The day of the Pitbull concert in San Diego marked the perfect backdrop for our team to come together. While some of us attended the concert that night, that morning the rest of us talked about our favorite artists, memorable concerts, and the challenges of finding people to attend events with. We realized we all shared a similar frustration: wanting to go to a concert but not having friends who shared the same music taste or could commit to joining. This sparked an idea—what if there were a platform to solve this problem? What if students could easily connect with others who loved the same music and create meaningful concert experiences together? It was clear that this app was something all of us had been searching for.
As we brainstormed, our vision for SetList began to take shape. The app wouldn’t just be about finding concert buddies—it would also address key concerns like safety, convenience, and fostering genuine connections. Whether it’s matching students with similar tastes, coordinating logistics like rides or ticket-sharing, or facilitating pre- and post-concert activities, we envisioned an app that would transform the entire concert-going experience. By focusing on the unique needs of university students, SetList would create a verified network that combines practicality and social interaction in one seamless platform.
Our goal is to revolutionize how students experience concerts. SetList isn’t just a tool—it’s a solution for those who want to share their love of music in a safe and engaging way. By addressing challenges like finding companions, coordinating plans, and ensuring safety, SetList aims to enhance the joy of live music while creating opportunities for students to form lasting connections.
Imagine wanting to attend a concert, but none of your friends share your taste in music. You consider going alone but worry about the safety and isolation of the experience. SetList bridges this gap by connecting students within the university who share similar interests and goals. Using a verified system tied to university emails, students can safely match with others who are looking for concert companions, plan shared rides, and even coordinate meet-ups before and after the event.
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SetList fosters interactions that go beyond the event itself
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Users can join group chats, create collaborative playlists, and engage in challenges that build camaraderie even before the concert day. By integrating these social features into the planning process, the app turns a solo concert plan into a collective experience, where safety, shared interests, and meaningful connections come together to create a more engaging and memorable event.
"Social Presence in Virtual Event Spaces" (Bietz et al., 2022) Overview: This paper discusses social presence in online event spaces, exploring how users perceive connections within virtual settings. Insights into creating a sense of presence can inform designs that foster genuine connections. Relevance: Findings on user interaction in event spaces could be leveraged to enhance our app’s features for pre-concert socialization, enhancing presence and connection through digital tools. www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/social-presence-in-virtual-event-spaces/
"Designing Social Systems for Engaging with Strangers" (Leshed & Wobbrock, 2017) Overview: This study explores digital tools designed to foster connections among strangers in shared experiences, providing key insights into overcoming barriers to initial interaction. Relevance: Ideas around interaction design for unfamiliar groups can directly support safe and engaging experiences on our app, particularly with initial conversations and ice-breakers.
"Managing Trust in Digital Social Connections" (Chen et al., 2020) Overview: This research focuses on trust-building measures in social computing, such as verified profiles and shared interests, which increase comfort among users. Relevance: Findings support our app’s design approach, especially through verification and mutual interests, reinforcing safe and meaningful connections.