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Building bridges to meaningful connection
Community discovery platform with trust-centered UX, designed to combat social isolation through authentic in-person connections.
Challenge
Combat social isolation by facilitating authentic community connections in a landscape where digital platforms often increase loneliness.
Outcome
Platform concept with trust-centered onboarding and gradual disclosure mechanisms.
My Role
UX Research, Interaction Design, Journey Mapping
Problem Research
Studied the loneliness epidemic and why existing social platforms fail at genuine connection. Key insight: platforms optimize for engagement, not relationship quality. Trust is systematically undermined by viral design patterns.
Trust Architecture
Designed onboarding that builds trust gradually, users disclose interests before identity, see community values before members, and earn connection privileges through participation quality.
Matching & Discovery
Created matching algorithm UX that prioritizes compatibility over engagement. Users see "why" they match, not just "who", making the algorithm transparent and trustworthy.
In-Person Transition
Designed features that facilitate movement from digital to physical, meetup suggestions based on shared interests, safety features for first meetings, and post-event reflection prompts.
Reflection
Designing for vulnerability requires extreme intentionality. Every interaction either builds or erodes trust. The ethics of social algorithm design became central to this project.
Key Learnings
- 1Trust is built through transparency, not just privacy
- 2Social platforms must design for connection quality, not quantity
- 3Facilitating vulnerability requires safety-first design