(Spark)
A connected wearable that helps university students turn shared interests into real, face-to-face moments.
The project in one line
UI design, prototyping, iteration, campaign design and video performance
Interaction design · wearable technology · campus connection
Group project
Product overview
The pin, phone and watch work together: students control what they share, notice a compatible signal and decide whether to connect face-to-face.
01 · The observation
As an international student, I knew the strange feeling of arriving somewhere new while everyone else seemed to have already found their people.
My earlier campus observation showed students constantly moving - to class, to lunch, then home. They crossed paths all day, yet rarely stayed long enough to meet someone new.
How might we help students notice the people they could have connected with?
From passive data
to a visible signal
to a human choice
02 · The concept
Spark is a heart-shaped pin connected to a student's university profile and smart devices. When two nearby students share compatible interests, their pins glow in the same colour and pulse like a heartbeat.
The pin does not introduce them, reveal personal details or automate the conversation. It simply creates a moment of recognition.
03 · Designing the experience
I began with low-fidelity flows for onboarding, pin setup, daily review and settings. The physical and digital experience evolved together, so the pin never felt disconnected from the interface behind it.
Heart-pin sketches and paper prototypes explored wearability, glow, vibration and how the signal could be understood at a glance.
Rough flows connected onboarding, visibility controls, matching preferences and the end-of-day reflection before visual styling began.
The first structured screens made university verification, data visibility, connection goals and sharing controls concrete enough to critique.
Soft gradients and a glowing heart created warmth, but the first version needed stronger hierarchy and more readable type.
Titles became larger, actions more visible and student-data explanations easier to scan before asking for consent.
Profile controls, compatibility thresholds and the final setup screen were refined into a clearer sequence with less cognitive load.
04 · The turning point
Early screens exposed details about compatible people. We removed them. Showing too much turned another person into a data profile and made the real conversation unnecessary.
We kept matches private, added controls to stop the pin from glowing, and let students choose whether to approach. This changed Spark from a people-finder into a gentle invitation.
See another student's data and decide from a profile.
AfterSee only a shared signal, then learn about them through conversation.
05 · Iteration log
Each iteration reduced the amount of technology competing with the face-to-face moment.
Started withLocation and shared-interest data automatically identified nearby matches.
What I learnedWithout clear controls, the experience could feel intrusive rather than helpful.
What changedI added compatibility thresholds, connection modes, permissions and an easy way to pause the pin.
Started withEarly screens revealed details about a compatible person before students met.
What I learnedProfiles encouraged judgement from data and removed the reason to begin a real conversation.
What changedThe final system shows only a shared colour signal and keeps personal information private.
Started withMost controls initially lived inside the mobile app.
What I learnedOpening a phone while approaching someone interrupted the spontaneous campus moment.
What changedApple Watch controls support pausing, ignoring and mutually connecting without breaking eye contact.
06 · The outcome
I refined the UI hierarchy and readability, extended the experience to Apple Watch, and designed campaign elements for our final video. Together, these touchpoints showed Spark not as another social feed, but as a reason to look up from one.
Reflection
It was to help someone realise that a possible connection was already nearby. Spark taught me that interaction design can create an opening without controlling the outcome - and that sometimes the most human choice is knowing when technology should step back.
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