product designer
BORTKEVICH
EN
|
RU
VK — Redesign of the Community Rating System and Boosting Administrator Motivation
VK is one of the largest social networks in Russia. My task was to simplify and revive the “Quality Index” mechanic — making it clear, transparent, and motivating by introducing a progress bar, XP points, an improved entry point, and an updated reward system.
Goal
Create a transparent, intuitive, and motivating system that:
— shows the current status of the community
— explains what needs to be done
— encourages admins to complete tasks regularly
— increases activity within VK
Problem
Community admins didn’t understand:
— where the rating section is located
— what affects the score
— which actions increase the rating
— why they should engage with it at all

As a result, the feature was barely used, and its internal value for VK was lost.
Key solutions
  • New Rating Model
A fully redesigned structure: what to do → how many points → what it unlocks.
  • Progress Bar + XP Mechanic
A dynamic system introduced for the first time: action → progress → reward.
  • Transparent Tasks
Each action now has clear:
description, conditions, value, and visual hierarchy.
  • Updated Rewards System
New badges, levels, and progression logic — creating emotional, “game-like” motivation.
  • Improved Entry Point
The section became easy to find and naturally integrated into the navigation.
Result
  • The mechanic became clear and accessible.
  • Admins became more motivated to complete tasks.
  • The rating is now perceived as a real tool for community growth.
  • A direct link became visible: action → value → new opportunities.
  • The interface became visually cleaner, more structured, and easier to use.
Clickable prototype
Clickable prototype
View Case Study
View Case Study
Gained Expertise
  • Product logic within VK
  • Gamification: progress, points, motivation triggers
  • Usability of complex systems
  • CJM and admin interviews
  • Business requirements decomposition
  • Adaptation to VK Design System
What Was Done
  • Conducted interviews and analyzed administrator behavior
  • Identified problems in the old system (triggers, motivation, unclear actions)
  • Built a user journey map and defined pain points
  • Redesigned the entry point and overall section structure
  • Created a new rating and progression mechanic
  • Reworked rewards, task formatting, and visual feedback
  • Adapted the UI to VK’s design system
Made on
Tilda