Nook
Overview
A mobile app helping young adults discover affordable, recurring third spaces in Toronto where friendships can grow. I led the user research, testing, key user flows, and visual design.
Problem
Toronto is experiencing an ongoing loneliness epidemic in a city of 3.3 million.
37% of Torontonians feel lonely three or four days a week.
Nearly four in ten Torontonians, about 925,000 people, said they felt lonely on at least three or four days in the past week. That’s the highest of any major Canadian city surveyed.
Source: Toronto Foundation, Toronto’s Vital Signs Report 2023
204 people asked Reddit how to make friends in Toronto.
I scraped Reddit from September 2025 to September 2026 and found 204 posts of people asking how to make friends in Toronto. In a city of 3.3 million, people stills struggle to seek out human connection.
The Problem Statment
How might we help young adults in Toronto find affordable, recurring places to meet people, so friendships have a chance to grow?
Key Solutions
01 Discover Activities & Social Spots
Users toggle between Activities and Social Spots depending on intent.
02 Verified Hosts & Detailed Reviews for a Safer Experience
Users toggle between Activities and Social Spots depending on intent.
Get the vibe in seconds
with an AI summary of every review
See what matters at glance
vibe, safety and price, rated by guests
know your host is identity-verified
Look for the verified badge event
vibe, safety and price, rated by guests
See what matters at a glance
03 Filter for Recurring Events
Users toggle between Activities and Social Spots depending on intent.
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User Research
Understanding how younger people find social spots
To better understand the problem, I analyzed competing apps, surveyed 35 young adults, interviewed 5 people from my target audience, and conducted secondary research on friendship.
My goal was to understand how young adults find places to socialize, what gets in the way, and what they’re looking for instead.
Secondary Research
Competitor Analysis
Survey
Discovery is scattered.
77% rely on Instagram to find events, yet half find juggling apps frustrating and 48% still hear about them too late.
Young adults have low trust.
66% find event platforms spammy or dubious, yet 71% want a regular group to belong to.
Cost and vibe decide.
97% weigh cost first, and 83% need to know the vibe before they commit.
Interviews
“How might we help young adults in Toronto easily discover third spaces before they disappear from the city?”
— Daniel Kahane, 23 · Software Developer
“How might we help young adults in Toronto easily discover third spaces before they disappear from the city?”
— Daniel Kahane, 23 · Software Developer
“How might we help young adults in Toronto easily discover third spaces before they disappear from the city?”
— Daniel Kahane, 23 · Software Developer
TLDR;
Lo Fi Sketches
Mid Fidelity User Testing
Visual Design
Final Product
Reflections