HikiMEET
How do you build a digital space for people who are overwhelmed by traditional social media?
Role
Product Designer
Timeline
Summer 2025
Team
Independent
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Stark, Lucidchart
The Problem
Prior to COVID, 2.5 million young Americans were homebound due to social withdrawal. This number has doubled since; leaving vulnerable individuals facing high cognitive barriers to human connection.
The Solution
HikiMEET is a low-stimulus mobile concept designed to combat social withdrawal by replacing high-pressure public chatrooms with self-paced, 1-on-1 connections. The architecture was intentionally stripped of gamified rewards and public feeds to eliminate performative anxiety.
The Impact
- •Validated Core Hypothesis: Successfully tested initial public chat mechanics with users, recognizing that gamified public feeds exacerbated anxiety rather than alleviating it
- •Strategic Architecture Pivot: Driven by user testing insights, successfully pivoted the product from a high-stimulus group chat model to a low-pressure, 1-on-1 micro-connection framework
- •End-to-End Product Execution: Delivered a fully realized, cohesive mobile concept featuring flexible communication pacing (asynchronous vs. real-time) and self-paced progress tracking
Initial Research
Understanding the Reality of Social Withdrawal
8 in 10
adults in the U.S. between ages 18 to 24 reported experiencing loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic
60%
of lonely college students wanted friends to 'reach out more to ask how you're really doing and really listen'
40%
Cases of social withdrawal increase by 40% year-over-year in Western countries
4x
People who reported loneliness had 3x the risk of depression and 4x the risk of anxiety
Competitive Analysis
Why HikiMEET Is the Most Intentional Fit for Feel-Safe Social Discovery
 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcoming Chatroom Onboarding | |||||
| Set Chatting Preferences | |||||
| No Social Media Ratings | |||||
| WCAG Accessibility |
Initial Approach / Early Hypothesis
Initial app concept:
The original app was designed around a feature-heavy ecosystem that coupled public group chatrooms with a transactional, gamified rewards engine to incentivize engagement.
Original Low-Fidelity Concepts
Early sketches that set the initial engagement hypothesis.
What Worked
The initial concept established a strong engagement narrative and clarified which reward-driven mechanics would need testing.
What Didn't
The early design was too transactional and risked turning social discovery into a task, which made the experience feel overwhelming rather than welcoming.
The Critical Insight (User Testing)
High-fidelity screens that surfaced the key usability risk.
What Worked
The app's core functionality was easy to understand and navigate, and its overall purpose was clear to users.
What Didn't
The assumption that gamified rewards would build sustained comfort was wrong; it introduced anxiety and cognitive load that undermined the social experience.
The Strategic Pivot
Revised structure:
Upon testing this structure with real users, I realized the gamified loops and performative public spaces only fueled cognitive load and social anxiety. This prompted a radical pivot toward a more personal experience focused on safe pacing and intentional, low-pressure human connections.
Updated Low-Fidelity Concepts
Revised sketches that favor calm, personal discovery.
What Worked
The shift to a more personal, 1-on-1 experience aligned design decisions with the emotional needs of the target users.
What Didn't
It required discarding many early features and accepting that meaningful engagement had to be earned through trust, not incentive mechanics.
Final Design Execution
Final visual iterations that supported the new direction.
Where the Product and I Go From Here
Adding complex visual elements or colors too early obscured core layout flaws. Grounding the UI in low-fidelity wireframing first ensured functional clarity before establishing the dark, cozy aesthetic.
Redundant search bars and crowded navigation patterns overwhelmed users seeking low-stimulus environments. Designing for minimal cognitive load must be the foundational baseline, not an afterthought.
Challenging the initial assumptions around group chats and gamification led to a far more defensible, human-centered product that genuinely respects user boundaries.
Next steps
- Introduce gentle, opt-in prompts for pairs who have comfortably messaged for a specified duration
- Expand interest taxonomies to support micro-hobbies without cluttering top-level navigation
- Adapt the mobile low-sensory design system into a full desktop/web application to improve accessibility for homebound users
- Design low-pressure message starters and non-verbal reaction prompts to reduce friction when initiating or resuming chats after long breaks