Chameleo

The founder reached out with an idea and needed a designer to bring it to life. We built the EdTech web app that helps people discover and understand different cultures. You can explore a culture, compare two side by side to see where they match and where they clash, and learn enough to connect better with people from anywhere in the world.

The product launched, got into Maria01 incubator, and was presented at Slush.

The founder reached out with an idea and needed a designer to bring it to life. We built the EdTech web app that helps people discover and understand different cultures. You can explore a culture, compare two side by side to see where they match and where they clash, and learn enough to connect better with people from anywhere in the world.

The product launched, got into Maria01 incubator, and was presented at Slush.

Team

Design Systems

Product Design

Branding

Services

Dec 2024 — May 2025

Date

Problem

Rules are invisible

It’s hard to understand unwritten rules of another culture, which can make conversations difficult.

Rules are invisible

It’s hard to understand unwritten rules of another culture, which can make conversations difficult.

Advice is not actionable

We may understand cultural differences in theory, but we struggle to apply them in everyday life.

Advice is not actionable

We may understand cultural differences in theory, but we struggle to apply them in everyday life.

Trust is broken

Small misunderstandings can lead to larger issues that affect relationships, teamwork, and quality of life.

Trust is broken

Small misunderstandings can lead to larger issues that affect relationships, teamwork, and quality of life.

Solution

Make learning easy and engaging

A tool that lets you compare cultures side by side and understand the differences in a clear way.
It uses simple visuals and explanations to show how people behave and communicate in different countries.

See how cultures actually work

A tool that lets you compare cultures side by side and understand the differences in a clear way.
It uses simple visuals and explanations to show how people behave and communicate in different countries.

Improve communication and trust

Understand differences better, avoid misunderstandings, and feel more confident when interacting with others.

Process

After the brief, we dug into the EdTech market looking for similar products. We found nothing. The concept was genuinely unique, which was exciting but also meant we had no blueprint to follow.

So we got creative. We looked at Duolingo for gamification and learning structure. We found Plant Parent and loved their emotional onboarding: "Have you ever felt this way?" That question pulls people in before asking them to commit to anything. We borrowed that idea and made it our own.

After the brief, we dug into the EdTech market looking for similar products. We found nothing. The concept was genuinely unique, which was exciting but also meant we had no blueprint to follow.

So we got creative. We looked at Duolingo for gamification and learning structure. We found Plant Parent and loved their emotional onboarding: "Have you ever felt this way?" That question pulls people in before asking them to commit to anything. We borrowed that idea and made it our own.

Research & Discovery

We ran 8 qualitative interviews with people who regularly interact across cultures, such as HR managers, IT specialists, and entrepreneurs from Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Finland, Russia, and Mexico.

We ran 8 qualitative interviews with people who regularly interact across cultures, such as HR managers, IT specialists, and entrepreneurs from Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Finland, Russia, and Mexico.

Key insights:

  • All 8 participants had experienced cultural misunderstandings.

  • Most had no tools for cultural guidance.

  • The biggest concern about an app: price and usability.

  • What they actually needed is not just theory, but practical scenarios, matching tools, and structured content they could apply in real situations

Information Architecture

& User Flows

From there I mapped out the Information Architecture: three core sections, Homepage, Results of comparing, and Profile. Then we went deeper into the user flows. One of the most interesting challenges was designing for two completely different audiences inside the same product: B2B users like HR managers and team leads, and B2C users like expats and travellers. Two different needs, one coherent experience. Getting that split right took real thought.

From there I mapped out the Information Architecture: three core sections, Homepage, Results of comparing, and Profile. Then we went deeper into the user flows. One of the most interesting challenges was designing for two completely different audiences inside the same product: B2B users like HR managers and team leads, and B2C users like expats and travellers. Two different needs, one coherent experience. Getting that split right took real thought.

Features

Features

AI Assistant

AI Assistant

The assistant allows users to ask questions about communication, behavior, and cultural norms, providing clear and actionable guidance tailored to their context.

The assistant allows users to ask questions about communication, behavior, and cultural norms, providing clear and actionable guidance tailored to their context.

Features

Features

Your cultural guide

Your cultural guide

A personalized dashboard that helps users navigate cultural differences through comparisons, scenarios, and actionable insights.

A personalized dashboard that helps users navigate cultural differences through comparisons, scenarios, and actionable insights.

Features

Features

Comparison tool

Comparison tool

Cultural Comparison Tool helps to user to compare two different cultures and analyze clashes, similarities, and differences.

Cultural Comparison Tool helps to user to compare two different cultures and analyze clashes, similarities, and differences.

Features

Features

Personalized dashboard

Personalized dashboard

A personalized dashboard that helps users navigate cultural differences through comparisons, scenarios, and actionable insights.

A personalized dashboard that helps users navigate cultural differences through comparisons, scenarios, and actionable insights.

Pivot

After launch, the founder started pitching at startup events. Over time the focus shifted from a broad audience (travellers, expats, entrepreneurs) to students specifically. That shift actually opened up new possibilities, including gamification elements that fit the student audience much better.

After launch, the founder started pitching at startup events. Over time the focus shifted from a broad audience (travellers, expats, entrepreneurs) to students specifically. That shift actually opened up new possibilities, including gamification elements that fit the student audience much better.

Result

The product launched, got into Maria01 incubator, and was presented at Slush 2025.

The product launched, got into Maria01 incubator, and was presented at Slush 2025.

What I've learned

Stakeholders don't always agree

The founder and co-founder had different visions for the product. I learned how to navigate that, find common ground, and keep the design moving forward without taking sides.

Feedback is not always about the design

Looking back, I wish I had been more confident defending my design decisions. I learned a lot about client communication and working with developers, but next time I would push back more when I believed in a direction.

First projects teach you the most

Chameleo was my first serious freelance project. It showed me what end-to-end design actually feels like when the stakes are real.

See next

Chameleo: Branding

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