Creating Emotional Service design An investigation in how to support people in coping with social isolation by enabling for opportunities to be alone together
Lin Johnsson
Interaktionsdesign Bachelor 22.5HP Spring 2021 Supervisor: Li Jönsson
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Abstract
How might we through emotional service design investigate how to support people in coping with social isolation by enabling for opportunities to be alone together? This is the research question this interaction design bachelor thesis, through applying theories of emotional and service design, has been aiming towards investigating. What is presented in the work is a merge of the terms, emotional service design. In addition to this, a service to help improve its user’s well-being and ability to cope with the effects of an isolated stay-at- home life is proposed. The conducted research has taken a qualitative approach, using methods of semi-structured interviews, affinity-diagramming, cultural probes, co- creative workshops and prototype testing, insights indicating that loneliness can be combated through two main ways: by finding an activity-based escape or by connecting with people or others. What is argued for is the importance of keeping emotional reactions in mind when designing for experiences.
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Acknowledgements
This project has had its up and its downs and without the support from family and friends I would not be sitting here writing the acknowledgment section today, so thank you. Thank you Melika, for our endless discussions and Zoom-coffees. Thank you, Li, for challenging me and providing support to the very end. Thank you, E, you know who you are. Thank you to all the participants for allowing me to get a glimpse into your lives. And of course, a final thanks to my beautiful dog Alice. Thank you for reminding me to take breaks, to get some fresh air and reflect.
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Table of contents
1 Introduction ...... 6 1.1 Aim ...... 6 1.2 Delimitations ...... 7 1.3 Design positioning ...... 7 1.4 Ethical considerations ...... 8 2 Background ...... 8 2.1 Social isolation & loneliness ...... 9 2.1.1 Historical perspectives on loneliness ...... 9 2.2 Emotional services ...... 11 2.2.1 Service design ...... 11 2.2.2 Emotional design ...... 11 2.2.2.1 Visceral ...... 12 2.2.2.2 Behavioral ...... 12 2.2.2.3 Reflective ...... 12 2.2.2.4 The levels relating to each other ...... 13 2.2.3 Emotional service design: breaking it down ...... 13 2.3 Related work: services to cope with loneliness ...... 14 2.3.1 Puppy society ...... 14 2.3.2 QuarantineChat ...... 15 2.3.3 The loneliness project ...... 15 2.3.4 Relevance & positioning ...... 16 2.3.5 Applying theory ...... 17 3 Methods & design process ...... 18 3.1 Part one: getting to know the participants ...... 18 3.1.1 Semi-structured interviews ...... 19 3.1.1.1 The participants ...... 19 3.1.1.2 Affinity diagramming ...... 20 3.1.1.3 The insights: Coping ...... 22 3.1.1.4 The insights: Presence ...... 24 3.1.2 Cultural probes ...... 25 3.1.2.1 01 Short story...... 26 3.1.2.2 02 Say it with a picture ...... 26 3.1.2.3 03 Change it up ...... 27 3.1.2.4 04 Give it some time ...... 27
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3.1.3 Designing loneliness together: Workshops in social isolation ...... 29 3.1.3.1 The first session ...... 29 3.1.3.2 The second & third session ...... 31 3.1.4 Part one: Summary ...... 33 3.2 Part two: ConnectiFlow, a design proposal ...... 34 3.2.1 Ideation ...... 34 3.2.2 ConnectiFlow ...... 34 3.2.3 Why an app? Connecting to the fieldwork ...... 35 3.2.4 Sketching & prototyping ...... 36 3.2.5 Wireframes & paper prototype ...... 37 3.2.6 Digital prototype: First iteration ...... 40 3.2.7 Digital prototype: Second iteration ...... 40 3.2.7.1 Visceral ...... 41 3.2.7.2 Behavioural ...... 42 3.2.7.3 Reflective ...... 42 3.2.8 Digital prototype: Third iteration ...... 43 3.2.8.1 Reflecting on the design ...... 45 3.2.9 Part two: Summary ...... 45 4 Discussion & Reflection ...... 46 4.1 Why emotional design? ...... 46 4.2 Reflection ...... 47 4.3 Contribution ...... 48 4.4 Future work ...... 49 5 Conclusion ...... 50 6 References ...... 51
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1 Introduction
Fear, social isolation and loneliness. A world turned upside down. The past year did not turn out like anyone could have ever imagined, and we have had to re-think our way of living. With this, comes new issues, and new responsibilities for us as designers. Responsibilities not only for today, but for the tomorrow. This thesis work is a part of prepping for this, emotionally and socially. Negative emotions such as stress or sadness are emotions we have all experienced and coped with before, but that with social isolation might have taken a stronger presence in our minds. What this thesis is therefore proposing is a service and tool designed for coping with what the world has now given us. A service which is hoped to help improve its users well- being and ability to cope with the effects of an isolated stay-at-home everyday life. The topics this thesis is based upon are therefore: loneliness, social isolation and coping as well as emotional service design, something which will be further expanded upon in the upcoming background section below. In investigating this, the following research question has been created: How might we through emotional service design investigate how to support people in coping with social isolation by enabling for opportunities to be alone together? Keeping emotional reactions in mind when designing for experiences is important, this is what determines the overall impression of a design. How it is perceived, how it is experienced. The usage of the term alone together, has been inspired by the hashtag, #alonetogether, and its website (alonetogether.com, n.d) created as a social distancing campaign to help people navigate the new normal during the pandemic. The website includes advice and recommendations on how to stay safe and how to take care of yourself and others as well as on how to stay calm and cope in times like these.
