HUB
HUB is a verified student-driven platform that helps college students discover the best places to eat, study, and socialize — powered by authentic campus reviews. Project currently operating under the working title “HUB”. Final brand name to be announced.
Overview
HUB is designed as a campus-first discovery engine, starting in Madison, WI (40,000+ students). Unlike Yelp, The platform verifies students via .edu email and aggregates authentic reviews for restaurants, cafes, parks, study spots, and nightlife.
HUB focuses specifically on student needs — affordability, proximity to campus, and healthy lifestyle filters.
Role
Product Designer & Engineer
Duration
12+ weeks (Ongoing)
Platform
iOS, Android
Stack
React Native,Supabase, Figma
The Challenge
Generic platforms like Yelp are too broad for student-specific needs. No centralized place for authentic, verified student opinions. Word-of-mouth recommendations are fragmented across group chats and social media.
- Low trust in anonymous reviews.
- Students waste time deciding where to eat or hang out.
- Healthy and budget-friendly options are hard to filter quickly.
Process & Timeline
Weeks 1–2
Research & Validation
Identified college students as the primary users and studied how they currently discover places around campus. Analyzed gaps in platforms like Yelp and found that they lack student-specific filters and verified opinions.
Weeks 3-6
Product Design
Designed the core UX flows and interface in Figma. Defined user journeys for place discovery, review submission, and profile creation. Built reusable UI components and structured the information architecture before development
Weeks 7–12
Mobile App & Backend Architecture
Built the mobile application using React Native and implemented the backend using Supabase. Designed a relational Postgres schema for places, reviews, users, and tags. Implemented authentication with .edu verification and configured row-level security policies to ensure data integrity and secure access control.
Key Screens
Main screens
Onboarding screens
Place details and review screens
Results & Impact
40,000+
Target Market
Students in Madison, WI
5
Initial Categories
Food, Coffee, Parks, Study, Nightlife
Campus-by-Campus
Expansion Model
Scalable playbook
Key Learnings
Starting with one campus makes it easier to build something students actually care about. Verified student accounts build real trust in reviews.
- Start hyperlocal before scaling.
- Design incentives for contribution, not just consumption.
- Marketplace products require trust mechanisms early.
Interested in working together?
I'm open to new projects and collaborations.