The Doer App

2017-2018

How might we make seemingly infinite social opportunities feel custom and accessible for socially introverted people?

Creating a digital space that creates custom social event suggestions from pertinent details one might be able to bridge the gap between a users want to engage socially and actually engage.

First and foremost we wanted to fully understand the largest friction points for people looking to initiate social experiences with friends or just find cultural events in their area pertinent to them.

Secondly we wanted to try to understand what could pull hesitant users over the finish line from discovering a cultural event that’s interesting or viable to actually attending or participating in a social event.

Thirdly we wanted to understand more about the users we wanted to work with specifically and what level of interactions would be overwhelming, appropriate, or comforting.

What do your cultural experiences in the city look like as a whole?

What was your most recent “okay I’ll go”? How did it go?

Ideally what would your weekly, monthly, annual social calendar look like?

What digital spaces have you discovered or learned about events?

Describe the role you take socially in terms of planning events?

In interviews with people that positioned themselves on the low-social or anti-social spectrum initial questions about social proclivities and event planning heightened, frankly, a fight or flight response in many interviewees. Early in the process I rerouted my line of questions from existing social planning skills to more growth-mindset, long term goal question and then swung back to the reality of my interviewees social lives in metropolitan areas.

From all of my interviews however from highly sociable people with all of the instagram tags from all the great cultural experiences in their respective cities what rang true for all was a general anxiety about “discovery”. The most highly cultured or social event driven interviewees spoke of a constant tracking and staying ahead of these trends in events.

Anxiety ruled for everyone I spoke too. 89% of users interviewed felt that they were still missing out on something. (FOMO)

Evie Adler 33, Senior Software Engineer at Harry’s Lives in East Village with significant other.

Evie is definitely a homebody. Her dream nights are at home reading or watching dystopian science fiction. Her nights out usually have to do with obligation or someone working hard to incentivize her. She hates large crowds to the point of not minding being a “flake” socially. Usually the extent of her socializing is going out around the office with similarly minded coworkers from her department or friends at an apartment. Though she really likes creative people she winds up hanging out with developers because she’s scared of bridging the gap with different people. She’s slightly insecure but opens up with the right people.

Mid week at work and Evie reads a film review about the never-before-seen three day ONLY release of a 60’s film about a french girl group that’s sent to the desolate future to defeat the evil warlords with pop punk. Evie kicks herself about how she didn’t know that this rare movie, with everything she likes: girl power, dystopia, and french pop punk came and went in her city without her knowing? Her cultural confidence continues to lower because this is ALWAYS happening to her.

She feels finally ready to go out and do more but she’s feeling really overwhelmed by all the options and doesn’t really know where to start. Would like to designate a week night and a weekend night for plans at first because spontaneity makes her nervous. Classifies herself as an introvert. Tells herself that she can’t balance her dedication to work with social organizing. She wishes to 1. Start saying yes to things even if she thinks they’re stupid. 2. Know whats going on for herself but also as alternatives for friends and finally 3. Eventually be able to invite people or groups of people to “cool” events.

Paul Lorne, 25 Account Executive at a PR firm. Lives with roommates in the Lower East side

Usually is big on hopping on to what other friends or his 3 roommates are up to during the week. Likes to keep the beginning of the week sort of slow for work and exercise but then looks to the end of the week for activities and going out. Usually all social events are organized in a GroupMe chat but the bigger events like sports or trips are handled by email. Really just a “goes with the flow” sort of social person and really enjoys not having all of the planning responsibility. Sometimes organizes nights but only if the group planner hasn’t already. Hears of “some stuff” through work and the places his friends tag on Instagram.

Pretty outgoing and usually content to do whatever his friends want.

Just moved to a different part of the city and hasn’t found his favorite bars or music spaces yet. Nights out fall into routine at the bars downtown that his friends are still attending and Paul feels like they’re essentially the college parties they just left. As a follower Paul is feeling like this cycle of work events and crowded LES bars is starting to tire. Sitting at the Grey Lady Paul wishes he knew about cool Brooklyn bowling alleys and feels like with the right incentive his friends would be “down”.

Managing cost of different activities with leaders he follows (big concert, group dinner, etc) Needs to have enough of an activity repertoire to be able to take over or steer the plans when he wants. Wants to go to more cultural events and less bars feels like he doesn’t take advantage of what makes New York New York.