In a Harvard study during the Covid-19 state of emergency, 61% of Americans ages 18 through 25 reported feeling moderately lonely or worse. This proportion fell as the pandemic abated, but rates of social disconnection and mental/emotional distress among young people remain worryingly high.

In their work teaching and consulting in higher education, Robert and Laura Illig had watched with concern as their students increasingly struggled to find community, despite – or perhaps because of – the rise of smartphones and social media. Realistic about tech’s power and momentum, but determined to course-correct its goals and effects, the pair asked us to help them create SideKick, an app designed to spark real-world friendships and experiences.

Understanding how users think, feel, and act when faced with a given problem can reveal opportunities to improve the experience. We designed, administered, and analyzed an online survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data from university students about their social lives, social media generally, and any experiences pursuing real-world friendship using online tools. We then conducted 1-on-1 interviews with a representative group to delve more deeply into user attitudes and behavior. This work culminated in a set of well developed user personas and journey maps that informed feature prioritization, design, and product strategy.

Our user research yielded important insights for shaping the proposed product. Survey participants who had tried other friend-finding apps reported that the popular match-making format felt too similar to dating apps; in fact, many respondents had quit these apps after receiving unwanted non-platonic messages. Respondents also expressed safety concerns about transitioning from an online connection to an in-person interaction with a stranger. Finally, the social media apps that respondents used most often were designed to keep users online, rather than encouraging offline interactions with others.

A successful app would need to enforce appropriate (platonic) use, support safety, and create a satisfying user journey focused on in-person interactions. Our Product team collaborated with SideKick to collect and develop ideas into potential features for achieving these goals. This process led to significant changes to the original concept, moving it away from matching users based on personality traits (ala a dating app) to bringing people together based on shared proximity and interests. This fundamental shift resulted in the “KickIt”, a commitment to meeting in-person that would ultimately become SideKick’s USP.

Our brainstorming sessions produced an expansive list of possible SideKick features, leaving us to determine which functions a successful MVP would require. We analyzed the personas and journey maps generated through our research to identify users’ most pressing goals and concerns. We translated these trends into user stories and identified features that might support them. Finally, we consulted with our development team to estimate the complexity of implementing each feature, and ultimately presented the client with an MVP proposal for a compelling proof-of-concept primed to attract investors and early users.

SideKick’s lightweight onboarding flow collects basic information about a new user’s interests and goals. The recommendation algorithm suggests local Events and People related to those interests, then encourages the user to create or join a “KickIt” – a commitment to meet up with one or more users in-person to attend an Event or pursue a mutual interest. Users who have joined a KickIt can communicate with one another in a dedicated group chat, facilitating pre-KickIt planning and post-KickIt photo sharing. If a KickIt needs more participants, members can allow or invite SideKick users with shared interests to join.

The interactive onboarding flow also walks users through the Community Standards for SideKick. These include guidelines for platonic and civil conduct (i.e. “DON’T use this as a dating app, DO be honest and respectful to other users”), as well as protocols for enforcing these standards. After each KickIt, users complete a super-short, double-blind survey on fellow attendees’ conduct (did they represent themselves accurately? show up on-time? behave respectfully?). Repeated poor ratings can result in account suspension. Users can also report inappropriate behavior at any time for admin review.

In addition to the Community Standards, enforcement protocols, and “Report Conduct Violation” features, SideKick offers other options that support user privacy and safety. KickIt settings can be adjusted to public, private, or invite-only, allowing organizers to control the visibility and size of their gatherings. In addition, SideKick planned to initially partner with universities to keep access restricted to enrolled students, reducing the risk of illegitimate use and providing traceability for investigating serious safety concerns.

The client came to us with a logo and color scheme created by an external branding agency. We built upon these assets to create an aligned UI and design system for the MVP, which we later applied to our interactive SideKick prototype, as well as several branding assets designed to be incorporated by the client into investor pitch presentations.