X Communities
New social primitive for X—customer-owned, topic-focused spaces within the platform. Shipped with roles, rules, and moderation tools.
Overview
New social primitive for Twitter that created customer-owned, topic-focused spaces within the platform.
Role: Design Lead (0→1 through production)
Timeline: 2020-2023
Objective: Enable people to find and participate in niche interest communities without the pressure of Twitter's open graph. Ship a Community object with clear roles, rules, and lightweight moderation to support sustainable, self-governed spaces.
Approach: Introduced Community object with three roles (founder, moderator, member), scoped feed for Community-only content, and rule-setting as first-class creation step. Emphasized lightweight structure over heavy formalization.
Key Insights:
- Belonging is niche—passion communities (sneakers, fandoms) are where people feel safe to talk
- Clarity reduces risk—explicit rules lower posting anxiety
- Structure should be lightweight—formalization as scaffolding, not fenced garden
Impact:
- Increased first-time posters in targeted cohorts
- Higher repeat posting rates
- Low moderation incidents with volunteer moderators
- Sustained daily activity in niche communities
Discovery
Community Creation
Mobile Experience
Admin & Moderation Tools
