Based on our interviews with recent graduates, I developed a proto-persona focused on an anxious new graduate who struggles to maintain college friendships not primarily due to logistics or busyness, but because of anxiety around reaching out. This pattern emerged in our interviews, particularly exemplified by quotes like “I always second-guess myself, like, ‘Am I bothering them?'” and “the longer we don’t talk, the bigger that whole thing becomes.”
The journey map tracks this persona through five key stages: Initial Post-Grad Isolation, Slipping into Routine & Losing Touch, Growing Anxiety About Time Passed, Overcoming Anxiety to Reach Out, and Maintaining Consistent Communication. This progression reveals how physical disconnection feeds into anxiety about reaching out, which then makes it harder to break out of isolated routines – suggesting opportunities for solutions that specifically address the anxiety barrier preventing many recent graduates from maintaining their college friendships.
