Hang
Meher Goel
The modern person of the internet, trapped in the confines of social media, is constantly looking for the best way to stay socially relevant. Often, this leads them to participate in activities that are not in their best interest. They want to spend time together but also stay connected to everything else and customize their lives in order to seamlessly shift between experiences and control exactly how they allocate their attention.
With that in mind, I began exploring the relationships between the concept of loneliness, the state of being physically alone and the experience of the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). Through user research, I discovered that people are not likely to express their loneliness on public forums due to the negative stigma. Instead, they are more likely to address their emotions during intimate conversations or within their friend group. So then why is it that people sacrifice conversation for digital connection? Could the harmony of conversation and connection encourage people to find solidarity in being alone together?
Hang is a mobile app geared towards people who have a hard time doing things alone such as grocery shopping, concerts, or workouts. Hang helps you find a companion for a specific activity based on coordinated schedule availability and generates the most suitable options of matches to hang with. The app allows limited 24-hour connections, in-app scheduling and the option to form clusters of connections within various events. This is a smart app that customizes your notifications and responses based on what it learns from your behavior and previous interactions and interests. With Hang, users can begin to move out of their comfort zone and avoid missing out on experiences while engaging with new people.