PRODUCT
Digital Wellbeing - Personal Project
what i did
UX Audits
Wireframes
Hi-fi mocks
Interactive Prototypes
main objective
Social Media that fosters authentic self-expression and meaningful connections
my role
UX Researcher & Designer
outcomes
Identified key insights about prompts, creative expression, and community engagement . Developed a functional React + P5.js prototype with interactive tools
whats next
Explore non-competitive sharing mechanisms and further refine tools to encourage vulnerability and meaningful connection
PROBLEM
Nearly half of Americans experience loneliness, with young adults feeling the most isolated. Traditional social media platforms worsen this by encouraging comparison and FOMO. Through interviews with therapists and researchers, I identified three key factors for overcoming loneliness: disproving negative self-beliefs, building supportive networks, and receiving genuine appreciation.
This raised a guiding question:
What would a healthy social platform look like?
WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
Therapists report three key factors for overcoming loneliness
Through interviews with practicing therapists and researchers, I identified what actually helps lonely patients:
Disproving cognitive distortions about themselves
Building supportive networks with genuine people
Receiving appreciation from their community
PROBLEM
Prototyping & Testing
FINAL WIREFRAMES
The core challenge wasn't building complex features , it was discovering what types of prompts actually make people want to connect authentically
It evolved around three principles:
Authentic Self-Expression : Prompts shifted from surface-level (“What’s your favorite song?”) to more revealing (“Share a guilty pleasure song”).
Flexible Creative Tools : A color-mixing tool allowed users to visualize emotions in more personal, intuitive ways.
Community Choice : Responses could be shared with frequent contacts, recent contacts, or the entire community.
WHAT I LEARNED
Designing for loneliness taught me that users don’t always know what they need at first. While they asked for lighter prompts, they actually felt more connected through vulnerable ones. For me, this project reinforced the importance of designing safe, playful spaces where authenticity can emerge naturally. Moving forward, the next step is to refine non-competitive sharing mechanisms so Compa continues to stand apart from traditional social media.