sustained, multi-faceted approach beyond initial product launch• Feedback methodology:Service industry workers' reluctance to provide critical feedback requires adjusted research approaches for future development• Technical partnership:Working with single developer emphasized importance of aligned vision and collaborative problem-solving approach• Bootstrap development: "Done is better than perfect" mentality enabled progress within budget constraints while maintaining quality standards
Strategic foundation established:• Delaware C-Corp structure positioned for future growth and investment
• Technology platform ready for geographic expansion and feature enhancement
• User base providing ongoing market validation and feedback
• Clear roadmap for enhanced comparison capabilities (job-type granularity, geographic expansion)
Future development priorities:• Enhanced user acquisition strategies and organic growth mechanisms
• Monetization model development balancing user value with business sustainability
• Expanded comparison capabilities including geographic and role-specific filtering
• Long-term vision of comprehensive service industry career empowerment platform
This project reinforced my commitment to addressing service industry worker challenges while demonstrating the viability of technology solutions that prioritize user privacy, immediate value, and professional presentation. The foundation established through this MVP positions Korner to tackle larger systemic issues as the platform grows and resources expand.
Korner represents the intersection of personal experience, user-centered design, and social impact—proving that meaningful solutions can emerge from deep understanding of user needs combined with strategic product thinking.