1.1 Aim This project is an opportunity to understand loneliness, coping and the feelings social isolation bring, making it valuable in a context beyond this pandemic. In addition to this, it provides a perspective of how we can design for this type of crisis, how we through design, can create a bridge between people, enabling for opportunities to be alone together. Furthermore, the project has been aiming towards exploring the way people are living in times like these, providing a deeper understanding of people’s habits and everyday life. Exploring different levels such as loneliness, social isolation, COVID-19 and which role technology and design could play in this, is giving a complexity to the issue. What has been of interest to investigate and understand in this thesis is therefore the complexities and problems
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people have struggled with in times of the pandemic. What does it mean to be lonely and how do we cope with this? Summarizing the work that has been conducted during these past weeks, the project has been two-fold, meaning that it has grown to consist of two different parts or aspects. The first part being about understanding people, understanding how they have coped with social isolation and loneliness. While the second part has been about addressing the negative consequences of loneliness and social isolation by proposing a service for being alone together. Because of this, the structure of this thesis is taking a two-fold approach where the initial stages involve a more methodological approach were getting to know the target group is central. This part is followed by a design process-oriented approach with leads up to a final design proposal. This design proposal is hoped to promote well-being amongst people, something which is well in line with UN’s third sustainability goal, good health and well-being (un.org, n.d).
1.2 Delimitations As is communicated above, this topic is both broad and complex. In order to narrow it down and give the study specificity, the following delimitations have been used and applied as guidelines. Instead of focusing on multiple living situations, the target group for this project has been narrowed down to single household individuals who in one way or another, has experienced the feeling of loneliness during this time of social isolation. Individuals with different ages, backgrounds and social as well as work lives have been chosen, what they all have in common however, is that they live alone, socially isolated, and lonely. Along the way one exception to this was made, one of the participants does normally live with her boyfriend but is alone over periods of time when he is out of town. All of the interviews and research involving this specific participant took place in a time when she was and had been alone. Since experiences of loneliness are of importance to this study, individuals living alone but not feeling lonely will not be included in this research. To avoid ethical issues and troubles related to consent, all participants in this study have been over 18. This project has been aiming towards gathering a deeper understanding of people and their actions as well as experiences in their everyday life in a time where the possibilities for social connections and actions outside of the home environment are limited. A context and living situation without social isolation will therefore not be investigated.
1.3 Design positioning Because this is an interaction design thesis project, it has been conducted within this field and perspective. The definition of interaction design can seem both broad and complex, summarized and simplified by Yu Siang
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(2020) however, it is described as “the design of interaction between users and products” with the goal to “create products that enable the user to achieve their objective(s) in the best way possible” (Yu Siag, 2020). Aiming towards this, the project will focus on emotional service design, taking inspiration from the field of service design as well as Normans (2004), emotional design. These terms are acting as a basis to this project and will be further expanded upon in the soon upcoming background section below.
1.4 Ethical considerations The chosen methods are semi-structured interviews, cultural probes and workshops. In line with Kvale and Brinkmann (2009, p. 88-89), all the interviewees and subjects have been anonymized, and the information gathered has been kept strictly confidential. No names or identities have been at the risk of being exposed. Due to the current situation, the work has been kept digital and on distance. Participants might not be comfortable with sharing parts of their everyday life and have therefore in advance been made aware of that they could chose to end their participation at any moment and time. In addition to this, the subject of mental health and coping might be viewed as sensitive and it, as well as the participants, therefore needed to be handled with care. The topic was made clear beforehand, this to avoid or minimize possible discomfort on the subject and situation. Finally, the participants have been informed on the purpose of the research, its duration and how the collected data has been stored and used.
2 Background
With 132 639 092 cases and 2 857 866 confirmed deaths worldwide, updated 8th of April 2021 (ecdc.europa.eu), COVID-19 has hit the world like a storm. 2020 did not turn out like anyone could have ever imagined, and fear, stress, social isolation and loneliness are only few of the psychological effects we have had to deal with over the past year. The virus originated in China, more specifically in the Wuhan city of the Hubei province. In January 2020, it was declared a “global health emergency” (Jahangir, Muheem & Rizvi et al., 2020, p. 3). Even though the virus is a risk for everyone, elderly and individuals with chronic illnesses are more likely to be severely affected. Some of the reported symptoms being cough, fever, shortness of breath, headaches and body ache. In order to prevent spreading of the disease, social distancing is necessary (Jahangir, Muheem & Rizvi et al., 2020, p. 4).
