interRail: Reshaping social media to create a thriving and healthy internet
interRail
project type
Concept
ROLE
Individual project
EXPERTISE
Market research, product development, branding, prototyping, UI/UX-design
YEAR
2025
Project Description
interRail is the new social media platform to replace all the current and put users back in control of their experience. Through a transparent, ethical and community-oriented business model, interRail aims to turn the internet into the powerful connecting tool people deserve.
This platform takes the essential features social media users expect for their every-day life and combines them with a set of innovative concepts, with the sole aim of enabling effective and fun communication, authentic sharing, engagement and discovery, as opposed to the current model where the real product are the users.
Context
interRail was created as the final project for the Digital Concept Development degree by Emilio.
Timeline
Throughout April and May 2025
Background
The project consisted in applying the knowledge acquired along the Digital Doncept Development studies on all stages of the project, with the aim of delivering a detailed concept that could solve a self-formulated problem.
Process
The integral development of the project lasted seven weeks and was structured based on the Double Diamond model.
Research & Planning
Conducted market research and analysed the needs, worries, pain points and wishes of both users and non-users of social media platforms. Outlined structures and sketched abstract concepts of the relationships between individuals and groups, the information they share, the channels and the roles of each element to create an understanding of what a social media platform ought to be.
Design & Prototyping
After evaluating multiple naming possibilities, a logotype and visual identity were developed with the aim of communicating the values and value proposition of the product.
Created an interactive prototype of the iOS version of the app to test the navigation, user onboarding process and interactions. As part of the iterative process, the prototype was quickly levelled up into a realistic prototype to be able to test the general concept and aesthetics with potential users.
Solution
To present the concept, a realistic interactive prototype of the iOS version allows users to explore the platform from creating an account to capturing an sharing content.
Additionally, a minimal prototype of the Android version demonstrates how the mobile experience would take advantage of the different interfaces to optimise resources, ensure performance and facilitate development.
Concept
interRail is based on three premises:
Establishing a mainstream European alternative to the dominant social media platforms.
Creating a business model whose value proposition is digital communications, not advertisement nor data collection.
Complimenting the inherently ethical and transparent business model with innovative features that push the possibilities of digital communication forward for the benefit of the users.
To address these premises, the concept was set to revolve around six core principles:
User-Centric Purpose: A tool designed exclusively to facilitate online communication and interaction—users are the sole customers, not the product.
Familiar Functionality: Offers recognizable social media features while meeting user expectations for usability.
Innovative Interaction: Experiments with new engagement methods, including AI-driven tools, to push boundaries.
User-Controlled Content: Feeds display only what users opt to see, in their preferred order—no ads or unsolicited posts.
Exploration and Discovery: Platform exposes new realities, topics and actors to the users, without them being forced in through ads or algorithms.
Wellbeing-First Design: Prioritizes mental, physical, and financial health by fostering engaging (not addictive) experiences and amplifying diverse voices without algorithmic or ad-driven bias.
Features
Essentials
Posting
Users can share and interact with multiple kinds of content in a familiar way. This includes text, images, videos, media galleries, URL's and polls.
Circles
User groups of different kinds. Each Circle has its own feed and group chat.
Channels
Collections of Circles, profiles and content related to different categories.
Instants
Ephemeral posts.
Messages and calls
The integration of fully capable chat and call functionalities helps position interRail as a complete solution to every-day digital communications.
Special features
Open reactions
Users can choose any emoji or pictogram to react to content, thus creating more personal and authentic interactions, where quality is set above the amount of 'likes'.
audioRail
AudioRail merges podcasts, short-form updates, and AI to create a daily, personalized audio feed of voice clips from close friends and family—letting users share stories, emotions, or ambient sounds (like music) in 2-minute recordings, while AI transcribes, sequences, and curates them into a seamless, ad-free listening experience for hands-free moments (e.g., commuting, cooking).
Inspired by the need for deeper, low-effort connection—especially for busy lives or long-distance relationships—it prioritizes authentic, human-centric updates over polished visuals, with optional retraction before publishing and 24-hour availability per episode.
interRail AI
interRail AI lets users share AI-generated posts—prompts and unique responses—so friends can experiment with the same input (text, images, or chatbot conversations) and compare personalized outputs, leveraging generative AI’s inherent variability.
Exposure Limits
Replacing ineffective time restrictions with content-based limits: users set a cap on posts displayed (e.g., 50/day), blocking infinite scroll while keeping messaging, calls, and core functions active. Includes:
A one-daily 10-minute override for urgent browsing.
Consumption insights (e.g., "Scrolled 23,4 metres in 49 mins") paired with actionable alternatives ("Explore an unknown part of the city?").
Delayed, locked settings to discourage impulsive changes—prioritizing mindful use over platform addiction.
Intelligent Summaries
Intelligent Summaries leverages AI across interRail to dynamically surface and contextualize content. The system:
Curates personalized highlights (e.g., a friend’s event in an active Circle) in a dedicated hero section, blending visual summaries with behavioral cues (your interactions, post urgency, shared context).
Auto-generates descriptive metadata for AudioRails, Circles, and profiles—analyzing tone, content, and user patterns to label groups (e.g., "High School Reunion 2025" vs. "Study Group") or summarize voice updates, reducing manual effort while adding clarity.
Adapts continuously, ensuring key information cuts through noise without algorithmic bias—whether in feeds, notifications, or discovery.
