Bridge
1st place winner in FLUXATHON, 24 Hour UX Competition: Theme "connecting the community"
Turning disagreement into discovery.
Conceptual application to connect communities and bridge our differences.
View more working details
Project Type
Mobile App
Duration
24 hours, Fall 2018
Tools
Figma, Google Suite
Team
3 UX Designers
Design Digest
Design Digest
Bridge was created during FLUXATHON, a 24-hour interface design challenge hosted by the Future Leaders of UX at SCAD. Working under extreme time constraints, our team focused on one of today’s most urgent and complex challenges: political polarization.
We didn't skip any steps- we focused on secondary research supplemented with some quick primary research aided by our personal experiences before we moved into ideation and even made time for testing.
Our solution, Bridge, is a conceptual platform designed to foster civil dialogue by pairing users with both subject matter experts and everyday people across political perspectives. Instead of focusing on who’s right or wrong, Bridge emphasizes listening, learning, and empathy—with the goal of transforming disagreement into understanding.
Introducing Bridge
Click to view the vision video
Discover
Discover
With just one day to work, we quickly aligned on a problem space that felt timely and personally meaningful: deepening political and social division. We explored quick-hit secondary research, social behavior trends, and challenges surrounding misinformation, online discourse, and echo chambers. This early research revealed an opportunity not to change minds—but to change how people connect when they disagree.
Define
Define
As a team, we began this project with a shared concern: meaningful conversation across political divides has become rare, often replaced with hostility, avoidance, or silence. We wanted to understand what’s preventing people from engaging in healthy civic discourse—and how design might play a role in repairing that gap. Our research focused on psychological, social, and behavioral barriers to political conversation, particularly among younger adults.
Research
Through some quick secondary research, we discovered that less than half of Americans report engaging in civic or political activity, despite most having access to digital platforms that could enable it. Many people, especially younger users, feel discouraged from sharing political views online due to fear of backlash or “saying the wrong thing.” Studies also showed that people often avoid difficult political conversations altogether because they expect emotional discomfort, threat, or harm to relationships.
Through this research, several themes emerged: people crave constructive spaces, they want civil, topic-driven conversation rather than arguments, and they’re more open to engagement when conversations are framed around shared values rather than party lines. Inspired by initiatives like Common Grounds and guided by insights from Pew Research, Forbes, and academic sources, we set out to create a tool that could facilitate conversation—not confrontation—and help users find common ground in uncommon places.
Critical insights came from the Pew Research Center and included some illuminating information.
“In a nationwide survey conducted by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, less than 50% of Americans have directly taken part in civic engagement within their community within the last 12 months. “
First, 48% of adults directly take part in a civic group or activity.
In this survey, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project measured several broad categories of civic activity that Americans might engage in. The first finding is that half (48%) of American adults directly took part in a civic group or activity in the 12 months preceding our August 2012 survey. This includes anyone who did one or more of the following six activities:
35% of American adults have recently worked with fellow citizens to solve a problem in their community
22% have attended a political meeting on local, town, or school affairs
13% have been an active member of a group that tries to influence the public or government
10% have attended a political rally or speech
7% have worked or volunteered for a political party or candidate
6% have attended an organized protest
Start with empathy and values: Respondents suggested opening political discussions by sharing personal stories and the values that shape their beliefs.
Focus on shared identity: Participants recommended highlighting common ground—such as hobbies, lifestyle, or personality traits (e.g., “I’m a dog lover, baker, and artist”)—to humanize conversations.
Ask thoughtful questions: Prompts like “What would it take to change your mind?” or “What news sources do you trust?” were seen as powerful tools to deepen dialogue.
Build respect-first platforms: Many emphasized the importance of respectful engagement, advocating for environments that prioritize understanding over debate.
Support self-reflection and civility: Ideas included pre-conversation political tolerance surveys to help users assess their readiness to engage respectfully.
Consider anonymous options: Some suggested anonymity could help reduce judgment and bias, creating safer spaces for open dialogue.
Remember how this whole project was done in 24 hours? This is one of the areas that it shows- no pretty graphics here! Just a text analysis.
Design
Design
With time ticking, we rapidly ideated and wireframed a conversational experience. The app centers around guided, topic-based discussions with two key types of participants:
Everyday folks sharing lived experiences
Subject matter experts offering clarity and context
The interface supports structured conversations with prompts, neutral moderation, and profile transparency—all designed to foster trust, curiosity, and calm exchange. Our visual language emphasized neutrality and openness, avoiding red vs blue tropes while reinforcing balance and respect.
DISCUSSION
Used when two people come together to discuss, helping to facilitate conversation / match people of opposing views / match people who want to learn more about the same topic
Tips for navigating difficult discussions, tips for active listening, empathy
AI bot to remind people to keep it civil, keep it fun, keep it cute & casual
Time reminders on each side talking
Bot can be prompted at times
The users can request a topic to get started, and request a new issue to discuss if they reach a dead end
Helps break the ice and keep conversation flowing
INFORMATION
Information/research per topic
flashcards style?(concise, short and simple for busy folks)
Global issues? (and how they affect Americans/ American president’s effect)
Skim / daily brew style of easily digestible info
Source of unbiased information
QUIZZES
Quizzes (potentially part of onboarding)
Help people learn more about what they do and don’t know
Bot suggests how to learn more about an issue, where to go
These questions can pair people up for discussion
Option for people to talk to people nearby, or far away
Paper prototypes:
Mid fi:
The team presenting to judges.
Deliver
Deliver
In just 24 hours, we delivered a polished clickable prototype that demonstrated the end-to-end experience—from onboarding to matched conversations and post-dialogue reflections.
Bridge was selected as 1st place by a panel of professional judges, who recognized its creative approach to one of the most complex and pressing UX challenges of our time.
Debrief
Debrief
Bridge proved that even in high-pressure, time-limited environments, it's possible to design with empathy, strategy, and impact. This project deepened my appreciation for designing within social complexity and reinforced the value of thoughtful interaction design as a tool for civic healing. It also highlighted the importance of team synergy, fast decision-making, and clarity of purpose in sprint-based creative work.
The greatest outcome of this project was getting to design with my freshmen mentee, Cherie. This was the first time she had gone through the UX design process and it was rewarding to get to teach and mentor her and then win first place with her. The following year, she went on to lead her own team to another FLUXATHON first place victory.
