WEIYU . H






NUDGE - 
A Gamified Social On-Ramp for Accidental Introverts

UX · GAMIFICATION · INTERACTION DESIGN · INCLUSIVE DESIGN

A gentle social app that helps Potrero 1010 residents ease into connection through soft prompts woven into daily life.



At Potrero 1010, I conducted in-depth resident interviews, combined with user psychology research and on-site spatial observations, to uncover the barriers and motivations of “accidental introverts” in apartment social life. Based on these insights, I designed and iterated hybrid prototypes that blended online prompts with offline interactions, offering low-pressure pathways for residents to gradually participate. The design successfully increased interaction frequency and community engagement, while also providing a framework for long-term social sustainability.SKILLSUser Research
UX/UI
Field Interview
Prototyping

TIMELINE
Feb 2025 - May 2025


CONTEXT

In contemporary apartment living, residents often stay physically close yet emotionally distant. Shared common areas rarely lead to meaningful interactions.

For accidental introverts—those who are not antisocial but find it difficult to initiate—this environment reinforces passive isolation.

How can we rebuild a sense of belonging in apartment buildings and lower the social barriers for accidental introverts?




Understanding the needs of accidental introverts is essential to cultivating a more inclusive and vibrant apartment community.



RESEARCH


Social Barriers for ResidentsInterviews were conducted with 20 residents of Potrero 1010. More than half of them expressed that while they find it difficult to socialize during apartment-organized events, they still have a strong desire to meet new people.
SOCIAL BARRIERS FOR  ACCIDENTAL INTROVERTS
  • SOCIAL ANXIETY - Fear of being judged or ignored.
  • INITIATION BARRIER - Difficulty starting conversations.
  • PACE MISMATICH - Need for gradual entry instead of immediate immersion.
  • EXPRESSION GAP - Stronger in written than in real-time verbal exchange.
  • MARGINALIZATION - Sense of marginalization in group settings.





LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT TOOLS

The existing community website provides interest groups and item exchange boards, but is rarely used. Interactions remain shallow and short-lived. Many residents are not even aware of community events or connection opportunities, as both the apartment programming and the site lack visibility and appeal.
LOW ENGAGEMENT  Interest groups & item exchange boards rarely used.

NO NARRATIVE CONTEXT
The interest group section lacks personal stories or past highlights, making newcomers feel like outsiders and hard to join.
SHORT-LIVED INTERACTION 
Conversations lack continuity or trust-building.

LOW VISIBILITY Many residents don’t know about events or opportunities.

WEAK APPEAL
Apartment programs and website design fail to attract attention.


INSIGHT

THRESHOLDS OF  PARTICIPATION
People need flexible, optional thresholds to cross from private into public space. Well-designed thresholds support safety, choice, and gradual involvement.

TECHNOLOGY AS MEDIATOR
While digital devices often amplify isolation, thoughtful design can repurpose them as gentle bridges that lower thresholds and reconnect people with real-world interaction.

POTENTIAL OF  SHARED SPACES
Hallways, elevators, and other common areas contain abundant micro-opportunities for connection. With structured yet low-pressure cues, these spaces can transform from parallel solitude into natural social stages.

PLAY AS CATALYST
Playful, game-like mechanisms reduce anxiety, spark spontaneity, and make social encounters feel safe, fun, and non-intrusive.

PREVIEWING CIRCLES
Without stories or context, residents feel like outsiders. Offering ways to preview group dynamics lowers barriers and encourages participation.




FINAL DESIGNNudge is a gentle social guidance app for apartment residents. It lowers barriers to interaction through a gradual pathway of observe–respond–initiate, supported by playful cues and gamified rewards such as evolving avatars, props, and points. Together with mutual-aid tasks and AR touchpoints, it turns daily routines and shared spaces into opportunities for continuous, low-pressure connection.


