Virtual Aarti Ganesh Chaturthi PMM

2025

Focus

User Flow · Interaction Design · Edge Case · Visual Design · Information Architecture

Team

Product · Design · Engineering · Analytics · Copy

What Did I Do?

Experience & Flow strategy

Information Architecture

High-fidelity UI design

Interaction Design

Edge-case and fallback handling

Design QC and execution

Prologue

Designing for Emotion Without Breaking Velocity

Ganesh Chaturthi is a ritual-driven festival with high emotional significance. The challenge was to translate this moment into a mobile experience that felt meaningful, while remaining lightweight, optional, and non-disruptive within a high-velocity consumer app.

Key Constraint

The experience could not block navigation, force transactions, or increase cognitive load during peak traffic.

References & Ideation

The concept was informed by:

Real-world Aarti rituals and offerings
Digital representations of devotion and symbolism
Motion and feedback as emotional confirmation
Micro-product patterns in consumer applications

The goal was to distill ritual complexity into a small set of meaningful, repeatable interactions.

The concept was informed by:

Real-world Aarti rituals and offerings
Digital representations of devotion and symbolism
Motion and feedback as emotional confirmation
Micro-product patterns in consumer applications

The goal was to distill ritual complexity into a small set of meaningful, repeatable interactions.

The concept was informed by:

Real-world Aarti rituals and offerings
Digital representations of devotion and symbolism
Motion and feedback as emotional confirmation
Micro-product patterns in consumer applications

The goal was to distill ritual complexity into a small set of meaningful, repeatable interactions.

Information Architecture & User Flow

The PMM surface was designed as a self-contained micro-product, referred to as the Virtual Aarti.

Flow Logic

Engagement-first, transaction-optional

Single primary action per screen
Clear exits at every step
No dead ends or forced progression

Engagement-first, transaction-optional

Single primary action per screen
Clear exits at every step
No dead ends or forced progression

Engagement-first, transaction-optional

Single primary action per screen
Clear exits at every step
No dead ends or forced progression

The flow progressed from ritual interaction to optional exploration, ensuring emotional engagement without interrupting the core ordering journey.

Interaction Design & Journey Decisions

Micro-interactions were used as confirmation cues, not decorative elements, helping users understand when an action was completed and preventing repeated inputs.

Edge cases were intentionally handled through fallback flows instead of error states, preserving emotional continuity when selected options were unavailable due to location or supply constraints.

Journey Priority - Maintain flow continuity and user control at all times.

Micro-interactions were used as confirmation cues, not decorative elements, helping users understand when an action was completed and preventing repeated inputs.

Edge cases were intentionally handled through fallback flows instead of error states, preserving emotional continuity when selected options were unavailable due to location or supply constraints.

Journey Priority - Maintain flow continuity and user control at all times.

Micro-interactions were used as confirmation cues, not decorative elements, helping users understand when an action was completed and preventing repeated inputs.

Edge cases were intentionally handled through fallback flows instead of error states, preserving emotional continuity when selected options were unavailable due to location or supply constraints.

Journey Priority - Maintain flow continuity and user control at all times.

Results & Key Learnings

Results

Improved session depth during the festival window
Clear progression from interaction to exploration
High completion of the primary engagement loop

Improved session depth during the festival window
Clear progression from interaction to exploration
High completion of the primary engagement loop

Improved session depth during the festival window
Clear progression from interaction to exploration
High completion of the primary engagement loop

Key Learning

PMM experiences are more effective when treated as products, not banners
Optional, lightweight interactions preserve UX velocity
Micro-interactions reduce hesitation and confusion
Designing edge cases early prevents emotional drop-offs

PMM experiences are more effective when treated as products, not banners
Optional, lightweight interactions preserve UX velocity
Micro-interactions reduce hesitation and confusion
Designing edge cases early prevents emotional drop-offs

PMM experiences are more effective when treated as products, not banners
Optional, lightweight interactions preserve UX velocity
Micro-interactions reduce hesitation and confusion
Designing edge cases early prevents emotional drop-offs