Inspiration
Our inspiration came from a universal problem almost everyone faces today: socializing offline has become hard.
People are constantly connected online, yet real-world interaction is slowly disappearing. Instead of meeting up, we scroll. Instead of talking to new people, we stay in our comfort zones. Many people have forgotten how to socialize offline or avoid it altogether because it feels awkward, inconvenient, or hard to plan.
We realized the issue isn’t that people don’t want to meet others. It’s that there’s no simple, low-pressure way to turn free time into real-world interaction. The problem isn’t a lack of social apps, but a lack of tools that help people actually show up in the real world.
SocialCue was built to solve this gap to make meeting people in real life feel natural again, whether it’s through shared interests or completely spontaneous connections.
SocialCue started from a simple question: What if making real-world plans was as easy and low-pressure as opening an app?
What it does
SocialCue connects people in real life by actively matching them with others nearby and giving them a clear reason to meet.
In the first mode, users can choose to meet new people based on shared interests or opt into a “Surprise Me” option to be matched with someone completely different. SocialCue already knows when users are free and spontaneously pairs two available people nearby. Both users are notified at the same time, shown who they're meeting, and given a location to meet within a fixed time frame. By doing this, the app removes the awkwardness of initiating plans and gives both users a clear excuse to meet someone new.
In the second mode, users choose an activity they want to do right now, such as a sport, like table tennis. SocialCue looks at nearby users who want to do the same activity and connects them instantly. This allows people to immediately do what they want while naturally meeting someone new, simply because the app brought them together.
Users can:
- Choose an activity they want to do right now (sports, food, walks, etc.)
- Set their availability and location
- Or opt into a more spontaneous mode to meet someone new at random
SocialCue handles the matching and coordination, turning “I’m bored” or “no plans” into an actual meetup in minutes.
How we built it
We built Social Que using Next.js 14 (App Router) to leverage the latest React server components and API routes.
Backend: We used Prisma ORM with a relational database to manage complex user relationships, matching logic (Requests, Meets), and chat history.
Frontend: Styled with Tailwind CSS and Lucide React icons. We focused heavily on "Glassmorphism" and vibrant gradients to give the app a modern, high-energy feel.
Matching Engine: We implemented a custom weighted matching algorithm in our API routes (api/meet/match). It takes into account user location, and interests.
Real-Time Interaction: We built a robust polling mechanism to handle match status updates and instant messaging, ensuring users feel immediately connected without the complexity of a full WebSocket server for the MVP.
Challenges we ran into
One of the primary hurdles was designing a matchmaking interface that felt intuitive rather than overwhelming. Transitioning users from a digital platform to real-world activities (like community service or sports) required careful consideration of UI/UX flows to ensure the "cue" to meet up was clear. Additionally, configuring Auth0 to align perfectly with our custom Next.js environment while maintaining branding consistency required several rounds of debugging and testing.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Three Apps in One: We managed to integrate three distinct matching modes—Meet (Social), Activities (Sports), and Community (Service)—into a single cohesive interface. Each feels unique but shares the same underlying engine, proving our backend's flexibility.
What we learned
User Psychology: We learned that user friction (like long sign-up forms) kills engagement. We refactored our entire onboarding flow to be distinct, step-by-step, and strictly visually guided, which drastically improved the "feel" of getting started.
Database Schema Design: Modeling the "Request-to-Match" lifecycle taught us valuable lessons in relational database design, specifically how to handle reciprocal relationships and status transitions efficiently.
What's next for SocialCue
Next, we want to:
- Add safety features like soft verification and post-meet feedback
- Improve matching logic using past interactions and availability patterns
- Expand categories beyond activities into community services and interest-based events
- Test SocialCue on a university campus to study real-world adoption
Our long-term vision is to make SocialCue a daily nudge that helps people reconnect with the world around them.
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