My role
UX Research
UI Design
Prototyping
Tools
Adobe XD
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects
Social App
2021
The Hood
Overview
The Hood helps you get to know your neighbors, offer them help when they need it and make it easy for them to help you.
Where It All Started
Last time I moved into a new neighborhood far away from my own hometown I was lucky to meet an amazing couple next door who did a great job helping me find my way around. They kindly offered their help in every last detail, which made my moving and settling in so much easier than any move I had ever made before. This was when I first thought of designing an app which would acquaint one with everyone in the hood.
The Goal
The Hood is designed to acquaint oneself better with the hood dwellers, seek or offer help, and post event notices around.
The challenge
Most of us these days would not be bold enough to address strangers in our own building, on the street or even in the social media where interaction is much more accessible.
The solution
Build a main public feed which opens on login (following registration) to reveal what help is sought or offered by individual hood dwellers. This would provide a channel for initial contact, private messages, help requests or help offers.
The app would also provide a list of all registered hood dwellers, displayed in a varying sequence so as to increase exposure. Individual hood dweller profiles will contain references to their respective interests and expectations from the app.
On registration, the user is requested to select tags to show in own profile. When explored by another user sharing the same tags, these will stand out more prominently to help start initial communication.
Add a Post
The user may post a need or offer of a service, or even report of a hazard nearby. On posting, the user can view, edit or remove own post on the main screen and also on own personal profile screen.
User's Profile
Any user can review a neighbor's details, spot any common tags, add that neighbor to the friends list or send a message. A menu at the top of this screen allows reporting or blocking of an undesired neighbor judged a nuisance.
Make New Friends
"Hood friends", displaying a full, randomly updated list of all of the hood members, and "user friends" listing all current and past hood friends of the user's, by neighborhood.
Chat
This is where the user can review all of own app messages, including responses to own service request posts or own offers to help or meet someone.
