College is an opportunity for young adults to develop social behaviors. Covid imposed virtual schooling has led to first and second year college students feeling increasingly isolated and finding it difficult to build new friendships virtually. Students don't reach out to classmates due to the formality of the digital environment.

How might we create the opportunity for more serendipitous connections between classmates that do not know each other so as to positively impact their social life?

The team engaged in user & expert interviews and desk research to glean their primary insight and identify the cognitive biases at play. Students lean into interactions with new people when they have something to talk about or a starting point.

There is a hassle factor to students making new connections on digital platforms as it requires scheduling and effort. The intention-action gap between wanting to expand their social circle and their lack of follow through. And present bias that keeps them in the comfort zone of old familiar friendships.

Enter meet cute : a behavioral design intervention that is a virtual waiting room. An online facilitator invites students into a breakout room to ‘put themselves in line’ in response to a trivia question such as ‘number of languages they speak’. This invites the students to learn more about each other and connect on shared interests.

The team tested two prototypes with nine participants in English & Spanish in Canada, USA, Costa Rica & UK. The learnings led to the use of behavioral design strategies to address the cognitive biases. The facilitator reminds users of their own stated intentions, to address the hassle factor. Commitment devices like timers and concrete goals to solve the intention- action gap. And depersonalizing the decision to connect by nudging students to collaborate and reach out to each other afterwards.

Success will be measured by the number of 1:1 connections that happen between students outside of class & unprompted by this intervention. Leading to increased funding for interventions that improve social dynamics among incoming freshmen and combat social isolation on college campuses.