We designed and user-tested a social meetup app addressing post-COVID social anxiety among University of Washington's 55,000+ student population. By prioritizing shared-interest exploration, emphasizing safety and group dynamics, and eliminating dating app associations, we created a mobile tool that helped students confidently return to in-person social life.
Sep - Dec 2021 (10 weeks)
Impact & Overview
Key Results
Addressed post-quarantine social anxiety for 55,000+ University of Washington students
Introduced "bucket list" system for group activities and discovery through mutual interests
Removed dating app friction, eliminating swiping and one-on-one matching pressure
Made experience more inclusive, aligned with how students naturally wanted to reconnect
Simplified flow and improved navigation clarity while removing uncomfortable features
Created safer, more intuitive product that felt natural to use
How might we help undergraduate UW students discover and maintain friendships in a post-quarantine environment?
Through user interviews and analysis, we explored how social anxieties shaped post-pandemic behavior. We created personas and journey maps, then designed a shared-interest experience prioritizing clarity. We prototyped features to rekindle friendships and spark connections.
Discovery
Safety protocols and social anxiety shaped how students reconnected post-COVID.
We interviewed four UW students about post-quarantine friendship rekindling, revealing pain points around COVID safety, social awkwardness, and maintenance. We analyzed Discord, Meetup, Happn, and Tripr to identify gaps in social platforms, particularly interest discovery.
Methods
Interviews
Competitive Analysis
Sample Sizes
4 UW Students
4 Social Meetup Platforms
User Groups
Classmates
Personal Friends
Tools Used
Miro
Google Docs
Opportunity
Established-based COVID Safety Protocol.
COVID
Safety
Interviewees had concerns about the safety of hanging out at specific locations during and post pandemic.
Opportunity
Connect users with similar interests.
Social Anxiety
Interviewees stated that there is more anxiety surrounding social interactions and their awkwardness.
Opportunity
Connecting users via sharable photo albums.
Instagram Worthy
Interview participants expressed under normal conditions they look for 'instagrammable' content.
Opportunity
Upload schedules to share with each other.
Maintaining Friendships
Interview participants exclaimed they struggled to maintain friendships and social circles during the pandemic.
Personas
Based on our user interviews, we created two personas that captured the motivations, frustrations, and behaviors of our target audience. They helped us empathize with post-pandemic student life and guided design decisions by keeping our users' needs at the forefront.
User Journey Map
After developing our personas, we mapped out the context of our users’ day-to-day experiences. The user journey map visualizes their thoughts, emotions, and key touchpoints as they decide to meet up with a friend for a shared activity, highlighting moments of friction and motivation.
Solution
Three core features emerged to rebuild group connection.
Building on research, we created concept sketches, storyboards, and interaction diagrams, narrowing ideas into core requirements: interest-based profiles, shared "bucket lists," context-aware exploration with GPS features, and location-based COVID safety protocols.
Information Architecture
We structured the app to support social discovery, shared planning, and user control. Location information pages include details and the ability to be swiped and added to a bucket list. Messaging centers on group connection and low-pressure, interest-based socializing.
Wireframes
We built wireframes in Figma to test the viability of three core features:
A swipe feature for saving destinations users want to visit
A collaborative bucket list for group planning
A shared photo album to foster social bonding through content
These ideas represented our first iteration and gave us a starting point for feedback.
Iteration
Feedback prompted major shifts toward group-based connection.
We conducted usability testing with four participants: two UW graduates and two current students. Each session included a pre-test interview, task-based walkthrough, and post-observation discussion, allowing us to identify pain points and uncover key usability issues.
Swipe feature lacked intuition.
Participants found swiping confusing and associated it with dating apps, saying it "felt like Tinder without context." We replaced the swipe gesture with a straightforward "add to bucket list" button, making interactions clearer without requiring onboarding.
One-on-one matching felt Intimidating.
Users felt uncomfortable being matched with single unfamiliar people, especially introverts who preferred group-based planning. We removed one-on-one matching and introduced shared-interest exploration focused on group activities and location-based meetups.
Dating app associations created misalignment.
Early interface carried visual cues from dating apps, making participants skeptical of our intent. We revised the flow to emphasize shared experiences over profile-based interactions and removed visual elements mirroring dating platforms.
These changes improved usability, platonic connectivity, and emotional safety for students reentering social lives post-pandemic. The updated design felt more intuitive, inclusive, and aligned with real-world expectations
Conclusion
Reflecting on our process and identifying next steps:
This project challenged us to design for rebuilding social bonds post-pandemic, balancing simplicity with inclusivity. Timeline constraints pushed decisive thinking, but collaboration enabled bold ideas and iteration. We gained stronger skills in research and prototyping overall.
Further usability testing with diverse users could strengthen our design decisions and uncover edge cases. If we were to iterate even further, we'd continue evolving our matching approach to support spontaneous group discovery without resembling dating apps.
