bridged - by The Zoo

Prototype link (Please submit a link to a playable prototype, not a link to your design file)
link

Describe your project (max 150 words)
In a world where technology is advancing faster than ever, people are growing more disconnected, especially across generations. Our app, bridged, aims to close this gap by creating intentional spaces for cross-generational conversations. bridged is designed around listening, reflection and sparking genuine connection.

The app provides daily prompts for users to share their thoughts and experiences, opening up conversations if a post feels especially relatable or insightful. Users can also add meaningful life events —moments that shaped their perspectives or taught them something important—in their timeline, deepening understanding and empathy of one another.

To support discovery, the app includes a search function that allows users to find stories or advice that they relate to or want to explore further. By sharing different perspectives, we hope to help users realize that their generations are not as different as they think.

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. (Max 500 words)
Our team relied on both primary research and secondary research. Following the double diamond method, we began by describing our personal experiences to ideate pain points between generations. Afterwards, we conducted secondary research to validate these experiences against existing research. An article from American Press Institute (https://americanpressinstitute.org/the-power-of-intergenerational-storytelling-to-solidify-community-and-effect-change/) revealed that storytelling creates a bond between generations, and allows children to see themselves as part of a larger narrative that they relate to. Connection is more likely to be facilitated if both generations find something common between them.

To delve into this issue deeper, we released a Google Forms survey (https://forms.gle/qSkh9AbmCYGA5o419) to analyze the experiences of 59 individuals when connecting with other generations.

Analyzing the survey results revealed several key insights. We discovered that many of the Gen Z data revealed that they think older generations are out of touch with the struggles of younger generations, such as mental health, finding jobs in this economy, the difficulties of affording basic living, etc. On the other hand, respondents also agreed that it is hard to talk to younger generations who are very reliant on their phones and other pieces of technology. Our data does have a good mix of different generations, as there were a quarter Gen X responders. Thus, our sample size was rather diverse.

Overall, it seems that generations do find it difficult to communicate with other generations. About a third of our survey responders found it somewhat difficult to communicate with other generations. The top three misunderstandings that inhibit people from connecting to those from other generations the most were social norms & etiquette (50% of responders), values & priorities (48%), and communication styles (45%). These misunderstandings are mainly caused by different upbringings and experience, which is something we want to mitigate through our life timeline feature. The top two topics that respondents wanted to learn from other generations were life outlook (55%) and career goals (48%). Similarly, the top two topics that respondents wanted to teach other generations were life outlook and mental health (both 53% of responders each). From these findings, we gatherered that one of the main reasons for the cross-generational disconnect is due to a lack of understanding of each others’ experiences, which both generations seemed more than eager to share.

In addition to the social data, responders agreed that photos and writing/text were the most comfortable forms of communication on digital platforms with 72% of responders choosing those two options over all the rest. Thus, these pieces of data give our group a strong idea of the elements/features we wanted to incorporate into our app.

Describe your most important design decisions. What research findings and/or user testing results led you to make these decisions? (Max 500 words)
Based on our findings, we found that an issue with cross-generational connection was the lack of understanding rooted in differing life experiences and values. Across generations, respondents consistently expressed frustration with feeling misunderstood, particularly around topics such as mental health, career goals, etc. This insight guided our decision to design a platform where users could share their perspectives and lived experiences in a way that encourages listening and empathy rather than comparison like traditional social platforms.

Our secondary research emphasised the power of storytelling as a tool for connection. We found that storytelling helps people see themselves as part of a larger narrative and strengthens intergenerational bonds. This finding strongly influenced our decision to design a timeline feature centered on personal stories rather than unstructured social posting. This allows users to share significant life events and moments of growth, making it easier for others – especially those at similar life stages, such as navigating careers–to connect with people from different generations and learn from their experiences. By enabling users to share stories and reflections, we believe that this would help different generations to understand each others’ perspectives, which would in turn foster connection.

Since people found communication styles to be one of the largest barriers between generations, the timeline feature was designed to make learning about others simple and approachable. The vertical layout of the timeline allows users to chronologically share meaningful life events, helping others contextualize their perspectives over time. We also included emoji indicators to represent how users felt during certain moments in their lives, adding emotional context without requiring lengthy explalnations.

Another key design decision informed by our research was emphasising visual and written content. We found that 72% of respondents preferred text and images over other forms of digital communication. In response, we designed prompt responses to be text-based, as well as timeline entries, with optional images. This allowed users to express themselves authentically and at their own pace, supporting reflection and reducing the pressure often associated with real-time or performative interaction. This made the app more accessible and welcoming to users of all ages.

Additionally, many participants, especially older respondents, indicated uncertainty around how to participate digitally, frequently citing concerns like “not knowing what to post” or feeling uncomfortable with technology. To address this, we designed daily prompts that guide users in sharing their perspectives, lowering the participation barrier for older users and anyone unsure of how to start. Prompts provide structure while encouraging authentic storytelling and reflection, ensuring that users do not feel pressured to write about their experiences from scratch.

Finally, we kept the interface minimal and intuitive, so that older users could easily interact with the app and engage without feeling overwhelmed by unnecessary options. We also intentionally kept features minimal to maintain focus on authentic connection and prevent distraction from meaningful engagement, which could dilute the app’s purpose of fostering genuine cross-generational connection.