TimeStamp

What Inspired Us

We were inspired by the elements of social media that felt perfected between 2014 and 2016. There were no curated algorithms, posts were catered to loved ones, and users weren’t addicted to receiving views, likes, or comments. This was an era where social media did what it was intended to do, connect people. Today, social media is leaving users digitally exhausted, and with the rise of “Analog 2026”, people are craving aspects of their childhood that bring them nostalgia and joy. They want to go back to a time when life felt easier.

What We Learned

While working on this project, we learned that friction within a digital product can be a good thing. For ages, designers and engineers have pushed to make their products packed with features and allowing users to complete tasks at lightning speeds. We found that nostalgia can be found in the slowness of life. So in order to combat digital burnout and exhaustion, we had to design an app that serves its use and encourages its own exit.

How We Built Our Project

We built our project starting with a heavy brainstorming session, mapping out potential features and research questions. In addition to user research, we used AI tools such as Google Gemini to source data from platforms such as Reddit to understand the specific aspects of social media and their childhood that they miss. Once we felt confident with our findings, we sketched out layouts onto lo-fi and hi-fi wireframes.

The Challenges We Faced

The biggest challenges we faced were trying not to “reinvent the wheel”. As the project progressed, we had to constantly pull ourselves back from adding complex features to ensure the app stayed minimalist, impactful, had a consistent design system, and didn’t stray away from the primary goal of the app: to invoke nostalgia and joy within our users with a modern twist.

Built With

• figma