Hackathon, UI/UX
2026
FOMO
FOMO has always been about what you’re missing. We’re redefining it as what you can create: Feel Open, Make Outings.
Overview
"Making the Mundane Playful"
Brainstormed and built in 24 hours for XHacks Hackathon (the largest Design Hackathon at Carnegie Mellon University) hosted by CMU's User Experience Association, FOMO is a social coordination app that makes spontaneous hangouts easy and playful for users with busy, unpredictable schedules.
Problem
Hanging out takes planning and reaching out ahead of time.
There’s no easy way to know who’s free or down in the moment.
Planning overload, unclear availability, and lack of spontaneity.
Solution
FOMO
FOMO simplifies this with real-time coordination. Users can notify their entire friend group in just a few taps and see live updates on who’s free, while exploring upcoming plans or revisiting past hangouts to stay in the loop, transforming passive availability into active participation—driving connection, engagement, and most importantly, fun.
Process
With limited time, we decided that our ideation process should follow an issue we both frequently face to optimize our existing knowledge. We aimed to create a product that is relatable to the general CMU and college student body.
Design
View and find fun events
Quickly publish a new event, whenever
Real-time updates on friends’ plans, Instantly be notified
Post plans to have friends join with just a few taps and let friends join your spontaneous quests.
Reflection
After a long day (and night) of brainstorming, designing, prototyping, and admittedly eating far too much fried food, I walked away with a much deeper appreciation for rapid iteration and collaborative problem-solving.
What made this hackathon especially meaningful was that our project was rooted in a problem we had actually experienced ourselves. Rather than designing around a hypothetical scenario, we were able to draw from our own frustrations, quickly validate ideas with one another, and continuously refine our solution based on real needs. Working under a tight deadline pushed us to make design decisions more confidently, communicate ideas clearly, and embrace feedback without becoming attached to any single solution.
Thank you to the guests and judges Ginny Zhao (Product Designer @ Kensho Technologies), Raelin Musuraca (Director, Master of HCI @ CMU), Yann Thomas (Product + Service Design @ UPMC), and Bill Guo (Digital Product Designer @ PLUS) for hosting workshops and delivering helpful feedback!
