Clover

1. Prototype link

Prototype Link

1. Describe your project

In a world becoming more technology-focused each day, Clover aims to foster connections outside of the screen by making third spaces more accessible and providing opportunities for young people to connect with others and discover people who share their interests. The app allows users to explore spaces around them that suit their interests and preferences, join groups that share their hobbies, collect stickers that motivate users to go out into the world, and much more.

By revitalizing locales and reconnecting with the people around us, we can cultivate a sense of community with Clover.

1. Describe your research process and findings. If you conducted any surveys or interviews, please include the survey form and/or interview questions here. If you conducted secondary research by pulling from online sources, please include a link to your sources.

Survey link here || Source 1 - Unesco || Source 2 - PPS || Source 3 - ESLC

As we thought about what makes us human, there was one glaring similarity between all our answers: emotional connection. However, in a time where screens demand our attention, the spaces that support human connection - also called third spaces - are fizzling out.

In order to discover the link between the importance of third spaces, community and our wellbeing, we conducted a thorough survey that received nearly 70 responses in total. Our findings showed that not only do people feel a connection between their mental health and visiting third spaces, but also that they struggle to find third spaces in the first place. In fact, over 75% of respondents said that they either feel a strong or definite link between their emotional wellbeing and how often they are going out of their house. Furthermore, when asked about challenges pertaining to third spaces, many respondents found that a lack of knowledge of places near them as well as certain discomforts relating to personal preferences were their primary concerns.

Another important aspect of third spaces are their communities. As such, we asked those taking our survey about their connections to friends and to others. The vast majority of respondents said that they go out very often or always with friends. There was also a clear majority when asked about if they wished that there was a way to connect with people who share their hobbies - over half responded that they did possess this desire.

In addition to our survey, we did research on third spaces and their slow disappearance. Third spaces provide a unique balance between the local community and economy. While third spaces are often free or low-cost, they gently encourage the purchasing of goods to enhance a visitor's experience. This means that by visiting third spaces and supporting their business, the local economy thrives. Moreover, the ability to visit third spaces with little to no cost encourages young adults to visit, provides "social equity" in a world without it, and creates the "heart of a community's social vitality" (Source 2). Without them, local communities, economies, and the overall wellbeing of people would suffer.

Throughout our survey responses, it became clear that people crave emotional connection with others, and the most ideal way to do so would be in third spaces - which people aren't always aware of. This combined with our own research allowed us to put together the pieces of what humanity needs most in the time of technology.

1. Describe your most important design decisions.

Throughout the design process, we wove our research into every decision we made, from colors to features.

The color palette for Clover was inspired by the overwhelming responses in our survey which showed that the ideal third space was cozy and comforting. These adjectives reminded us of warm lighting, plush seating, and the smell of freshly-baked goods - conjuring up a clear color palette for us to convey these feelings - warm oranges, cream, and a friendly green.

As we focused our primary audience into young adults, and our survey was mostly taken by young adult women, we wanted to create a user interface that was familiar yet used in a unique way. We landed on the idea of “speed dating” different third spaces in your area, inspiring us to create a primary page that many young adults are already comfortable with. This allows the user to explore options with their primary experiences on display, save spaces for later, and discover communities. The user may also input their interests to get “matched” with spaces that best suit them.

Our research pertaining to third spaces also gave us clear evidence that young adults wish that there was a way to find people who share their hobbies more easily, thus promoting their mental wellbeing. As such, we wanted to implement the opportunity to discover groups of people with their interests and connect with them through Clover. We wanted to highlight the interests of groups and when/where they meet so that the user can easily determine whether or not the group is something that they might be interested in joining! Communities are further cultivated in the groups tab, where the user can chat with fellow group members and plan meetings together.

Another key element that we integrated to help motivate the users to explore new spaces is the stickerbook. By trying new spaces, the user can collect unique stickers, similar to an achievement system, that helps to promote exploration and communities within Clover.

Overall, our project was designed in conjunction with our research to ensure that every aspect of the app was tied to our initial goal of cultivating a sense of community within Clover.

Built With

• adobe-illustrator
• designers
• figma
• photoshop