BetterGUIlds

The project involved developing a Python Kivy-based GUI, inspired by Discord, that enables users to create social interest groups and connect, fostering community and reducing loneliness among college students. The interface was refined through paper prototyping, interviews, and usability testing to align with user needs. By applying UI/UX design principles, the design ensures inclusiveness and effectively addresses the core issue.

Problem: Loneliness is a growing issue on Northeastern’s campus, reflecting a broader epidemic worsened by the pandemic. Despite increased digital connectivity, students feel more isolated than ever. To address this, Northeastern needs a way for students to connect based on shared interests without disrupting their busy schedules. This solution is designed for undergraduates who lack time for in-person clubs or feel intimidated by face-to-face interactions.

Our Solution: Our interface caters to users’ needs by offering interest-based guilds where students can connect over shared passions. It fosters community engagement while providing flexibility to accommodate busy schedules. Users can create profiles to personalize their experience and track activity within each guild, enhancing connections and overall engagement. Our interface showcases key tasks that address loneliness by enabling users to join or create interest-based guilds, such as sports or book clubs. Guilds have a 20-person limit and require weekly participation to foster active engagement. Features like group chats and direct messaging encourage meaningful connections within these communities.

Our Design: We have similar features that are inspired by other existing popular applications. To get started, we have a welcome message that shows the title of our interface. Then, we have a screen that shows the guidelines of the interface that explains what guilds are and our secret sauce. Afterward, there is a general home screen that shows a variety of features. Inspired by YouTube, there’s a search bar that allows users to enter a keyword of a particular interest or activity to result in a guild that represents that interest. Below the search bar are randomized guilds that exist in the interface. Each guild box has a logo, a guild title & description, and an option to view the guild. If the user chooses to do so, they will be directed to a new screen that shows they are inside the guild. The user will then be able to see and interact with the announcements and chat box of the guild along with the members that are in the guild. To the left of the home screen are three main buttons: “+ Guild”, “My Guilds”, and “My People” which allow users to either create a guild, view the guilds they are a part of, or the people they have interacted with. In My People, the interface allows for an option to direct message members of the interface who are specifically part of the same guild as they are. To the top right of the home screen is the User Profile section. Users can see their details such as their login credentials as well as how active they are in each guild to ensure that they have participated a certain amount of time each week.