Work
Around the Block
TL;DR
Designed Around the Block, a managed service that brings local businesses into residential communities through curated neighborhood events. Grounded in stakeholder research, the concept evolved beyond venue matching to coordinate the planning, promotion, and logistics needed to make these experiences viable for businesses, properties, and residents.
People have a latent desire to feel connected to their local community
But they avoid attending community events due to time, effort, or social friction
We analyzed existing ways for individuals in communities to connect with others
People connect through hobbies, roles, proximity, and events, but none of them are low-effort, repeatable, and inclusive all at once. This led us to further our inquiry...
How might we bring community experiences to where people already are?
We explored this question by first identifying current services in the market and identified the gap our service can fill
Existing services focus on residents and broad local reach, but when we looked at the bottom-right quadrant, the space for connecting local businesses directly with residencies was completely empty. That is the gap Around the Block is built to fill.
To validate that opportunity, we went deeper by interviewing 5 local businesses and 1 property
Wanted to grow their exposure and build retention.
But they were held back by lack of time, lack of staff, and fear of poor return on investment.
Wanted to create a sense of belonging and attract new residents.
But they had no capacity to plan and execute events on their own.
Both sides wanted the same outcome, but neither had an appropriate way to reach the other.
From there, we refined our operational goals
Fully ManagedBusinesses should feel supported from planning to execution, with help coordinating logistics, communication, and event setup.
Low-effortThe service should reduce the time and energy required for businesses and properties by simplifying booking, communication, and decision-making.
Process drivenThe service should guide users through a clear, step-by-step workflow so planning feels organized, transparent, and easy to follow.
This brings us to our service statement...
Around the Block enables local businesses to reach new customers by activating residential communities through experience-based events, while also fostering connections among residents.
And our concept video
Our business model takes advantage of the indirect network effect:
For businesses: As the number of events in a package increases, the cost per event decreases. This incentivizes businesses to host events consistently while increasing opportunities for customer outreach.
For properties: Our services would be free for properties, giving them an incentive to join. As more apartments join, more options become available for local businesses to connect with and grow customers, increasing the number of businesses who sign up and the number of available events.
Our website would have both a business portal and a property portal, where clients on both sides can easily access event details and contact a coordinator
Sales representatives would approach businesses and properties with brochures for clients to learn about Around the Block
Residents at properties could learn about upcoming events through posters in their communities
Process: Here are the diagrams that helped us to arrive at our service
Select any diagram to view it at full size.
Early Validation and Product Potential
Due to the scope and nature of the project, we focused on gathering early stakeholder feedback to understand whether Around the Block addressed a real need and had potential beyond the prototype.
Positive response from local businesses: Several business owners responded well to the idea of connecting with nearby residents through curated neighborhood experiences.
Property management adoption signal: We spoke with 3 managers who identified clear potential for a service like this to be used in their respective apartment communities, especially because resident event planning was a real need in an area where staff capacity was limited.
Clear operational pain point: The feedback helped validate that community building was not only a resident experience challenge, but also an operational challenge for apartment teams trying to create programming with limited time and resources.