Dorm Dot
Dorm Dot is Stanford's campus app that helps you connect with people in your dorm and across campus. Set your status to show what you're up to, discover events happening around you, and find friends who share your vibe. Whether someone is studying, relaxing, being social, or wanting privacy, their chosen color gives others a quick, nonverbal signal of availability and mood. By blending subtle self-expression with respect for personal boundaries, Dorm Dot creates a new, lightweight way for students to understand the rhythms of their dorm community and decide when — and how — to connect.
My Role
Founder
Project
Individual Project
Timeline
Fall 2025
Tools Used
Lovable
Overview
Background
Dorm Dot began during my sophomore year at Stanford in a class focused on solving everyday “pet peeves” of college life. What started as a small idea about dorm communication quickly evolved into a concept I couldn’t stop thinking about. I designed and prototyped the full UX/UI in Figma, but constantly found myself asking, “what’s next?” Without the technical skills or bandwidth to build it myself, Dorm Dot lived only as a high-fidelity prototype — something I would show friends to spark conversations and gather feedback. That changed when I discovered Lovable, an AI-powered development platform that bridges the gap between design and code. By combining my existing Figma work, prompt engineering, and growing technical curiosity, I began using Dorm Dot as the foundation to learn full-stack app development — transforming what was once a static concept into a living, buildable product.
Design Process
Project Planning
Initial Prompt Polishing + Project Setup
Challenge
NEW Problem Statement
How might we leverage AI-powered development to reimagine dorm life as a connected, privacy-conscious community — creating a digital platform that fosters spontaneous interaction and emotional awareness while respecting the boundaries of shared living spaces?
Dot Colors | Your Status, Your Color
Dorm Dot uses six colors to represent the different moods that naturally come with dorm life: green, red, blue, orange, dark blue, and purple. Green stands for feeling at home or open to hanging out, while red signals wanting privacy or alone time. Blue is for study mode, and dark blue means quiet or reflective. Orange represents a calm, relaxed state, and purple captures the social or party vibe. Together, these colors create an easy, visual way for students to express how they’re feeling without words — helping people connect while still respecting each other’s space.
Your dot is your signal—make it work for you!
Activity | Social Engagement & Activity
The Activity page on Dorm Dot acts as a hub for what’s happening around campus — from spontaneous hangouts to casual study sessions or dorm events. Students can post short updates or “events” that describe what they’re doing or planning, giving others the chance to join in if the vibe matches their own. Whether it’s “open door movie night in Wilbur” or “late-night study in FloMo lounge,” the goal is to make it easy for moments of connection to form naturally.
Students can start by adding an event title, choosing an event type that matches their current dot color — like study, calm, or social — and setting whether it’s public or private. Public events show up across the dorm or campus feed, while private ones are visible only to selected friends. Each post can include short descriptions, links, or meeting details, giving context without clutter.
Dorm Dot URL | https://www.dormdot.com/auth
Reflection
Takeaways
Working on Dorm Dot became a way to stretch beyond design and learn what it really takes to build something end to end. I wanted to see how a concept could move from a Figma prototype to a functioning product in Lovable, and what it would mean to handle both design and development myself. The process taught me a lot about technical structure, backend logic, and taking ownership of every step in the build. I plan to keep developing Dorm Dot as a way to grow my skills in Lovable and explore what it looks like to bring an idea fully to life.