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Aiming towards placing the project in a wider context, this section will be providing an overview of the topics of social isolation and loneliness. In addition to this, theories of emotional design and service design will be defined and expanded upon. Finally, some previous work on the topics will be provided.
2.1 Social isolation & loneliness Social isolation has been reported to have severe effects on mental health, effects such as depression, anxiousness and stress. In addition to this, individuals in social isolation are more prone to at risk behaviors such as for example alcoholism or self-harm. Research has shown that an increase in mental health issues is a consequence of COVID-19 and its along following social isolation (Rauschenberg & Schick, et al. 2021, p. 1). Human nature is rooted in social interactions and relationships, and taking this away, can result in what Zovetti et al. describe as Hikikomori syndrome, complete withdrawal, affecting work, education and social life (Zovetti et al., 2021, p. 1). Feelings of loneliness and perception of social isolation is thought to be connected to survival and reproduction. Being alone and separated from others, has in history and in animal research been associated with vulnerability and danger: one lonely person is easier to overpower compared to a larger group of individuals (Cacioppo et al., 2015 p. 3). Focusing on human adults, loneliness does not only come with increased anxiety, hostility and an increase in attention towards “negative social stimuli (e.g., social threats, rejection, exclusion)”, but also cognitive decline such as dementia (Cacioppo et al., 2015 p. 3). As has been mentioned before however, the topics of social isolation and loneliness are complex. One can be surrounded with people and still feel lonely and the same goes for the other way around, being alone does not necessarily equal feeling alone (Cacioppo et al., 2015 p. 2). Loneliness is often described in terms of social isolation when it instead involves experiencing a lack of connectivity, or social connections. Being in a state of social isolation does therefore not necessarily mean that a person is experiencing feelings of loneliness (McKenna-Plumely et al., 2020, p. 1). The feeling of loneliness, what it means and how it is experienced is important for understanding the topic. Loneliness is by McKenna-Plumely et al. (2020) described as a subjective experience, it can only be measured by talking to people and asking about their feelings and experiences. 2.1.1 Historical perspectives on loneliness In 1982 Perlman and Pepalu provided us with historical perspectives on loneliness as well as with a model, seen in figure 1 below, for understanding experiences of loneliness. According to authors this model is: “A conceptual model positing that loneliness occurs when there is a significant mismatch or discrepancy between a person’s actual social relations and his or her needed
10 of 53 or desired social relations” (Perlman & Pepalu, 1982, p. 571). Authors here present different types of loneliness, emotional and social. Emotional loneliness is referred to as something that occurs when the individual is lacking an intimate attachment figure such as for example parents, friends and spouses. Social loneliness on the other hand is broader and grounded in the lack of integration or involvement in communities (Perlman & Pepalu, 1982, p. 571). In addition to this, authors present and discuss coping strategies for overcoming loneliness, making their work relevant for this thesis. The notion of loneliness can be traced all the way back to Greek mythology, this in terms of themes such as aloneness presented in dramatizations. Humans are seen as “social animals, needing friendship”. Furthermore, the topics of social isolation and solitude have found their ways into the work of many philosophers. In regard to social sciences, Lonely America was presented in 1938 (Perlman & Pepalu, 1982, p. 571-572).
Figure 1 Perlman & Pepalu (1982) a model of experiencing loneliness
As mentioned above, the figure 1 model is based on there being a mismatch in a person’s social relations and a person’s needed social relations (Perlman & Pepalu, 1982, p. 572). Authors here provide two different approaches from loneliness theorists, the cognitive discrepancy model of loneliness and the social needs perspective. The cognitive discrepancy model of loneliness is, as the name implies, taking a cognitive perspective, emphasizing the match between a person’s expectations and reality. This while the social needs perspective, where the human need is central, focuses on the belief that loneliness occurs when basic human needs are not met (Perlman & Pepalu, 1982, p. 572). Placing this thesis in the context of Perlman and Peplau’s work, the social needs perspective is what becomes especially relevant. It is also within this field and perspective this thesis work has been positioned, this because what this thesis is investigating is the lack of physical closeness and physical social relations social isolation bring. Because there are different types of loneliness, Marangoni and Ickes (1989), present three different ways of measuring the actual or perceived social deficits within this perspective. The first one being the different types of social relationships, the second one being the quality of these relationships, and finally, the number and frequency of social contacts (Marangoni & Ickes, 1989, p. 107).
