Bridge App
An app makes it easier for students to make friends
My Role: UX Researcher & UI Designer (Solo Capstone Project)
Keywords: Cross-cultural Communication, Emotional Design, Education UX
2024 Sep - May 2025
Tools: Figma, Miro, Google Forms, Canva
GENERAL INFO
My Story
When I first started college, I realized that making friends wasn’t as easy as everyone made it look:
We sat together in class, exchanged small talk, but real conversations rarely happened.
It felt awkward to take that first step, like there was an invisible barrier between “classmate” and “friend.”
Then I knew I wasn’t "alone"; many students told me about feeling stuck in their social circles, wanting to meet new people but not knowing how to start.
Bridge began with one question:
What would have made it easier for the old me (and anyone else) just to say hi?
The Problem
College is supposed to be a time for meeting new people and forming lasting friendships.
But many students said it was actually hard to break out of their circle or approach someone new.
What students told me:
“It’s awkward.”
“I don’t want to seem weird.”
“We don’t know what to talk about.”
Instead of feeling confident starting conversations, many students hold back and leave casual classmates from class or clubs feeling like strangers, creating barriers to real friendship that make college life feel lonelier and less connected than expected.
RESEARCH
Research
To better understand what students needed without assumptions, research included two phases: interviews and online surveys. 8 one-on-one interviews explored motivations and barriers in depth, while an online survey helped confirm broader patterns and preferences.
Interviews (Qualitative)
I conducted 8 one-on-one interviews with students with different personalities and social styles, ranging from outgoing to introverted, and asked open-ended questions such as:
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What makes starting a conversation hard?
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When do you feel most comfortable talking to someone new?
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What would help you have a real conversation instead of small talk?
Recurring themes emerged:
These interviews revealed that many students felt uncomfortable approaching new people because large group settings felt forced and unnatural. They worried about seeming weird or pushy and were often unsure if others even wanted to talk. Many also described how school events often stayed at the level of small talk without helping them really get to know people.
Altogether, these insights underscore the need for more low-key, natural ways to connect that transcend surface interactions and facilitate genuine friendships.
Surveys (Quantitative)
To understand what holds students back from making new friends and what would help them feel more comfortable, I ran an online survey with over 30 students. Their responses revealed consistent patterns of barriers and clear preferences for how they want to connect.
Barriers to meeting new people:
80%
social circles don’t overlap
54%
lack of shared interests
52%
fear of being judged
40%
felt shy or lacked confidence
Preferred ways to socialize:
72%
preferred one-on-one chats
68%
wanted small group activities
42%
interested in matching apps
Survey responses reinforced these themes, showing that students want one-on-one or small-group interactions that feel more personal and authentic. Many feel stuck in tight social circles with limited overlap, making it hard to meet new people naturally. There’s also a clear desire for help breaking the ice, whether through shared interests or matching tools, to reduce the stress of knowing what to say and make connecting feel easier and more genuine.
Affinity Map & Persona
USER UNDERSTANDING
Synthesizing user interviews and survey data into themes and personas helped me identify core barriers, motivations, and user needs, providing clear direction for design.
Insights
DESIGN FOUNDATIONS
Students need low-pressure, authentic ways to connect
Students often want to make new friends but feel anxious about seeming awkward, pushy, or being judged. Large events can feel forced and uncomfortable, discouraging genuine interaction. This highlights the need for safer, more personal contexts where conversations can start naturally.
Shared interests help reduce awkwardness
Conversations often stall when people don't know what to talk about. Students reported that lacking common ground makes it hard to continue talking, while shared interests provide natural, comfortable starting points for discussion. Designing around hobbies or topics can reduce barriers and support more meaningful interactions.
Event fatigue and superficial interactions
Many students described school-organized events as repetitive or too structured, preventing genuine friendships from forming. Events often stop at small talk and fail to build trust. This suggests a need for more engaging, meaningful experiences that foster comfort over time.
Preference for small groups or one-on-one settings
Both interview and survey results show a consistent preference for smaller, more personal formats. One-on-one or small group settings feel safer, allow more honest conversation, and make it easier to build trust without fear of embarrassment.
Supporting Theory
These theories help explain the barriers students face and inform design directions.
Self-Determination Theory
Affective Filter Hypothesis
Supports autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Reduces anxiety for more comfortable interaction.
Social Constructivism
Builds understanding through peer interaction.
Cognitive Load Theory
Breaks information into manageable pieces.
How might we design a safe, low-pressure, interest-based environment that encourages students to connect naturally and meaningfully?
IDEA
Mind Mapping
Based on earlier synthesis and HMW directions, I created a mind map to explore the design directions and key experience goals. The concept naturally emerged: a low-pressure, interest-based app that fosters student connections while addressing emotional and cognitive barriers.
Arriving at the App Concept
CONCEPT
These brainstorming methods culminated in the idea of designing a social app that makes it easier for students to connect intentionally and meaningfully. Like dating apps that signal users’ openness to relationships, this app would clearly show a willingness to meet new people. Features like interest-based matching and conversation prompts address common social barriers, build trust, and reduce the hesitation or awkwardness that often prevent authentic interactions.
Design Principles
After defining the overall app concept, I established clear design principles to guide all subsequent design decisions. These principles distilled the core user needs and barriers identified earlier into actionable priorities for the product.
Create
Low-Pressure Experiences
Reduce anxiety and social fear by making interactions feel safe, natural, and informal.
Support 1-on-1
and Small-Group Interactions
Prioritize intimate settings that foster trust and honest dialogue.
Enable
Interest-Based Matching
Help students discover shared interests to spark meaningful conversations.
Reduce
Cognitive
Load
Make participation easy with clear guidance and small, manageable steps.
Limitations of Existing Solutions
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Existing efforts offer valuable starting points but fall short in promoting sustained, low-pressure, interest-based connections. These gaps informed the conceptual direction of this project.
From this, I realized why I couldn’t fully enjoy my college life: these products and programs failed to address my need for deeper, ongoing connections.
❌
✅
PROPOSED SOLUTION
MVP Scope
I used a value-feasibility matrix to prioritize MVP features. The selected functions, like matching by interest, anonymous space for expressing, and event discovery, are all high in user value and easy to implement. This helped keep the product focused while still addressing the key user pain points.
✅
OVERALL STRUCTURE
User Flow
I designed this user flow to outline the app’s overall structure and main pathways. It helps visualize how users move from onboarding to core features, ensuring intuitive navigation and supporting the app’s goal of lowering barriers to meaningful interaction.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
PROTOTYPE
These drafts show the main screens and flow of the app: onboarding, Say Hi, Whisper, Events, Library, and Profile. At this stage, I wasn’t focused on colors or visuals, but on making sure the layout and steps made sense. I shared the wireframes with classmates to spot anything confusing, then adjusted button names, navigation, and steps to improve clarity.
Jump To See The Usability Test >
Once the structure felt clear, I moved on to the final design. This stage focused on adding colors, icons, and styles to make the app feel engaging and real, while keeping the flows simple and intuitive.
Branding Decision
BRANDING
I designed Bridge’s branding to feel warm, approachable, and memorable. From the app name that highlights connection, to the inclusive color palette, and the logo shaped as a smiling handshake, every element works together to tell the story of turning classmates into friends.
Bridge - A Better Way To Connect
FINAL DESIGN
Bridge is a safe, low-pressure, interest-based app that helps students connect.
By combining interest matching, event discovery, friendly prompts, and anonymous whispers, Bridge gives students simple ways to break the ice and build meaningful friendships.