project objective
Solve a problem in the world with design to disruptively improve human life using the most innovative, useful, and meaningful technologies.
secondary research trend research
In order to discover growing trends within our chosen field, I helped to discover trends in family relationship dynamics by doing broad research across categories and topics such as family communication, traditional family roles, military family dynamics, and sibling relationship dynamics.
Family Today – A Study of US Families. AARP.
Key findings on marriage and cohabitation in the U.S. Pew Research Center.
Sibling Relationships during the Transition to Adulthood. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Beyond Happiness: Thriving. AARP.
secondary research key findings
After narrowing our research scope to families separated by distance and a week of expansive secondary research, we further specified our project scope by focusing on four key findings.
“It may be easier than ever to stay in touch, but multiple forms of connectivity don’t equal closeness.We do not become close unless we learn about deeper aspects of their lives and become part of their world.”
Mahzad Hojjat. University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.
“People who spend time with family and friends find healthier ways to cope with stress. People use family and friends as a stress buffer, talking about their problems instead of seeking negative coping mechanisms.”
Four Reasons Friends and Family are Good for Your Health. Piedmont Healthcare.
“The emotional support provided by social ties enhances your psychological well-being. One study found that people who view their friends and families as supportive reported a greater sense of meaning in life and felt like they had a stronger sense of purpose.”
Four Reasons Friends and Family are Good for Your Health. Piedmont Healthcare.
“To improve family dynamics, make it a point to share a family dinner together at least two or three times a week. The important thing is that you are utilizing the time to zero in on your family and to focus on talking about your day or other things going on in life at that moment.”
Four Reasons Friends and Family are Good for Your Health. Piedmont Healthcare.
secondary research competitive analysis
Assessing ecosystems that currently exist within our opportunity space allowed us to identify key features we would include in our family connection ecosystem.
Mimics the feeling of your partner's touch when you’re separated. Vibrates and lights up to remind you that your partner is thinking of you.
Pro
Knowing your significant other is thinking of you
Con
Few interactions other than vibrations and lights
Possibility Moving Forward
Allow users to interact with their loved ones
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Create and join watch parties for movies, video games, or Facetime. Talk and share time together while watching entertainment.
Pro
Enjoy your time, while spending it with others
Con
Poor reviews & UI, difficulties streaming
Possibility Moving Forward
Give users a way to enjoy their time, without streaming
Casually talk to family, listen to music, display your favorite photos, & more. A smart camera and AR support allow for engaging family connection.
Pro
Movement tracking for video chatting, and AR support
Con
Used strictly for video chatting and Alexa
Possibility Moving Forward
Allow users to video chat, but not as the only function.
additional research COVID-19 perspective
The COVID-19 pandemic hit halfway through the completion of this project, which, as COVID has done with many trends, drastically sped up the trends we were discovering in people separated from loved ones by distance. To the team, it became imperative to observe these user needs that may have developed amidst this crisis, and to address them through the implementation of key features in the Basis ecosystem.
The rapid implementation of social distancing is necessary to flatten the coronavirus curve, but it’s going to cause a “social recession.”
Vox – Coronavirus will also cause a loneliness epidemic
“Social Recession could be a collapse in social contact that is particularly hard on the populations most vulnerable to isolation and loneliness — older adults and people with disabilities or preexisting health conditions.”
Vox – Coronavirus will also cause a loneliness epidemic
“To compensate for the reduction of in-person social interaction, we must ramp up our virtual communication and ensure we are not losing touch with friends and family.”
Vox – Coronavirus will also cause a loneliness epidemic
SurveyPro found in April that at least 20% of respondents from each age group polled were lonelier than usual as a result of coronavirus.
Time – COVID-19 Is Making America's Loneliness Epidemic Even Worse.
We also found that after the establishment of social distancing, many shifted toward applications that connect them toward others, along with entertainment applications that may distract from daily stressors.
target audience archetypes
Using information gathered in the discover phase, we crafted a spectrum of archetypes, that represent the main characteristics of our target users, to be able to reference throughout the design process to ensure their desired experiences are met.
target audience persona & journey map design
Continuing by mapping out three personas based on our user archetypes, we then used these personas to create user journey maps that map the personas' communication habits over long distance, helping to point out any possible areas of opportunity.
Click a persona to expand
development preliminary concepts
smart mat
The idea with the smart mat was to have something that would be out of the way in your day to day life, but when you wanted to reach out to family you could do so with the tap of a button. The smart mat would detect different activities the user is doing and cross reference those with activities their family are doing, that way if an activity/free time lines up it can suggest they do something together. In this example. it detects that the user, Penelope, has a glass of wine on the smart mat, and suggests inviting her mom to a wine night. They could also play board games and use the smart mat as a shared digital interface.
smart mirror
The concept of the smart mirror revolves around the idea that gaps in the users schedule could be utilized for different family bonding times. There would be a number of activities that the family could do, such as yoga, board games, etc. The users could then set this up as a scheduled activity so they can have it set on their calendar over and over automatically, thus setting up a regular time to communicate.
development preliminary wireframes
final design
Introducing Basis, a collaborative family platform that establishing a sense of connectivity amongst physically distanced famil, by leveraging downtime in each member’s schedule, encouraging families to build new traditions, and emulating physical closeness through a tv video-chat ecosystem.
virtual reach out
Show you’re thinking about your family by reaching out virtually. Send a gift, play a game, or simply send them your love
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manage groups
Organize different groups within your family, connect one-on-one, reach out to extended family members.
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smart calendar
Create events and build long lasting rituals, with an AI that recognizes your families complacent schedules.
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shared content
A place to house your family’s favorite content, from fond memories, to cooking tutorials, and hilarious TikToks.
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data interactions
Track how frequently you connect with your family members, and set goals to help your family connections grow.
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group video call
Feel like you’re together again with group video calls, movie watch parties, and game nights.
ecosystem
basis ecosystem
mobile & tv
applications
The mobile app provides users the chance to easily update their families, look through shared family content, and schedule times to sit down and catch up.
The TV app gives users the capability to build lasting rituals, such as by host watch parties as well as playing immersive skeletal-tracking games while video chatting with loved ones.
basis ecosystem
base & remote
The base easily plugs into any TV using an HDMI cord. Two Skeleton-Tracking Cameras allow users gestural control of the TV app’s interface and play movement based games.
Should a user prefer to use a more familiar control, Basis provides the option to receive a simple, easy remote when they order their Base. Quickly navigate features on the TV interface.
key features
key features 1 of 6
virtual reach out
Show you’re thinking about your family by reaching out virtually. Send a gift, play a game, or simply send them your love.
key features 2 of 6
manage groups
Organize different groups within your family, connect one-on-one, reach out to extended family members.
key features 3 of 6
smart calendar
Create events and build long lasting rituals, with an AI that recognizes your families complacent schedules.
key features 4 of 6
group video call
Feel like you’re together again with group video calls, movie watch parties, and game nights.
key features 5 of 6
shared content
A place to house your family’s favorite content, from fond memories, to cooking tutorials, and hilarious TikToks.
key features 6 of 6
data interactions
Track how frequently you connect with your family members, and set goals to help your family connections grow.
a.i. architecture
Basis’ AI uses Content Filtering to glean data from actions the user makes within the Basis app and data from their external calendar applications. The AI then uses this data to create a schedule of the user’s complacent times, in order to create recommendations for the user when scheduling in app events.
explore more of the project
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