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2.2 Emotional services As mentioned in the introduction, this project is taking an emotional design- based approach, following some service design guidelines. From this, the notion of emotional service design has been developed and created. Below, service design and emotional design will be separately described. This, to later be compared and argued for in a short discussion. 2.2.1 Service design Service design can according to Stickdorn et al. (2018), take a few different perspectives. What is of relevance for this specific project, however, is service design as a mindset, process, and toolset. Service design as a mindset includes putting the user in front of all else. With this user-centric approach, products are incarnations of service relationships all about research, testing, and iterations. Practitioners of this approach will not be satisfied unless a project is fully implemented and with new insights for future iterations (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 21). Viewing service design from a more process-based approach, the basis lies in the word “design” being a verb and therefore also a process. This process adapts a design driven mindset, focusing on innovation and iteration, developing new and unique products, solutions and services. In doing this, early feedback, quick experiments, and constant iterations of the prototypes are central (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 21). Service design as a toolset is based on imagining service design as a toolbox with a set of tools to make the journey towards a successful design or service smoother. Pointed out by the authors however, things are rarely this easy, this because the tools need the background of a mindset or process in order to be understandable and to make sense. Nonetheless, applying the tools with the correct knowledge and context behind them, can help create new, innovative, and amazing experiences (Stickdorn et al. 2018, p., 21). Which is why all of the three approaches have been combined in this project. 2.2.2 Emotional design Emotional design is a theory created by Norman, placing emotional reactions in focus. According to Norman (2004), emotions are about assigning value. He argues that “the emotional side of design may be the more critical to a product’s success than its practical elements” (Norman, 2004, p. 5). In relation to this, three different levels of design are central: visceral, which relates to a products appearance, if it is aesthetically pleasing or not. Behavioral, which focuses on the behavior of a product, its usability as well as how effective and pleasurable it is to use. Finally, there is the reflective approach, which is about rationalization and intellectualization of design. Emotion with its intelligence and attachments is a powerful system in our body and good design does according to Norman involve all three emotional dimensions simultaneously as it balances between function and emotion
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(Norman, 2004, p. 5-6). Norman argues that human attributes such as reflection, preparation and processing is a result from three different levels of the brain. These levels are spoken about as the automatic previewed layer (the visceral level), the part controlling brain processes and everyday behavior (the behavioral level), and the contemplative part of the brain (the reflective level). Each level having an effect on how we as human beings’ function, think and act (Norman, 2004, p. 21). These dimensions will be further discussed and expanded upon below. 2.2.2.1 Visceral As mentioned above, the first initial level of Normans emotional design theory is the visceral, this is usually the users first impression of a product, making the level fast, resulting in quick judgements of good or bad (Norman, 2004, p. 22). It is something we are born with, we like sweet tasing things and dislike bitter tastes. It is about pre-consciousness and initial impressions, where the appearance and touch and feel of a product or situation matters (Norman, 2004, p. 37). Norman describes this level as “what nature does”, continuing on how we are “tuned to powerful emotional signals from the environment that get automatically interpreted” (Norman, 2004, p. 65). Because of this, a design has to feel and look good in order to give an initial positive emotional impact (Norman, 2004, p. 69). 2.2.2.2 Behavioral The behavioral level is about how we use things, how we learn to understand them, if they feel good or not. Here, a product’s appearance or whether or not it is rational is not that important (Norman, 2004, p. 69). What it is about is usability, product function, performance and effectiveness of use, it is about the experience. Here, the function is described as what the product is meant to do. The performance specifies how well it preforms the functions it is supposed to, while the usability is about the level of ease a user is experiencing when using and understanding the product. If the product fails to perform on any of these levels, it can cause frustration or confusion, lowering the products perceived value. If the product is successful however, the result is positive and warm (Norman, 2004, p. 37). “Good behavioral design should be human-centered, focusing upon understanding and satisfying the needs of people who actually use the product” (Norman, 2004, p. 81). 2.2.2.3 Reflective The reflective level on the other hand, is more conscious, involving deeper thinking about things or what we have done, did we like it, did we not like it? This is the highest level of reflective thought, where interpretation, understanding and reasoning stem from, where “the full impact of both thought and emotions are experienced” (Norman, 2004, p. 22, 38). Because this level is the deepest of the three, it also overwrites the others. It is within this level we are the most vulnerable when it comes to culture, experiences or
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education. Where personal satisfaction, memories and self-image become of importance (Norman, 2004, p. 38). This is the level that determines the overall impression of a product (Norman, 2004, p. 88). 2.2.2.4 The levels relating to each other The three levels, although different, all relate and interact with each other (Norman, 2004, p. 25). While the reflective level is highly conscious, the behavioral level is not, this is why we can subconsciously do things or preform actions, simultaneously as we are thinking about something else on the reflective level. These reflections and thoughts in turn have an effect on the lower, visceral level (Norman, 2004, p. 22-23). While having a certain connection to each other, there are also great distinctions, one of them being time. Both the visceral and the behavioral levels are about now, what is happening and being experienced in that very moment, while actually using the product. The reflective level, however, is about long-term relations, about what happens after you have finished using the product. “Through reflection you remember the past and contemplate the future” (Norman, 2004, p. 38). Because visceral design is, according to Norman, what nature does, it will always be attractive. This while the reflective level and its dependence on cultural differences and trends, will be dated (Norman, 2004, p. 67). 2.2.3 Emotional service design: breaking it down The areas of service design and emotional design are alike, yet different. What has been discovered in this thesis work is how they can benefit from each other. While emotional design, through evoking “emotions which result in positive user experiences”, focuses on the users’ needs and responses (interactiondesign.org, n.d), service design applies a greater focus on specific tools and methods. Defining the terms, methods are procedures to get you from one point to another, a way of approach, whereas tools are more concrete, such as user journey maps, spreadsheets, and storyboards. Tools can be defined through the word what, they are what we use. Methods on the other hand are all about the word how, how we do the work that we do. It can be through for example interviews, and prototypes (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 37). Applying emotions in the design of products or services can be beneficial on multiple different levels, emotions are powerful, and they can not only influence how we feel, but what we think about a design. As designers we can “learn how to assess, evoke and predict the emotional status and response of a user” (Fritz, 2019), something which in turn can result in a more meaningful user experience. Tools and methods that can be used for this are storyboards, storytelling, participatory design and experience diaries (Fritz, 2019). The methods used in this specific design process will be further described and elaborated on in a later section explaining the conducted fieldwork.