FLOW
(1) APP REGISTRATION AND CHARACTER GENERATION:




SCAN THE QR CODE ON LOBBY POSTER TO GET STARTED












SIGN UP

PROFILE & INTERESTS SETU
(Enter name, apartment number, contact, hobbies, and interests)

PERSONALITY-MATCHED AVATARS
(Created through interests & facial recognition: clothes, hairstyles, props, backgrounds)



Avatars act as emotional mirrors, carrying users’ interests and rhythms. People are more drawn to characters that feel “similar to themselves,” which encourages sustained engagement and growth.



























ADJUST YOUR SOCIAL STATUS AT ANY TIME
  • Invisible (private personal space, will not receive messages from others)
  • Welcome to chat (open space, receive messages)













ON  BOARD
  • Number currently active, 5 activities planned)
  • View current community activities







(2) DAILY TASKS + TOPIC MATCHING Nudge builds community in multiple ways: you can take on light social challenges, share photos or daily moments, or organize activities to express yourself and connect with like-minded neighbors.















Users receive a new daily topic, which they may choose to engage with or skip. Their posts and interests reveal neighbors who are similar or contrasting, while access to each neighbor’s personal space provides context through past shared content.





Traditional activities often create pressure with fixed times, places, and audiences.

Nudge instead provides light, optional daily prompts that serve as excuses and buffers for expression.

In this way, content itself becomes a passive social trigger, allowing users to discover like-minded neighbors without the anxiety of instant dialogue.




(3) NEIGHBORHOOD MUTUAL AID MECHANISM:Accidental introverts often feel they have “nothing to say,” which blocks social interaction. 

By shifting the starting point from language to action through small cooperative requests, the system enables real, non-verbal connections to form naturally. 

Clear feedback and rewards then motivate users to sustain participation over time.



PERSONALIZATION REWARDS
Users earn interest-related props through support tasks, which can be used to decorate their avatars and personal spaces — turning participation into visible self-expression.



Through “phone collisions,” gift animations and intimacy-based effects are triggered. The system replaces the like mechanism with gentle positive feedback, shaping memory through the sense of being responded to, fostering long-term participation, reducing awkwardness, and affirming “I’m seen.”

OFFLINE EXTENSION
The system encourages continued real-world interaction through small physical gestures, such as exchanging handwritten thank-you notes, bridging digital engagement with tangible social bonds.


(4) EXPLORATION & GRADUAL ENGAGEMENT
The “space” itself becomes a source of social cues.
An NFC-enabled lobby map lets residents tap their phones to discover real-time and upcoming events, past stories, and activity highlights across shared spaces.

Transforms a static poster into a dynamic community hub, lowering information barriers and encouraging wider participation.
Many designs overestimate users’ willingness to socialize but overlook their mental readiness. By breaking socialization into progressive challenges (from text to voice to offline) with adjustable difficulty, the system respects users’ rhythm, replaces anxiety with structure, and helps them build social competence step by step, like a game upgrade.











PRINCIPLESFor accidental introverts, what’s missing is the right to exist on their own terms.

Our approach is soft gamification: not manipulating with leaderboards or levels, but using characters, rewards, and gentle quests as invitations. The goal is not to win, but to begin. Space becomes a container for gradual encounters, where footprints leave traces and even silence is allowed to belong.

PLAY : Turn daily routines into moments of curiosity.
DRIFT : Break habitual paths for serendipitous encounters.
THRESHOLD : Flexible boundaries of engagement.
ECHO : Social traces that invite continuity.
RESIDUE : Gentle imprints that nurture belonging.



RETROSPECTIVESUSTAINABILITY OF MOTIVATION
Daily prompts and rewards may lose novelty; challenge remains how to sustain engagement and translate small tasks into lasting offline relationships.

COMMUNITY VITALITY
Future iterations should explore stronger mechanisms to stimulate ongoing community energy and participation.

PRIVACY & CONSENT
Avatars, stories, proximity effects, and footprints require clear rules of privacy and ongoing user consent.

SAFETY & MODERATION
Mutual-aid tasks could be spammed or misused; safeguards such as reporting, verification, and rate limits are necessary.

EVALUATION & IMPACT
Without longitudinal studies, it is hard to attribute “belonging” gains to specific features. Long-term tracking of engagement and social outcomes is needed.













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