Rooted

• 

  UI

Inspiration

Moving to a new city for a summer internship. Starting a new job across the country. Relocating as an expat to a place where you know no one.

These moments are exciting. They are also isolating.

Each year, over 40 million Americans move to a new city. Yet 68% of newcomers report feeling isolated within their first six months. On average, it takes nearly two years to build meaningful local friendships.

Cities are not lacking events, restaurants, or places to gather. What’s missing is a bridge between discovery and belonging.

For this design-a-thon, focused on overlooked and uncomfortable transitional moments, we chose relocation.

We asked:

What if belonging wasn’t accidental? What if it was designed?

That question became Rooted.

What it does

Rooted is a gamified community discovery platform designed for people who move to a new city.

Instead of just helping users discover places, Rooted gives them a reason to participate.

Users can:

• Choose a role (Explorer or Organizer)
• Select interests and social intent
• Discover curated local events and businesses
• Earn points for attending
• Unlock rewards like discounts or event access
• Join interest-based in-app communities

Rooted turns exploration into connection.

Progress becomes visible. Participation becomes rewarding.

At its core:

Encouragement leads to action, and action leads to belonging.

How we built it

We approached Rooted using human-centered design.

First, we mapped the emotional experience of someone during their first weeks in a new city. We identified friction points:

• Fear of attending events alone
• Overwhelm from too many options
• Lack of accountability to show up

We designed:

• A structured onboarding flow
• A role-based ecosystem (Explorer vs. Organizer)
• A point-based incentive system
• A reward mechanic tied to real-world engagement
• A community layer for recurring interaction

Our visual identity - deep forest green tones and organic textures - reinforces warmth, stability, and growth.

Every feature was built to reduce hesitation and increase real-world action.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge was balancing gamification with authenticity.

We didn’t want Rooted to feel transactional. It needed to feel human.

Another challenge was narrowing the core action. We debated whether Rooted was about discovery, rewards, or networking.

We ultimately centered it around one behavior:

Show up.

Everything in the product supports that action.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of:

• Designing for emotional friction, not just functionality
• Creating a clear and intuitive user journey
• Aligning branding with purpose
• Building a cohesive incentive system tied to real-world engagement
• Turning a broad issue like loneliness into a structured product experience

Rooted feels intentional. Every feature supports belonging.

What we learned

We learned that transitional moments require emotional sensitivity.

Belonging isn’t created by more options. It’s created by reducing friction.

We also learned that simplicity strengthens impact. When we refined Rooted to one core action - showing up - the design became clearer and stronger.

Design is not about adding features. It’s about enabling behavior.

What’s next for Rooted

Future development could include:

• Partnerships with local businesses
• Sponsored community events
• University and relocation integrations
• City ambassador programs
• Data-driven insights for local engagement

Our vision is simple:

A city where no one feels new.

Built With

• figma