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To summarize, emotions and emotional design are all about experiences. Social isolation and experiences of loneliness has been related to Norman (2004) and his principles in a few different ways. Loneliness is a strong emotion, in this case, evoked by unmet basic human needs. To gather a deeper understanding of this, Normans (2004) work and thoughts of the human brain and how we are genetically programmed could be of use. Applying emotional service design on this project, work has been conducted on the three different levels with the goal to evoke positive emotions and through this, play a part in combating loneliness.
2.3 Related work: services to cope with loneliness To frame the topic of and exemplify further, this section will map out and discuss some of the previous work conducted within the area. The work that will be exemplified below is Puppy Society, followed by QuarantineChat and the loneliness project. 2.3.1 Puppy society Shafique (2018), discusses loneliness in the context of different work and projects. He argues that loneliness is an epidemic with underestimated effects and impacts on health and society. In order to combat this “global issue” a more mindful design of cities is suggested, allowing for new interactions and effortless social connections. One of the projects that can especially be related to this thesis is Puppy society. Puppy society is based on research showing that having a pet is an effective way of combating loneliness, connecting pets with multiple owners. As is communicated in figure 2 below, the service takes the form of an app, making it accessible from the home environment.
Figure 2 Shafique (2018) Puppy Society
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2.3.2 QuarantineChat Focusing on not only loneliness, but also social isolation and lack of connection, QuarantineChat, illustrated in figure 3 below, was created to fill the blank COVID-19 had placed us in. With the goal to spontaneously connect strangers over phone calls, QuarantineChat is both relevant and in time. Between March and June 2020, the service had 15,000 downloads from 183 different countries (Polachek, 2020). The service uses the app Dialup, making it free worldwide. The creators of Dialup, Baskin and Hawkins, are also the minds behind this new service. It works as a subscription where the user signs up for periodic phone calls based on preferred language, strangers with different backgrounds and interests are then matched and allowed to connect over distance (quarantinechat.com, n.d).
Figure 3 CuarantineChat (quarantinechat.com, n.d) 2.3.3 The loneliness project In this project, designer Korda wanted to highlight and de-stigmatize loneliness. By collecting and telling the stories of socially isolated people, posted anonymously on an online portal, Korda is showing her audience that they are not alone (Fussell, 2020). Loneliness is not abnormal, nor is it something only experienced by few. It is a common occurrence and talking about it openly and honestly could help provide a sense of connection and love. The project consists of a website, figure 4, with 300 illustrated apartments, telling 300 stories that can be visited. The apartments tell stories of the last time someone was lonely and what loneliness means to them. Korda believes that stories have the power to heal, they show us that we are not alone (thelonelinessportal.org, n.d).
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Figure 4 The loneliness project (thelonelinessportal.org, n.d). 2.3.4 Relevance & positioning All three projects are services that tackle social isolation and/or loneliness in different ways, making them relevant for this project. QuarantineChat, with a clear connection to quarantine and COVID-19, the loneliness project combating the mental health crisis that loneliness truly is, and Puppy society, showcasing how connecting with others could improve well-being. Puppy society is of relevance to this particular project because of its work on coping with loneliness through mobile applications. It provides an example of how this has been done in the past as well as on how the topic of coping can be seen from different aspects. QuarantineChat is, similar to this thesis project, suggesting a way of coping during a time of crisis. Through a digital service, the creators connect people, strangers, on a new level. What this thesis is suggesting is a similar service, focused on connecting people and strangers digitally. However, unlike QuarantineChat, this project involves tasks and actions, it is not as spontaneous, and it requires more time and effort from the users. Keeping them not only connected, but busy, providing an escape from what is weighing them down. The loneliness project centers around emotions and experiences, 300 real stories of what being lonely means to each individual. This makes the project resourceful and important when it comes to understanding loneliness. Korda’s work will in this thesis act as inspiration and as an entrance for knowledge on the topic. Like the loneliness project, stories are also a part of the service suggested in this thesis, but more so in an interactive community type of way. Users’ thoughts, shares or accomplishments can not only be read but commented, creating a bridge for connection outside of the platform.
