Health Experience Design 2020

Abstract:
When we first designed and tested a tool to address college loneliness a year ago, we had no clue that a global pandemic would cause campuses around the country to close their doors and radically change the way that students create and maintain their college communities.
Then it hit. Suddenly our app intervention content encouraging in-person social connection was contraindicated. College campuses across the U.S. closed including our second pilot site- wiping out our user base. And our creative promotion campaign all about time together IRL was way off message.

We faced a decision- hunker down and wait for the storm to pass or face it head on. In this session we’ll share the story of how we pivoted to launch an app for social connection during social distancing in just twelve stormy days and the 5 things we’ve come to appreciate made that pivot possible.