PUUMII : Hangouts for You!

wireframing + lofi brainstorming!
competitive analysis process!

1. Prototype link

🌟 2. Project Overview: Puumi App - Connecting Through Food 🍽️

In the age of AI, we focused on what makes us uniquely human: connections and memories. Our research revealed that food is a powerful connector. We designed Puumi, an app that uses AI to optimize social connections through personalized food and hangout recommendations. By offering suggestions tailored to users' tastes and schedules, Puumi boosts the likelihood that people will actually meet up with their friends, addressing the challenge of staying human in an AI-dominated world.

Puumi also encourages spontaneous food adventures by highlighting pop-up restaurants and hidden gems that promote real-world interactions and shared experiences.

🔍 3. Research Process & Key Findings

We began with a survey focused on how food impacts social connections. Here are the key findings:

Food as a bonding tool: The majority of people agreed that sharing meals creates strong connections.
Impersonal recommendations: People often find existing food apps and platforms lack personalization, especially for group hangouts.

We then conducted interviews with our target audience—mainly students and young adults—to dive deeper into their social habits and challenges. Key insights from this included a user persona that we created:

Tiffany Nguyen Persona (20, Undergraduate Student):
- Frustrations: Struggles balancing academics and socializing, finding it hard to reconnect with old friends.
- Goals: Build stronger connections, enjoy productive meetups.
- Constraints: Busy schedules, cost, dietary restrictions, indecisiveness over food choices.

This persona, combined with interview insights, led us to the idea of an AI-powered app that suggests personalized food hangouts, taking into account users' preferences and social dynamics.

Additionally, we discovered the following:

People are more likely to try new places if: They have good ratings, are incentivized through sales and promotions, or if they’re with friends.
Hidden gems: People want to find lowkey spots—places not in the top Google search results but which offer authentic, meaningful experiences. These "underground" locations foster a sense of shared ownership among those who know them.
We also conducted a competitive analysishttps://www.figma.com/community/file/1467896904334990083, identifying gaps in existing services, such as the lack of personalized reward systems, support for small businesses (especially pop-ups), and features like a “Surprise Me” option for spontaneous experiences.

🎨 4. Design Decisions & Rationale

Our design decisions were driven by insights from user research and a focus on creating an emotionally engaging experience. Here are the most significant design choices:

1. App Theme - Mahjong 🀄

Inspired by our team’s late-night dorm hangouts and shared memories of playing Mahjong, we chose this game as the thematic foundation for the app. Mahjong, a game deeply tied to community and connection, became symbolic of the togetherness we wanted to foster in Puumi. This theme mirrors our core values: casual socializing, building connections, and shared experiences.

2. User Flow & Navigation 🚀

We prioritized intuitive design to reduce decision fatigue. The user flow ensures that users can easily explore and find hangout options without feeling overwhelmed by too many choices. This was a key aspect of creating a seamless navigation experience.

3. Incentive System 🎁

User feedback revealed a strong desire for tangible incentives to encourage social hangouts. Therefore, we introduced a point-based rewards system, where users earn points for every hangout. Special bonuses are given for visiting lesser-known local businesses. Points can be redeemed for discounts at pop-up restaurants or access to exclusive events—enhancing the appeal of going out and supporting small businesses.

4. Spontaneity & Adventure 🎲

Many users expressed a desire for spontaneous experiences. To meet this need, we created the “Surprise Me” feature, which pairs users with undiscovered food spots or unexpected activities. This feature encourages users to step out of their comfort zone and experience something fresh every time.

5. Competitive Differentiation 🌍

Unlike traditional food delivery or recommendation apps that focus on mainstream restaurants, Puumi emphasizes hidden gems and pop-up businesses, bringing attention to places that might be overlooked by larger platforms. This community-driven discovery fosters unique experiences and provides local businesses with increased visibility.

6. Sharing & Communication 📲

To foster real-world interactions, we integrated easy share buttons into event cards and pop-up recommendations. Users can seamlessly send or accept invitations to food-related hangouts, creating a natural flow for sharing meals and experiences—key to making lasting memories.

7. AI Integration 🤖

AI is central to delivering personalized experiences. Upon first use, onboarding surveys help users select their preferences and interests, allowing our AI to build a comprehensive user profile. This data is then used to provide the most relevant food and hangout suggestions. Additionally, the app utilizes personality-based profiling, matching users with spots that align with their individual lifestyles and preferences.

💡 Conclusion

Through continuous user testing and iteration, Puumi was refined to meet the needs of its target audience: people who want to reconnect with friends, share meaningful moments, and explore new experiences. By focusing on personalized recommendations, community-driven discovery, and fostering real-world socialization, Puumi is uniquely positioned to help users stay human in the age of AI.