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2.3.5 Applying theory Looking at emotional service design as well as at loneliness from the social needs perspective, which focuses on the belief that loneliness occurs when basic human needs are not met (Perlman & Pepalu, 1982, p. 572), all of the above mentioned examples have been created to tackle the issues that social isolation has brought upon us. Puppy society fulfills the need of connections other than human, it fulfills the need of company, the need of having something or someone to take care of. QuarantineChat, has been created with the aim to replace spontaneous connections one might encounter on the streets, or in a coffee shop. Through phone calls, the service connects people all over the world, providing the user with company during lonely quarantine days. This service does however seem to require a specific type of user, phone calls can be intimate, personal, a voice and fluent conversation evoking different emotions compared to for example text. The design of the website is simple, functional and easy to follow, well in line with Norman (2004) and the behavioral level. With its image of an old telephone, it brings its users back in time. Compared to the rest of the projects, the loneliness project is less of a solution and more of a medium of expression, which could be viewed upon as a need itself. Through this project or service, people are provided with the opportunity to combat loneliness through sharing and expressing how they feel. By reading stories provided by others, it makes them feel like they are not alone, fulfilling the basic need for human connection and belonging. Because Kora is a graphic designer (Fussell, 2020), the design is beautiful, appealing to the visceral level. When hovering over the apartments they light up, making the interaction smooth and intuitive. The website is simple, easy to navigate, pleasing from a behavioral perspective. Like QuarantineChat, this service could, even though anonymous, evoke personal and emotional responses among its users, this because of the depth in the stories. While QuarantineChat enables deeper one-on-one connections through private conversations, the loneliness project creates a sense of belonging and emotional satisfaction by showing its users that they are not alone. Puppy society is presented as a solution to loneliness, placing it in the context of the pandemic, however, it might be a solution that is difficult to implement, this because it is not necessarily situated in a socially isolated environment. In addition to this, sharing owners and not having an established home might be seen as slightly unethical towards the dogs. Because of this, it might also evoke negative emotions on the reflective level. Drawing together emotional and service design along with theories concerning loneliness and social isolation provides for an emotional service design framework that emphasizes the importance of including emotions when designing user-service-interactions. Even though the above-mentioned examples have been reflected upon and criticized, they do in different ways emphasize the emotional aspects of services this this thesis has been arguing for. In the upcoming section the conducted work will be further explained.
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3 Methods & design process
In order to investigate how to support people in coping with social isolation by enabling for opportunities to be alone together, some different methods and techniques have been applied. This is where most of the work and time has been placed. This part will follow the flow of the conducted project and become two-fold. As mentioned in the introduction, part one will focus on methods and understanding the target group while part two will consist of the process behind the final design proposal. The structure will be as follows: • Part one: - Semi-structured interviews - Cultural probes - Workshops
• Part two: - Ideation & concept - Sketching & prototyping - Design & testing In doing this, the double diamond has been applied. As is presented by Stickdorn et al. (2018) the double diamond is based on diverging and converging, working with “yes and’s” and “yes but’s” (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 86). In addition to this, the process behind the double diamond consists of a few different phases: discover, define, develop, deliver. It is about over time exploring ideas, alternatives and opportunities, this while you are making sure you are solving the right problem (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 89). It has been far from a linear process and much time has been spent on exploring, iterating and going back and forth.
