What it is
Onyi lets people send digital gifts that feel personal. A note, photos, a voice memo, a playlist, a date that matters, all of it opening for the recipient as a set of themed pages. v2 was a full redesign and rebuild: new creation flow, themeable receiver, scheduling.
I worked alone on it, with claude doing the implementation. Every product and design call is mine. I work this way because nothing gets lost between the design and the screen.
What was wrong with v1
v1 worked, but it didn't feel like giving anyone anything. You filled in fields and pressed send. There were only a handful of themes, so gifts looked like each other. And it only delivered by email, which is not where most people actually are, so a gift could sit unopened for days or never get seen at all.
Improved & New home screen experience
v1 worked but users couldn't see their previously created gifts so i introduced a new residency for the gifts on each user dashboard.
It felt like a form, so I made it feel like making something
The fix was showing people what they were making while they made it. The real recipient view renders next to you as you build. Not a preview image, the actual pages, updating as you type. You stop filling in a form and start arranging something for a person.
Twenty themes, multiple styles
Each one gift can reshape color, texture, background and font, so two gifts made on the same day don't look like the same gift. This was the difference between something that looks generated and something that looks chosen.
Drafts and scheduling
We introduce drafts because almost all of our early users complained about not seeing gifts after creation, accidental tab closure and some wanted to be able to send gifts ahead of time, so i went back to the drawing board and built a draft and scheduling option which allows users to view and edit their saved drafts. this meant they could pick up where they left anytime.
Delivery where people actually are
v1 sent by email only. v2 sends over WhatsApp integrated via zernio, and can schedule for a specific day. Most gifts have a date attached to them, and most people in this market check WhatsApp before they check email.
Where it is now
420 gifts sent and 220 users. Early, and I'd rather show the real number than a percentage dressed up to look bigger. What I'm watching next is open rate on WhatsApp against email, and whether people who send once send again.