How might we enhance authentic connection in close proximity with college students?
Duration: 10 Weeks
Project: Social App
Team: Nolan K, Jackson J, Jalen G, Vivian T, Alek G, Hanna B
Background
The prevalence of social media and digital content has created physical distance between individuals, resulting in less authentic human connections despite the benefits of increased convenience.
Phubbing [fub-bing]
Verb.
To ignore (a person or one's surroundings) when in a social situation by busying oneself with a phone or other mobile device.
*Explanation from dictionary.com
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/phubbing
Secondary Research
“College students said they need to socialize in order to thrive academically and that not having connections in their classes made it harder to reach out for help.”
*Quote from the Best Colleges Survey
https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/2022/03/10/behind-mask-college-lonely-place-students-during-covid/6981456001/
“Strangers are not interested in spontaneous conversation. Partly because people are skeptical of their ability to maintain these conversations.”
*A recent study from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Primary Research
Young adults aging 18 to 24 have a stronger need for aid in social connection, whereas the majority of older people have already established a supportive community.
It’s more satisfying when people feel like they can contribute to the conversation.
“If the person is by themselves and looks like they’d appreciate some company, I would go up and talk to them.”
*We received 75 responses from Instagram Story questions and conducted 9 interviews.
Insights
-
Crimes of Technology
Inadvertently, technology combined with disproportionally advancement in education has caused immense social problems.
Human connections are no longer authentic for the younger generations.
-
Less in More
To create less in depth but authentic in person connections can be as simple as sharing interests.
Not all connections have to be of high value.
-
Proximity is More Than Geographical
Proximity conventionally conveys difference in physical position, however, feeling close to someone can be more than just being in the same place.
Like-minded interests can often give someone a sense of proximity.
Clink.
Act 1: Conversation
Actors/Actresses
Sound Recording
Production
Music
Florent H. Hanna B. Alek G. Jalen G. Vivian T.
Aspyn Riley Max Charlie Extra #1
Epidemic Sound
Jackson J. Samantha Y.
Nolan K.
To encourage authentic connections, we want our users to put away their phones during conversations.
In this experience, users’ phones are stacked to make a centerpiece in the group. This renders the phone unusable, so all attention is put into the conversation. We want to reduce “phubbing” situations as much as possible.
Phone Stacking
After a stack is made, phones in the stack communicate with each other via NFC connection to combine all interests from the group. These interests are then analyzed and taken into consideration along with other factors, such as time, date, and broad location, to create a conversation prompt. The prompt stickiness is then measured to coach our algorithm to pick out a more interesting prompt for the group.
The Algorithm
What if you don’t have a group?
*Clink also provides the opportunity to explore nearby to find others with similar interests safely.
Act 2: Wayfinding
Actors/Actresses
Sound Recording
Production
Music
Florent H. Vivian T. Jalen G.
Aspyn Lake Extra #2
Epidemic Sound
Jackson J. Samantha Y.
Nolan K.
Safety Settings
Users can customize precisely how far and whether they want to be seen. However, the search range is generally within a few hundred feet, so finding the other party will not take too long.
*We require user authenticate with University emails to ensure safety from fraudulent activities.
