Middle schoolers are growing up in a digital world, but many existing social platforms fail to meet their needs. Social media today often emphasizes popularity and performance, leaving younger users overwhelmed, bored, or disengaged. We saw an opportunity to design something different: a lightweight, anonymous social app built for quick, judgment-free interaction.

The concept was born from firsthand insight—many younger users were actively using social media but disengaged from its core mechanics. Our goal was to reimagine social engagement for this age group, designed to be fun, emotionally safe, and naturally engaging through simple anonymous voting.

As the designer on this side project, I focused on building an experience that felt effortless, age-appropriate, and inviting. The result was a playful, intuitive interaction model that encouraged self-expression without the pressure of being seen.

1. Designing for a young audience that’s highly sensitive to judgment and quick to disengage

2. Creating an experience that feels fun and emotionally safe without relying on traditional social metrics

We conducted in-person interviews with 8 middle school students to better understand how they feel when using social media. Because our product centered on emotional safety and anonymous interaction, it was important to engage students in conversations that felt just as thoughtful and safe. Compared to surveys, interviews gave us space to build trust, ask open-ended questions, and listen closely to how students described their experiences in their own words. This approach helped us explore sensitive topics like social pressure, judgment, and boredom—insights that would have been difficult to surface through predefined survey choices.