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Wave

Made by Anjali Austin 11th Grader HS

A map-based social app helping Austin high schoolers discover and share local third spaces downtown.

We designed Wave because high schoolers spend so much of their social life online, but we're craving real spaces to hang out, create, and connect. We wanted an app that feels like it's for us, by us — where peer recommendations come first and the coolest local spots don't get buried under chain restaurants.

— Anjali

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Design Screens

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Wave splash screen with flowing hand-lettered logo, tagline 'Local. Real. By Austin High Schoolers,' and diverse teens at downtown Austin spots screen
Welcome to Wave — local discovery by and for Austin teens
Home dashboard showing trending nearby spaces like Austin Public Library, Mozart's Coffee, and SPARK Austin Makerspace with category chips and social feed screen
See what's trending and what your peers are up to
Search and explore screen with vibe filters like Chill, Creative, and Study, amenity tags, cost filters, and space results with ratings screen
Filter by vibe, amenities, and budget to find your spot
Interactive map of downtown Austin with custom teal pins marking third spaces, walking route to Mozart's Coffee, and multi-modal transport options screen
Navigate to your next hangout by walk, bike, bus, or car
Place detail page for Mozart's Coffee showing ratings, vibe tags, amenities grid, check-in button, and peer reviews from the community screen
Check in, share your experience, and see what others think

Wave is a social discovery platform designed by high schoolers at Austin High School. It helps teens find and share local third spaces — libraries, cafes, makerspaces, and creative hubs — in downtown Austin. Unlike generic map apps that treat every business the same, Wave puts smaller, independent local spots front and center, surfacing the hidden gems that big platforms overlook.

What Makes Wave Different

Most third space apps are utility tools: search, find, go. Wave flips that by making social sharing and peer recommendations the core experience. When you open the app, you see what your friends checked into this week, which spots are trending among Austin teens, and honest reviews from people your age. The map is the organizing structure, but community is the engine. Vibe-based filters like “Chill,” “Creative,” and “Study” let you search by mood instead of keyword, and amenity tags — free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly, LGBTQ+ friendly, accessible — help you find spaces that actually fit your needs.

Built By Teens, For Teens

Wave is not just another app with a youth-friendly paint job. It was conceived, designed, and shaped by high schoolers who know firsthand what their peers want: autonomy, authenticity, and places where they can be themselves. The “Submit a Space” feature means the community keeps growing as students discover new spots, and the multi-modal navigation — with walk, bike, bus, and drive options — reflects the reality that most high schoolers rely on transit, not cars. Wave bridges the gap between the online social life teens already have and the real-world community they are looking for.

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