JG
BuddyBoost
Making Real Friendships in a Digital Age
The Friendship Gap
It all started with a simple question: why is it so hard to make friends as an adult? While dating apps are everywhere, social apps focused on platonic relationships are rare. Early surveys revealed that people crave authentic connections but feel uncomfortable meeting new people online. Many expressed skepticism about whether people they meet through apps are genuine, and some even admitted to feeling anxious about approaching strangers in person. The challenge was clear: how could I design a platform that made forming friendships feel safe, approachable, and intentional, rather than transactional or superficial?
A Chance to Connect
This challenge felt like an opportunity. If designed thoughtfully, a digital platform could act as a bridge, connecting people with shared interests and values while minimizing the risks and awkwardness of in-person socializing. My goal became creating a tool that not only helps people discover potential friends nearby, but also encourages them to take the leap into meaningful interaction. I wanted BuddyBoost to be a place where authenticity is prioritized, trust is built into the experience, and every interaction feels intentional.
Listening to the Users
I began by trying to understand the world from users’ perspectives. I launched a survey to capture broad trends in how people approach making friends, followed by a series of five in-depth interviews. Sitting on Zoom calls, I listened to participants recount experiences of loneliness, hesitation, and the awkwardness of social apps. Two key insights emerged: first, people need reassurance that the people they meet online are trustworthy, and second, they want the process of forming friendships to feel purposeful, not random.
I feel like a lot of people aren’t their genuine self online. They are what you want them to be. When you’re meeting someone in person it’s a lot harder for them to be fake.
-Alexa D, Potential User
When I'm making a new friend, I want a friendship that will last. That's why it's important to me that I connect with like-minded people, not random strangers.
-Joe P, Potential User
Get to Know the Users
From the insights acquired, I created personas that captured the motivations and fears of typical users. Mapping their journeys revealed where friction exists: from discovering potential friends, to deciding whether to reach out, to starting a conversation. These pain points became the compass guiding every design decision.
The Path to Friendship
I mapped two main user flows: browsing profiles and viewing likes. The first guided users from discovering nearby friends to deciding who to connect with, while the second focused on seeing who had liked them and initiating interactions. These flows helped identify friction points early and ensured every step felt intuitive, making it easier for users to navigate the app and start meaningful connections.
Ideas on Paper
Before diving into digital tools, I explored ideas through hand-drawn sketches. These sketches allowed me to experiment quickly with layout, hierarchy, and interaction patterns without committing to a polished design. I focused on mobile-first usability, considering one-handed operation and the natural gestures users might perform. Sketching freely also helped me uncover creative solutions for visual hierarchy, profile browsing, and messaging flows that might have been difficult to visualize directly in a design tool.
The Skeleton of Friendship
The strongest ideas from the sketches were translated into low-fidelity wireframes in Figma. Wireframes allowed me to test the structure and flow with users and peers without being distracted by visual design details. Through iterative feedback, I identified areas where navigation could be improved, interactions could be simplified, and content could be presented more clearly. These wireframes became the blueprint for high-fidelity mockups, which were later refined to create an approachable and modern interface.
Bringing BuddyBoost to Life
Once the usability issues were resolved, I translated the wireframes into high-fidelity mockups to give BuddyBoost a polished, approachable look. This phase focused on creating a visual language that felt friendly, trustworthy, and easy to navigate. Typography, colors, and spacing were carefully chosen to make interactions intuitive, while subtle micro-interactions and visual cues guided users through browsing profiles, viewing likes, and messaging matches.
High-fidelity mockups also allowed me to build a clickable prototype that felt like a real app, enabling more realistic testing and user feedback. This stage transformed the blueprint of the app into a vivid, engaging interface that brought the user journey to life.
Putting BuddyBoost to the Test
In the first round of user testing with the clickable prototype, five participants revealed how small design choices could make a big difference. One major issue emerged: the missing back button in the settings flow. Without it, users had to rely on the confirm button to return, causing confusion and frustration. Three participants instinctively searched for a back button, and one couldn’t navigate back at all.
To fix this, I tested two options: a back arrow in the upper-left corner and a back button beneath the confirm button. The back arrow was chosen for its clarity and recognizability. In the second round of testing with five new participants, the flow felt effortless, proving that a single interface tweak can dramatically improve usability and user confidence.
There was no back button. Many testers were unaware that the confirm button would bring them back
The confirm button was the only method of returning to the previous page
A back button was added. After the addition of the button, 100% of the testers had no issue returning to the previous page
The Experience
The final BuddyBoost app allows users to browse local profiles, connect with like-minded individuals, and begin conversations once a mutual interest is established. Messaging is intuitive, discovery is seamless, and safety features like reporting and blocking are woven into the experience, making users feel secure. By focusing on trust, simplicity, and intentionality, BuddyBoost creates a space where making friends feels natural, rewarding, and human.
The Learning Curve
BuddyBoost was a journey in empathy. Listening carefully to user stories shaped every design choice, and iterative testing revealed the subtle ways small decisions impact user confidence. As a solo designer, managing research, design, and testing taught me how to balance creativity with structure, and how to build experiences that are both functional and emotionally resonant. Most importantly, it reinforced my belief that technology can truly enhance human connection if designed thoughtfully.
The Road Ahead
The work doesn’t stop here. Future iterations could introduce interest-based matching and icebreaker prompts to help users spark conversations more easily. Expanding testing to a broader, more diverse user base would provide insights into long-term engagement and inform further enhancements. Ultimately, BuddyBoost’s mission is simple: to make authentic, meaningful friendships more accessible in a world that often feels disconnected.
