Designer

Bloom

Problem Overview

Once an experience ends, people are often left to interpret what it meant, what they learned, or how they feel. This track explores how design can help people process experiences, big or small, so they can gain insight, closure, or growth rather than moving on too quickly.

Our Solution

After a breakup, most college students don't reflect. They open TikTok, redownload Tinder, fill their schedules, and convince themselves they're fine. After conducting 6 interviews, 15+ survey responses, and web scraping public forums, we found that 86.7% of students reported sadness and grief, 60% defaulted to self-blame, and nearly half reported lasting mental health effects or unresolved closure. Avoidance coping predicts significantly higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, and breakup distress accounts for 16% of variance in academic performance. Meaningful growth only comes after emotional distance, but students rarely get there when they need it most. Without anything to scaffold that process, coping becomes a permanent substitute for closure.