It’s hard to say when you meet one.

Growing up, best friends were the ones you bonded with, the ones that you shared classes with, the one you shared your darkest secrets with…it was meant to be forever.

I had one in middle school. Although it never felt quite true even when she gave me a BFF necklace. She gave me both pieces and I wasn’t ever sure if I was supposed to give one half to her. I never did.

Approaching high school, our friendship became competitive as we tried to outdo each other in AP classes, hours we put into peer tutoring, and the gifts we gave each other. It was exhausting and we went our separate ways when we went to college—although it was the same university.

In the digital era, I have the option to put someone on my home screen on my phone. I can quickly dial the person, view their status update across twitter and facebook, and see their message instantaneously.

As a UX designer and researcher at a mobile company, I wanted a design solution to filter all the emails, phone calls, and text messages to the people that mattered. Beyond family members and significant others, the solution was simply…favorites.

During a brainstorm for this design, a coworker looked me and said, “Best friends.”

Family, significant others and best friends. Of course, we would always want to hear what was important from our best friends, right?

He had just moved to San Francisco and only knew a handful of people. Having started a new phase of my life, I suddenly was looking for interesting people. So I welcomed him into my social life—inviting him to symphonies, plays with my friends. We shared similar music tastes and a love for food. But most importantly, we shared conversations about ourselves and who we could be.

Best friends.