DIP
Timeline
3 Day Hackathon
Role
UX Designer
Tools
Figma, Figjam
With
Kate Lee, Sofia Venezia, Sander Vonk
overview
Dip is an event-sharing platform that helps coworkers build real connections by exploring local activities together, backed by exclusive perks from local businesses. Built in three days at XHacks, a hackathon themed "Reimagining Human Connection in the Digital Age," Dip tackles a problem most companies overlook: coworkers are surrounded by people all day, and still feel disconnected from them.
the problem
Employee engagement outside of work hours is quietly falling. In-person work dynamics, growing company size, and low awareness of company-organized events all make it harder for coworkers to actually bond, even when the opportunity is right in front of them.
How might we make connecting and staying engaged in team bonding events convenient and rewarding for coworkers?
Research
Collecting Survey Results
We ran a 21-response survey asking employees about their experiences, priorities, and motivations around existing company bonding initiatives, and used it to ground every decision that followed in real behavior, not assumptions.
Comparative Analysis
We looked at where the current landscape falls short. Meetup and Eventbrite are built for public events, not workplace bonding. Bonusly rewards peer recognition, not participation. Microsoft Viva Engage keeps connection digital rather than pushing it into real life. None of them solved for coworkers who actually want to meet up in person.
Key Insights
Incentives Drive Attendance
Discounts and rewards motivate employees to attend company events.
Barriers to Participations
Lack of knowledge about attendees and uninteresting activites are key barriers.
Socializing Boosts Team Morale
Socializing outside of work improves teamwork and morale
Need for Face-to-Face Interaction
Over-reliance on digital communication hinders workplace friendships and employees want more in-person activities.
reframing the problem
How might we make connecting and staying engaged in team bonding events convenient and rewarding for coworkers?
The Solution
Something new to participate in each week
Weekly themes will suggest activities to users, creating anticipation and excitement within the community. Discounts and perks in that weeks themes can motivate users to participate in them.
All of the event details you need in a few screens
Events will have their own page where users can see details, such as descriptions, participants, and a chat exclusive to that event.
Share and look back on memories
Past event pages stores photos contributed by its participants. Users can look back on events and see uploaded photos.
See your current and past events and customize your interests
The My Events page stores planned and completed events that users can refer to. Users can input their interests so that events can be recommended to them.
Process
Information Architecture
Feedback from industry UX Designers
We were able to receive feedback and advice from a UX designer on our product including: consider integration into existing work ecosystems, people value their time, and marketing can have a role in this product.
Sketches and Low-fi
Design System
Reflection
This was my first design hackathon, and I'm proud of what four of us built in three days. We didn't place, but I walked away with more than I expected, both about the process and from the people I built alongside. Next steps: more user testing, a cross-platform and business-facing design, and features that help Dip fold into the tools teams already rely on, rather than asking them to adopt one more.
