Loneliness.
The elephant in the room.

Moving to a new city is more than finding a place to live. It is also about finding your people.

This project explored loneliness among students studying in Oslo. The research focused on understanding how students who were new to the city could find a lasting community, and how a digital service might help them connect through shared activities.

The result was Stronger Together: a mobile app concept for discovering activities, joining others and making space for shared experiences.

Research and feedback shaped the project from the first questions to the prototype.

1. 01 / UNDERSTANDListen first.Secondary research, an anonymous survey at VID’s Oslo campus and three interviews helped explore students’ experiences.
2. 02 / DEFINEFind the patterns.Affinity mapping, a persona, an empathy map and “How might we” questions helped frame the opportunity.
3. 03 / DESIGNMake it tangible.Card sorting and information architecture informed wireframes and a mobile prototype.
4. 04 / TESTLearn by observing.Five participants tested key tasks, including signing up, finding and joining an activity, and checking the calendar.

Project tools: Adobe XD, Figma, Illustrator and Photoshop.

Original prototype screens · Click to view

The most useful outcome was not a finished answer. It was a clearer view of what needed to improve.

Usability sessions, held remotely via Teams and in person, revealed crowded activity screens, inconsistent back navigation, unclear flow and iconography. These findings pointed to the next design iterations.

This is a design case study, not a launched service. The original conclusion identifies further refinement as the next step; it does not claim a measured reduction in loneliness.