Top 3 Ideas
App/widget that monitors and helps users maintain physically-distanced social relationship health through avatars and an ambient display – think BeWell.
Pros:
- Falls in the (passive x more mental strain) quadrant in our 2×2, meaning that the display nudges users to reach out to their connections; this is passive and requires little lift from the user
- Leaning into established HCI theory to encourage users to act
- Ambient avatars encourage users to care about their character’s health and wellbeing
Cons:
- Does not address the problem of struggling to find conversation topics
- The user has to be the one to actually reach out
App that feeds content and prompts the user to reach out to their friends and family by monitoring users’ text messages and social media usage. Notifications would prompt the user with automated messages that would be convenient for the user by also reading their schedule.
Pros:
- Reduces mental strain and communication fatigue of reaching out to friends and family
- Takes the pressure off of the user to generate conversation topics themselves
Cons:
- Can be intrusive to users’ privacy
- Doesn’t solve the problem of curating synchronous, deep conversations with the recipient
- Scripted conversation topics could feel less intimate
App that gives a prompt for a friend group to answer at a random time each day/week. Similarly to platforms such as BeReal, this app would send out a notification to users once a day. Rather than simply prompting the users to upload photos, our app will encourage more meaningful interactions, by asking the user to respond to a daily prompt such as “What is one thing you’re looking forward to this weekend?” Users would not be able to see their friends’ responses until they have submitted their video.
Pros:
- Incentivizes deeper reconnection efforts than similar platforms such as BeReal.
- Gives users an explicit prompt/trigger to reconnect
Cons:
- Cold start problem → If none of my friends have posted a video, why should I?
- Users may favor more private, personalized communication and may not feel comfortable sharing life updates to a group audience
- Users could grow numb to notifications after receiving the same one every day
Intervention Study
Thank you for your interest in participating in this study. Below, you will find all the necessary information about the purpose of this study, how to participate, and what will be expected of you throughout the week.
Purpose:
This study aims to understand how students and new grads stay connected with loved ones who are not physically present. Specifically, we are interested in the tools, frequency, challenges, and emotional experiences involved in maintaining long-distance relationships. Your input will help us gather valuable insights to improve tools and strategies for fostering meaningful connections.
Specifically, we will be asking you for a group of 3-5 friends or family members that are physically distant from you that you wish to communicate more with. For 4 days (i.e. the duration of your study) your study coordinator will send you a picture of a cartoon fish bowl with fish that represents your “social ecosystem.” This fish bowl will contain one fish for each of your 3-5 friends, as well as an additional fish that represents you. Based on the quality of your communication and the frequency with which you reach out, the fish bowl (and the fish inside the bowl, including your own) will either thrive or languish.
We will be sending you a picture of your custom ecosystem 1-3 times a day, based on your communication with your “ecosystem.”
Participation Guidelines:
Daily Diary Entries: For each of 4 consecutive days, record the following using the google sheet your study coordinator gave you:
- At the end of each day, log any text, call, or facetime communication
- Log the emotion you felt before seeing the ecosystem
- Log the emotion after you saw the ecosystem
Each entry should only take between 2-5 minutes to complete
Expectations:
Respond to each of the aforementioned questions each of the four days, sending an update to your interviewer at the end of the day. Your interviewer will send you updates of your virtual ecosystem throughout the day.
Intro Email
Dear ___,
Thank you for agreeing to participate in our study on staying connected with loved ones. Your input is incredibly valuable, and we’re grateful that you’ve agreed to join us. Here’s a quick overview of what to expect:
- The study will run for four days, from [start date]-[end date].
- Each day, you’ll complete a diary log, answering a set of questions about your experiences. We ask that you send your responses back to our team at the end of each day.
- You’ll receive daily reminders to help keep you on track.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. Excited to have you join us!
Best,
___________
Closing Email
Dear _______,
Thank you for participating in our study! We truly appreciate your time and thoughtfulness you put into sharing your experiences with us. Your contributions will play a key role in helping us better understand how people stay connected with loved ones and how we can work to support these relationships.
If you’re interested in seeing the product that results from these studies, just let us know and we’ll provide you with updates as they come.
Once again, thank you for your invaluable insights!
Best,
____________