3.1 Part one: getting to know the participants During this stage of the project, what has been central, is understanding and getting to know the participants. Something which has been done through interviews and the application of co-design methods. Co-design opens up the design process and space to people other than the designer, it could be the user or stakeholders. Here, design is seen as an exploration people do together, providing different perspectives and bringing attention to issues that might not have been acknowledged by the designer (Koskinen et al., 2011, p. 82-83). The approach is human-centered and the users, or participants, are seen as experts on the topic (Sanders, 2014, p. 62). Co- design will in this thesis work be applied through cultural probes and
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workshops, where the participants will be asked to discuss, map and visualize their experiences, needs and wants. The methods have been used to get closer to the participants and to conduct research and design holistically. 3.1.1 Semi-structured interviews Semi-structured interviews are by Muratovski described as a “”half way” between the rigidness of the structured interview and the flexibility and responsiveness of the in depth interviews” (Muratovski, 2016, p. 62). This because the interviews consist of a combination of open-ended and close- ended questions. Expanding on the art of asking questions, Kvale and Brinkmann (2009) bring up 10 different types of questions to focus on in order to get the most out of an interview: introducing questions, follow up questions, probing questions, specification questions, direct questions, indirect questions, structured questions, silence, and interpreted questions (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009, p. 150-152). In this project, the different types of techniques have been implemented in order to gather a deeper understanding of the subject and participant. In line with Stickdorn et al. (2018, p.122), the interviews have been conducted with the goal to collect data on the subject. In addition to this, the interviews have resulted in output in the form of text and photos. The participants have, among other things, been asked about experiences, stories and feelings from their everyday life. Following the guidelines provided by Muratovski (2016, p. 63), and to get the most out of the interviews, leading and closed questions have been avoided. Most of the time was spent listening, taking in as much information given by the participants as possible. Some examples of the asked questions are: How have you been affected by this pandemic? Have you experienced feelings of social isolation? Do you, or have you ever felt lonely? If yes, could you describe a situation where you have felt it? If no, why do you think this is? What does loneliness feel like for you? When do you feel the loneliest? When do you feel the least lonely? How do you combat or cope with your loneliness? What makes you feel connected? What makes you feel disconnected? What is important to you when you seek to connect with people? Do you believe in connections with other things, such as animals, fictional characters or plants? If yes, is there anything "non-human" you feel connected to? 3.1.1.1 The participants As mentioned in the delimitations, focus has been placed on interviewing participants who live alone, socially isolated, and that are experiencing feelings of loneliness. The interviewed participants consisted of: - 22-year-old female, international student, living in Malmö - 26-year-old male, unemployed, moved from Kopparberg to Kristianstad right before the pandemic
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- 67-year-old female, widowed, living in Åhus - 24-year-old male, student, moved from Gothenburg to Malmö in September - 90-year-old female, retired nurse, living in Kävlinge Because the interviews were semi-structured, the questions were adapted to the flow of the interview and what was being said. In order to gather further insights, the participants were asked if they would be willing to participate in a cultural probes experiment, something which will be further elaborated in an upcoming section. 3.1.1.2 Affinity diagramming Affinity diagramming has, in line with Hanington and Martin (2012) been used to meaningfully cluster insights from the conducted research, this in order to keep the project grounded in the data throughout the process. These insights as well as other observations or thoughts have been written down and collected on sticky notes, which in turn have been clustered and sorted into themes based on affinity. Affinity diagraming is here described as an inductive exercise, working in a bottom-up structure, starting off with clustering specific insights to then later, generate larger themes (Hanington & Martin, 2012, p.12). In addition to this, affinity diagraming is by Arvola (2016) described as a technique which helps bring order to unstructured data. In order to gain as much as possible from the insights, an interpreting, meaning seeking and qualitative mindset has to be applied (Arvola, 2016, p. 53). In line with Hanington and Martin (2012), each participant in this affinity diagram has gotten his or her own color. What is shown below is first the specific insights from each participant, followed by clusters of themes and under themes.
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Figure 5 Affinity diagrammed insights
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3.1.1.3 The insights: Coping As can be seen in figure 5, the participants all described similar experiences and feelings of loneliness. In addition to this, they all expressed opinions on the importance of positivity and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Because the interviews were all conducted in Swedish, the upcoming quotes have been translated. Even though the participants all expressed similar thoughts on the need to stay positive, they did have a few different coping strategies and themes, something which brings Figure 6 First theme: Coping us to the first theme: coping. Here, participants described, explained and reflected upon what they usually do in order to cope with feelings of loneliness. Examples of this that can be seen in figure 6 above are: reading a book, being out in nature, talking to people, keeping busy, taking care of plants or an animal, or finding escape in computer games or movies. Because the answers within this theme are quite broad, they have been sorted into two under themes: Flow and seeking connections, seen in figure 7 below. The flow cluster is connected to how the participants all try keeping their minds occupied in order to feel better. One of the ways of doing this, is by putting the mind and body in a state of “flow”, described by Norman (2004, p. 48) as being captured by the activity you preform, in the flow state you become one with the activity and it feels like the time and world surrounding you stops and disappears. This state can according to Norman take place when preforming close to any task or activity, such as for example: sports, board games, video games, mind
Figure 7 Under themes: Flow & seeking connections
