InLoop

Building Genuine Connections Through Reciprocity

Empower Connections, Solve Challenges.

User Interface Design | Individual Project | 4 months

Problem-Solving Platform; Inclusive Networking; AI-Driven

InLoop is a platform designed to bridge the gaps in traditional social circles by fostering meaningful, reciprocal interactions between users from diverse backgrounds. By leveraging AI-driven matching, networking maps, and a reciprocity-based ecosystem, InLoop empowers individuals to solve problems, build genuine connections, and unlock new opportunities.

Background

Inspiration

Individuals, particularly young people and college students, often find their social circles insufficient when faced with challenges requiring diverse support or expertise. Youth tend to have small, homogenous networks, while adults' social circles become fixed and stagnant over time. Despite the Internet’s vast potential to connect people, most existing networks fail to foster meaningful, reciprocal relationships that address these gaps. This disconnect highlights the untapped opportunity to build a system that integrates resources and supports collaboration within and beyond traditional social circles.

Core Concept

The core concept of this platform is to create an egalitarian space where all problems, regardless of their nature, are treated with equal importance. It recognizes that no one is entirely self-sufficient and that every individual has something valuable to contribute. By fostering a reciprocity-based system, the platform empowers users to both seek and offer help, bridging gaps between professional expertise and everyday problem-solving.

Equal Value for All Contributions:

Whether solving a complex legal issue or assisting with practical errands, every contribution is acknowledged as equally important within the ecosystem.

Breaking Down Hierarchies:

The platform eliminates the traditional hierarchies of expertise, encouraging collaboration between professionals, homemakers, students, and others based on their unique capabilities.

Fostering Mutual Support:

Users earn opportunities to request help by contributing to others within their capacity, creating a balanced and sustainable community where everyone benefits.

Supporting Entrepreneurial Intentions:

The platform empowers individuals with entrepreneurial aspirations to expand their networks, connect with diverse experts, and access resources to innovate and grow.

Research

The modern social landscape is shaped by various dynamics that affect how individuals connect, collaborate, and seek support. Several psychological and sociological concepts shed light on the limitations of traditional social circles and provide a foundation for the design and purpose of a platform centered on reciprocity and resource-sharing.

Social Dynamics

Homogeneity in Social Circles

Social circles often consist of individuals with similar backgrounds, interests, or professions. While this fosters comfort and shared understanding, it limits exposure to diverse perspectives and expertise.

Lack of Reciprocity Mechanisms

Traditional social circles often rely on unstructured reciprocity, where contributions are not consistently rewarded, leading to imbalances in support.

The Strength of Weak Ties

Weak ties—connections with acquaintances or distant contacts—are often underutilized but play a critical role in accessing new opportunities and solving unfamiliar problems. As Granovetter (2022) explains, weak ties connect individuals to networks beyond their immediate circles, providing access to ideas and information that would otherwise remain unavailable.

Key Trends

A 2019 report revealed that nearly 61% of university students utilize their institution's career services, indicating a strong demand for professional advice.

A study involving over 50,000 participants found that 52% of millennials are considering changing employers within the year, indicating a strong demand for career guidance.

In 2023, the United States saw a record-breaking 5.5 million new business applications, reflecting a robust entrepreneurial spirit.

Survey

To better understand the challenges users face within their social circles and on existing platforms when seeking help, I conducted a survey that garnered 67 responses.

Discovery on ChatGPT

Based on the survey responses to the question, 'Which platform do you primarily use for seeking help?', it is evident that ChatGPT has emerged as the leading tool for problem-solving in today's world. To delve deeper, we will focus specifically on this problem-solving platform to analyze the types of assistance sought by three distinct occupational groups: students, freelancers, and professionals.

I used ChatGPT 4.0 with the prompt: 'What are the top 3 kinds of problems that students, freelancers, and professionals ask ChatGPT?' Below is the response I received:

While AI excels in streamlining workflows, providing knowledge, and enhancing productivity, it falls short in solving the deeper, interaction-based problems central to my project. Therefore, my concept should focus on leveraging human qualities like empathy, creativity, and emotional intelligence, while integrating AI as a supportive tool for background tasks rather than as the core driver of relationship-building efforts.

Competitive Platform Analysis

Discovery on 6 Platforms

Through the survey responses, six prominent platforms emerged as users' go-to choices for seeking help and sharing knowledge: LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, Xiaohongshu, Quora, and Zhihu. Each platform is widely used but addresses distinct user needs, offering unique functionalities and experiences. However, they also reveal gaps and limitations that highlight opportunities for improvement. This discovery forms the foundation for a deeper exploration of their interfaces, advantages, disadvantages, and data structures to inform the design of our platform.

Facebook Groups

Quora

Xiaohongshu

Zhihu

Deep Interview

I conducted 12 in-depth interviews with users from diverse backgrounds, including students, freelancers, and professionals. Liang, a UX freelancer, and Thompson, a student, serve as representative cases, offering key insights into user challenges, platform expectations, and opportunities for fostering meaningful connections.

Persona

Service System Map

HMW?

Information Architecture

Storyboard

App Display

User Registration and Login
Edit Personal Information: Experience, Education (verified through school email), Skills System
Setting for User’s Preferences

Raising a Question: Post from question input box
Receiving a Response: Responses from verified users from Inbox
Viewing Detailed Response in Answer Page, Evaluating Response
Responder’s Profile Accessible

Receiving a Question: Explore questions from others in Inbox

Sharing a Response: Engage in the mutual-supportive community by answering others’ questions

Reward System: Likes, Badges, Smile Tokens (Left to Right)
Likes = Sum of Likes from All Past Responses
Each 10 Responses = 1 Badge
Making 1 Response = 1 Token Gain, Posting 1 Question = 1 Token Lost

Personalized Service Booking: reserve time slots for one-on-one help sessions at a customized price for personalized help Wallet Management: view current balance and add funds as needed.

Organized Display of Completed and Pending Services and Transaction History

Networking Web: Interactive visualization of the user's network displaying direct and extended connections, highlighting opportunities for the user’s need
Discovery Page: Explore categorized public questions curated for exploratory connections, categories tailored to professional themes
Broad Relation Network Fosters Professional Networking and Collaboration