Crew
Shaping a 0→1 concierge into a trusted, AI-powered lifestyle service
Crew launched in March 2025 as Swiggy’s AI-powered concierge, helping users get things done through a network of “Crew Captains.” I joined four months later to elevate the consumer app and Captain Desk, simplify complex natural workflows, and improve captain efficiency while doubling the missions per day. The focus is to reach PMF by scaling concierge services beyond Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi, while maintaining high-quality task fulfilment and timely resolutions.
Taking convenience to the next level
Crew MVP live from March - Jul 2025
Key learnings from MVP launch
The Crew team identified 3 major issues & decision points that needed to be addressed at the earliest
Only 46% of all tasks could be fulfilled satisfactorily
Double down on key categories where we have highest confidence in fulfiling & also provides revenues through partnerships
20% users used Crew once & didn't return to app
Solve for cold start problems -> helping users visualize how Crew can add value to their life & inspire newer use cases
App UX was functional and lacked premium concierge feel
Use newer paradigms that blend agentic UI patterns & transitions with a clear conversational tone throughout
Numbers are not actual to protect confidentiality
Taking over Crew
I was entrusted with leading a fast, agile team with a strategic mandate: steer Crew toward product–market fit and define the next chapter of its experience. This involved setting a clear vision for trust, usability, and service excellence, and reimagining the product for both customers and Crew Captains.
Define the Crew vision
Design principles for app & captain desk
AI-first paradigms + conversational UX
Guide an agile design team
Added 2 designers to the team
Clear assignment of roles for each
Shape roadmap & strategy
Work with leadership on prioritization
Share visioning of new features to inspire
Providing short-term solutions
Working with the VP of Design and the original Crew designer, we spent three focused weeks rapidly iterating on the MVP insights and shipping solutions to close key gaps. This resulted in a warmer, more refined app experience with storytelling elements that reinforced Crew as a concierge who is always available, reliable, and relevant.
1️⃣ Redesigning homepage for clarity
We clarified the core categories Crew can handle and added a prominent button for custom missions. We also introduced inspiration elements to help new users quickly understand the range of tasks Crew can support.
2️⃣ Feature enhancements in chats
We improved the conversational flow with Crew Captains, giving customers more intentional control over their ongoing missions and clearer visibility into what captains are doing to fulfil their tasks.
3️⃣ Solving for cold starts
I created lightweight onboarding and splash-screen frameworks that highlight Crew’s potential and help new users understand when and how to use Crew in real-life situations.
First time onboarding
Splash screen
4️⃣ Richer recommendations
We created recommendation frameworks for each category that captains can instantly share over chat. This gives customers dynamic, tailored options - a superior experience over the static lists typically shared on WhatsApp.
Impact and results after rollout of above solutions
Numbers are not actual to protect confidentiality
1000+ paying users
in 2 cities
XY missions
monthly average per user
Travel + hotels + cabs
66% of missions
YZ users daily
serviced by each captain
Long-term roadmap & steps
After months of moving fast to ship the MVP and unlock new homepage and chat features, we shifted to a more deliberate, slow-thinking approach for Crew 1.0. The focus was to solve specific high-value intents like travel and gifting, create a more premium and conversational app experience, and deepen the use of AI across both the app and the broader product.
I defined clear ownership for each of the three designers and guided the team to move beyond traditional UI thinking. We focused on mastering agentic UX principles that align with the needs of a conversational, AI-led app.
Design interventions for Crew 1.0 🔒
These are work in progress, but can be shared in person or over call if needed
New design & transitions
to reflect a more sophiscated & premium concierge feel
Defining the value of Crew
Slow thinking the onboarding & inspire section to help users visualize Crew in their lives
AI-powered inputs
AI-induced efficiency
using AI to automate straight forward missions for the captain, freeing them to focus on more manual tasks for other missions
Captain's AI-copilot
using AI to help reduce average response time by identifying delays, suggesting recommendations & maintaining tonality of responses
Target metrics for Crew 1.0 launch
Drive premium concierge experience through new design language
Make requirement gathering frictionless - get full user inputs in <X sec
Reduce average captain response time by Y min leveraging AI capabilities
Double daily missions per captain without drop in quality & efficiency
Key takeaways
Crew is the 12th 0–1 product I’ve led in my nine years at Swiggy, arriving at a moment when AI is accelerating and urban life is only getting busier. The product has the potential to redefine convenience through a truly personal concierge experience, but reaching that North Star requires overcoming significant challenges across technology, operations, and user behaviour.
