Overview

The problem that we aimed to address is the challenges in forming connections and a sense of belonging among students at Bowdoin College. Our proposed solution is the "Food with Friends" website, which aims to facilitate low-effort social connections through food-oriented activities. We have developed a website that allows users to plan dinners with strangers and close friends through a matching system and share leftover food from club or personal events with the Bowdoin community on a newsfeed to expand users’ social networks and strengthen existing relationships. The user study revealed that most users find our user interface design to be friendly, effortless and intuitive while some also find our website exciting and helpful. The results suggest that Food with Friends has the potential to be effective in helping Bowdoin students form connections with one another. Our design and findings provide a prototype and insights that could be useful for future applications that aim to promote community-building among college students, especially at Bowdoin College where the study is conducted.