Join Up
Join a new community, adventure start here, from shared interests to shared experience
Introduction
Join Up is a digital platform designed to connect people with shared interests, making it easy to share experiences, attend events, or join activities together. By breaking down social barriers, the platform helps like-minded individuals connect and get involved in all sorts of activities, encouraging more interaction.
Tools: Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere
Role: Product designer
Time: Jan. 2024 - Apr. 2024
Everyone has experienced this at some point. Despite having circles of friends and acquaintances, it can still be challenging to find someone willing to join us in pursuing new challenges or experiences. Whether it’s attending an event, visiting an exhibition, or participating in a sporting activity, finding the right person to share these moments with isn’t always easy. Have you ever struggled to find someone to go to a concert, plan a trip, or take part in an activity you’re passionate about?
How to find new people with same interest
We’ve all faced moments when finding a “buddy” for an activity—whether it’s going to a concert, traveling, hitting the gym, or walking the dog—feels like a challenge. These situations can be especially uncomfortable when we’d prefer not to experience them alone. When encountering a new activity or interest, our first instinct is often to seek out someone who shares our passion. Let’s take a closer look at the current process of finding someone to share specific interests with and the potential challenges that may arise along the way.
What’s happening
Joining events or activities based on shared interests is an awesome way to meet new people and make connections. When you have something in common right from the start, it’s easier to click naturally. These interest-based groups create a vibe of belonging and trust, making socializing feel way more relaxed. It’s a great way to break the ice, ease any social nerves, and build genuine connections that can grow over time.
60%
of bumble BFF found form lasting friendships more easily when sharing a common interest in activities.
65%
of people in sports groups or hobby clubs make new friends through shared activities.
of people say sharing a musical interest helps break down social barriers and form genuine connections.
87%
of volunteers say community service helps them connect with others who share similar values.
78%
In our initial analysis, we recognize that finding a companion or "buddy" for various activities can often be challenging. Facing these activities alone can sometimes feel intimidating and requires a significant amount of courage. To better understand these challenges, we conducted a survey and gathered responses from 58 participants, complemented by 8 interviews with diverse users. The data collected reveal compelling insights that are crucial for the development of our project. These findings highlight the need for solutions that address the difficulties of finding companions and the emotional impact of pursuing activities solo.
of people reported having significant difficulty finding a companion for specific events or activities
of people admitted that the fear of facing certain situations alone led them to abandon their plans altogether.
of people mentioned that when they did manage to find a companion, it significantly enhanced their experience
of people say it’s easier to make lasting friendships when they share common interests in activities.
To advance in the project ideation phase, this research has grouped similar characteristics and patterns to clarify various aspects of the topic. This approach helps identify user needs, common challenges, and potential solutions, ensuring that the project effectively addresses issues related to finding companions and building meaningful connections.
Users who struggle to find a companion for activities often have smaller social circles, making it tougher to connect with others and share experiences.
Having someone with you for an activity takes the stress out of going alone, offering support, cutting down on loneliness, and making the experience more fun.
Having a buddy boosts motivation to join activities, sparks happiness and achievement, and creates shared memories and meaningful moments.
A companion fosters long-term participation in activities by building routines and shared goals, boosting dedication and persistence.
Possible scenarios
To better understand the situations where the need for a buddy arises, or why having one is important, it is essential to analyze the various possible scenarios. During the interviews, recurring contexts emerged, such as travel, attending events, and starting new activities. In these moments, people often seek social support not only to share the experience but also to feel safer and more motivated.
The current situation
From research and conversations, it’s clear that we often have interests or needs that our friends or acquaintances don’t share. When that happens, we look for people who can fill that gap. This creates a need for new connections to meet unfulfilled needs in our social circles. To better understand how people handle these situations, we used the MBTI method and identified two main personality types: Extroverts (E) and Introverts (I). Each group deals with these gaps in their own way, based on their social preferences and tendencies.
Affinity diagram
Preliminary research reveals an important insight: we often want to do something, but doubts, indecision, or insecurities hold us back. In these moments, we feel the need to find someone who shares our interests—someone who can motivate us and ease the stress of taking action. Having another person around acts as "fuel," giving us the push we need to go after what we really want to do. The following analysis breaks down the different challenges that arise when we don’t have a "buddy" and how these challenges vary in different situations.
The problem
Many people hesitate to embark on new adventures or projects due to the fear of doing so alone. This block often occurs when they can’t find a suitable “buddy” within their group of friends before making a final decision. The absence of a reference person, combined with fear, doubts, and uncertainties, can lead to procrastination or even the cancellation of their plans.
The mission
The project helps people overcome indecision by connecting them with a partner who shares similar goals and interests. This "buddy" system provides the support and motivation needed to stay on track, avoid procrastination, and complete projects through collaboration, making it easier to achieve their goals together.
The current market
Right now, when trying to find someone with similar interests, there are three main ways to go about it. The first is to ask friends and people you know. The second option is to search for strangers who might have similar goals or projects, in hopes of teaming up. The third is to go solo and try to figure it out while moving forward with your plan. This analysis looks at the pros and cons of each approach.
Ideate
During the brainstorming phase, we focused on two key themes: user characteristics and specific scenarios. We explored the challenges users face when looking for a buddy, considering how extroverts and introverts approach the process and what features they need to connect with the right person. Extroverts may prioritize quick, social connections, while introverts may need more time to build trust. We also looked at different real-life situations where users might seek a buddy, like social events, hobbies, or projects, to determine the necessary features for matching people based on their goals. These insights laid the foundation for designing a product that meets both user needs and situational demands.
New Connections
Allows users to discover and connect with people outside their usual circle who share similar interests, passions, or goals. Through an intelligent matching system, the platform fosters meaningful and stimulating new relationships.
Motivation
For those who know what they want to do but need a push, or those looking to explore new activities they’ve never considered before. The platform helps users turn intentions into actions, offering inspiration and companionship.
Beyond Boundaries
Encourages users to step out of their comfort zones and try new activities by connecting them with people who share similar interests. It’s designed to inspire discovery and foster meaningful connections through shared experiences.
User journey
During the brainstorming phase, we focused on two key themes: user characteristics and specific scenarios. We explored the challenges users face when looking for a buddy, considering how extroverts and introverts approach the process and what features they need to connect with the right person. Extroverts may prioritize quick, social connections, while introverts may need more time to build trust. We also looked at different real-life situations where users might seek a buddy, like social events, hobbies, or projects, to determine the necessary features for matching people based on their goals. These insights laid the foundation for designing a product that meets both user needs and situational demands.
During this ideation process, we realized how important it is to create an experience that connects people, even those who aren't very extroverted, with others to share an activity. So, our research focused on two approaches: one for those who prefer to stay more private, and one for those who are more open to putting themselves out there.
Visual system
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Gotham
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Final design
Profile setup
Profile setup process to create a personal profile that helps both people and the platform understand you better.
Explore activity ideas and join the discussion
The home section has lots of activity ideas that different
users are interested in. Nothing is set in stone yet.
If something catches your eye, feel free to join the
discussion and take part.
Take part of artivity that you are interest
In the explore section, the activities are already set up, so you can easily join and take part.
You can also search for activities that interest you by using keywords.
Turn ideas into adventures and share the memories
If you have a random idea and want to make it a reality, share it on the platform to bring it to life with others.
If you're already certain about a specific activity, you can invite people to join here. Once everything is set, just find the right people to join you.
After your adventure, you can also add the memory to your page.
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