Mello
Your Home for Meaningful Connections
As a Product Designer, I led the design of Mello— a mobile app that helps students discover, create, and join campus events with ease. Designed to address student loneliness and fragmented event discovery, Mello fosters safe, approachable, and community-driven engagement for Gen Z.
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"How might we design a space where students can discover or create meaningful events with ease and confidence?"
[Overview]
College students are experiencing record levels of loneliness at a stage in life when making connections should feel effortless. The gap between opportunity and reality highlights a fundamental breakdown in how students are able to find and build community.
[Problem Statement]
Many students struggle with finding community or meaningful social activities, especially in large or commuter-based campuses. Traditional event boards or club systems are often outdated, scattered, or intimidating to approach.
Students often have difficulty discovering casual or safe campus events
Many distrust mainstream platforms like Facebook or Discord
A large portion only hear about events if personally invited
[Research & Insight]
32-student survey (18-22 y/o)
8 personal interviews
Competitive audit: Facebook Events, Meetup, Discord, Eventbrite
Key Findings
Safety was top concern
65% hesitant to join unknown-hosted events
Discovery was fragmented
72% missed events due to scattered info
Existing platforms felt outdated
58% found them cluttered or unfriendly
Students mix social + academic
45% social, 40% academic, 15% both
[High Fidelity Prototype]
[Solution]
1) College Email Verification
Account creation requires a valid college email, ensuring that all users belong to the same campus ecosystem. This builds trust and reduces safety concerns around unknown participants.
2) Personalized Event Feed
A dynamic feed highlights the most relevant events based on student interests, location, and past activity—helping students discover opportunities effortlessly.
3) Integrated Chat System
In-app messaging allows students to connect directly with peers, coordinate event details, and build stronger communities—without relying on external platforms.
4) Safety & Reporting
A streamlined reporting feature empowers students to flag inappropriate behavior or suspicious accounts quickly, ensuring a safer and more trustworthy campus network.
