U Up?

A digital solution that fosters human connection by matching individuals who have shared similar vulnerabilities.

MARCH 2025

Project: 3-day hackathon XHacks 2025, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University.

Outcome: First Place and Social Innovation Prize

Tools

Figma

Miro

Qualtrics

Skills

Product Design

UX Research

Surveys

Competitive Analysis

U Up?

A digital solution that fosters human connection by matching individuals who have shared similar vulnerabilities.

MARCH 2025

Project: 3-day hackathon XHacks 2025, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University.

Outcome: First Place and Social Innovation Prize

Tools

Figma

Miro

Qualtrics

Skills

Product Design

UX Research

Surveys

Competitive Analysis

OVERVIEW
—

Problem

The digital age promised connection but delivered isolation. During moments of anxiety or loneliness, people can’t find accessible, empathetic support.

~61%

Americans report feeling lonely sometimes or always (2020 report from Cigna’s U.S. Loneliness Index)

~ 73%

felt that platforms like Instagram negatively affected their self-esteem (Royal Society for Public Health, UK)

~20%

of Americans adults experience some form of mental illness each year (National Institute of Mental Health)

Design Outcome

We designed a digital platform that fosters human connection by matching individuals who share or have shared similar vulnerabilities. By sharing experiences, empathetic conversations, we aim to provide a comforting space where users can express their feelings, feel understood, and find reassurance in knowing that they are not alone.

Matching users through AI interactions

AI gets the context and analyzes the emotions to connect you with people who have been in your shoes.

Visualising Regional Connections

Choose your location to share your struggles with people near you.

Anonymous Time-Restricted Chat

Open up to people who have been through it in the past without the risk of identity exposure.

Jump to Prototype

EMPATHIZE
—

Secondary Research

We began by understanding what “vulnerability” means to different people. Our goal was real human connection, not another app that leaves people lonelier.

Survey

We surveyed 35 participants to understand their distressing feelings and gauge interest in support from someone who’s overcome similar challenges.

80%
experienced feelings of anxiety, nervousness, or loneliness on  a daily or weekly basis

77%
are either comfortable or neutral  about talking to someone who gone through the same experience

55%
reported that they feel this during  evening and late at night

80%
are interested in using a platform to connect with others who have shared experiences

Competitive Analysis

Then, we conducted a competitive analysis to understand existing solutions in the space. For this, we analyzed popular apps such as 7 Cups, Reddit, Supportgroups.com, and The Mighty.

See Detailed Competitive Analysis

Some insights include:

Connections on existing platforms have not experienced the same challenges. This can hinder empathetic support.

No current app that displays how many people in the user’s vicinity are going through similar experiences, this can help users feel less isolated in their vulnerabilities.

Some platforms rely on asynchronous forum posts or story-sharing, but none facilitate real-time interactions.

No dedicated app that gamifies the entire experience.

DEFINE
—

Key Insights

Product Goals

How might we connect people experiencing late-night distress with real-time empathetic support?

Privacy-first

Allow users to share vulnerabilities without revealing identity.

Consent-driven

Allow users to maintain full control over every interaction. No match happens without explicit opt-in.

Time-bounded for safety

Unlimited chat could lead to unhealthy dependency, or boundary violations.

IDEATE
—

Ideating and Concepting

Our team sketched several concepts - one coached people to talk to strangers (a Duolingo for conversation), another offered group meditation to ease anxiety. We ultimately were interested in a digital tool to match people with shared vulnerabilities so they can find support from someone who’s been there. From there, we asked the core questions: Who will be our users, when will they turn to this tool, and what should the experience feel like?

Feature Selection

Distress peaks at late night hours

Late-night optimized experience

Empathy requires shared experience

AI-Powered Emotion Detection for matching

Isolation amplifies vulnerability

Regional connection visualization

Real-time connection needed

Anonymous Time-Restricted Chat

PROTOTYPE
—

Wireframes

User Flow

We defined an end to end, privacy first flow from late night trigger to consented matching and time boxed chat.

Main Features

Presentation

Presentation day ran in two rounds: judges first went desk-to-desk scoring prototypes and research. The top five then pitched on stage with live Q&A. Every team was strong, and the room was electric!!

See Final Presentation

REFLECTION
—

Winning First Place + Social Innovation at CMU XHacks 2025 with a four-person, cross-college team reinforced a few truths for me:

Problem framing and ethics matter as much as features. Designing for late-night anxiety demanded privacy, consent, and safety baked into every step.

Evidence beats opinion. Rapid desk research and guerrilla surveys shaped our matching model and kept scope focused.

Less is more. By concentrating on a mindful onboarding, consented matching, time-boxed chat, and reflective wrap-up, we told a clear story that judges and users could grasp immediately.

The sprint also sharpened my collaboration muscles: divide by strengths, prototype early, narrate outcomes, not interfaces.

U Up?

A digital solution that fosters human connection by matching individuals who have shared similar vulnerabilities.

MARCH 2025

Project: 3-day hackathon XHacks 2025, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University.

Outcome: First Place and Social Innovation Prize

Tools

Skills

U Up?

A digital solution that fosters human connection by matching individuals who have shared similar vulnerabilities.

MARCH 2025

Project: 3-day hackathon XHacks 2025, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University.

Outcome: First Place and Social Innovation Prize

Tools

Skills

OVERVIEW—

Problem

The digital age promised connection but delivered isolation. During moments of anxiety or loneliness, people can’t find accessible, empathetic support.

~61%

~ 73%