23 of 53 absorbing work, reading a book or skilled tasks (Norman, 2004, p. 125). In this cluster or theme, some of the coping and flow techniques mentioned and illustrated in figure 8 below, are creating a memory box, emerging you into the memories and the happy state you were in when they took place. Photography, writing and making books. So called “overnight phone calls” where the participant explained how he and a friend usually go to bed with the phone on, creating a connection battling loneliness and social isolation. Connecting with a plant. Painting, in this case only one motive, eyes, making it easier to track the progress over time. Watching tv or playing games, diving deep into the “game world”. Game world can be applied on both board games as well as computer games and is exemplified through the following quote: “I enjoy playing board games at home, here I enter the “game world” and disconnect from the world around me. The same thing goes for computer games, the people participating in the game thinks it’s fun, while the rest of the world is left without feeling” - Male, 24
Figure 8 Coping techniques provided by participants
Of importance in regard to emerging into a state of flow, is being in a state or environment where the level of distraction is low. In addition to this, the activity needs to be matched to the level of the performer’s skills, meaning
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that it should not be too difficult or too easy. It needs to engage your full conscious attention (Norman, 2004, p. 125). Another under-cluster to the topic of coping is called “seeking connections”. Here, participants expressed techniques and actions focusing on connections with other humans in order to feel better and once again, escape from reality. A common denominator in these replies, was the usage of dating or friend applications such as Tinder or GoFriendly. “Tinder is an effect of feeling alone sometimes” - Male, 24 “I downloaded GoFriendly because I felt lonely, but I’ve had difficulties reaching out because I’m afraid of being rejected” - Female, 22 As is exemplified through the quotes, it is not uncommon for the participants to seek new ways of connecting with people. In some cases, participants also expressed that this was something they were almost forced to do. One participant expressed that the usage of tinder and connecting and talking with people has resulted in a type of escape. “I would never have downloaded the app if I didn’t feel lonely” - Male, 24 “Applications like these are an escape themself” - Male, 26 3.1.1.4 The insights: Presence Buildings on the theme of connectedness, the theme of presence and under-clusters of FOMO and closeness were created. As is communicated through figure 9, participants expressed a feeling of disconnection when they were experiencing a fear of missing out or feeling distanced from what is going on in the world around them. In relation to this, the cluster called closeness emerged. While the Figure 9 Second theme: Presence participants felt disconnected when there
was a lack of presence, they
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also felt connected and close when they experienced or felt the presence of another person. It was explained that feeling like someone else was there or hearing a voice helped. In addition to this, knowing that someone cared or thought about them also meant a lot to the participants. “Knowing my family is thinking about me make me happy” - Female, 67 To summarize, the mapping resulted in two main themes, coping and presence. These themes later evolved into the under themes of flow, seeking connections, fear of missing out, and closeness. 3.1.2 Cultural probes Cultural probes were introduced in a “milestone article” published in 1999 by Gaver, Dunne and Pacenti (Koskinen et al., 2011, p. 41). What is proposed here is a new approach to experimental design, addressing the difficulties of designing for an unfamiliar target group. The purpose of the probes is to understand, provoke and spark unexpected discussions (Gaver et al., 1999, p. 22). They were developed throughout the Presence project (2001) as a way of learning, and to gather inspiration rather than information on the participants and their lives (Gaver et al., 1999, p. 25, 27). The strength in this specific approach is described as its personalization and how the design and content of the kits varies from project to project (Gaver et al., 1999, p. 29). The core of the kits in the presence project consisted of postcards, a map, a camera and a photo album. Each object came with questions or tasks, and were sent out, sent back and iterated on throughout the project (Gaver, 2001, p.21-24). Through sending out probes, the designer can gain contextually sensitive information which is later used to create solutions inspired by the user. This type of process is called user centered design or emphatic design, which is about understanding the users and their needs, even if they are unspoken. It is by Muratovski argued that the most popular way of conducting this type of research is by asking the participants to provide the designer with sketches or images along with descriptions, content that can later be discussed in interviews. Asking the participants to produce and provide their own images is central for this approach, this because of the way images can prompt, guide and inspire conversations (Muratovski, 2016, p. 67-68). Based on the conducted interviews, the cultural probe kit attached in figure 10 below was created and sent out to the participants. As the interviews focused on emotions, experiences, connectedness and coping, this is what the cultural probes aimed to investigate further and deeper. The sent-out kit was digital, this because of the current situation in the world and because of the nature of this project, investigating digital solutions. In addition to this, Stickdorn et al. (2018, p. 124) mention that virtual cultural probes are not too uncommon, which made this type of approach grounded and a natural
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choice. What was hoped to be achieved through the usage of cultural probes, was a deeper understanding of the participants behavioral patterns as well as on the emotional challenges they are facing. More specifically, how people are experiencing and coping with loneliness. The kit consisted of four different tasks where the participants were asked to either reflect on something or preform different actions. In order to make it as convenient as possible, the cultural probe kit was sent out as an interactive PDF, where the participants could write and klick on things directly in the document. The four tasks the kit consisted of will now be further explained. 3.1.2.1 01 Short story The first assignment was named “Short story” and was based upon the participant writing a short story where the main character is experiencing feelings of loneliness. The participants were asked to be as descriptive as possible, getting into depth about the characters experienced emotions and feelings. As has been mentioned throughout this thesis, and by McKenna- Plumely et al. (2020), the research of actual experiences of loneliness is lacking. The aim with this task was therefore to investigate exactly that, experiences of loneliness. Even if the content is merely a short fictional story, the described emotions are still coming from somewhere, hopefully from a place of self-identification and maybe even personal experiences. In addition to this, the task, through asking what the character is doing, also provides an insight in what the participants typically perceive as “lonely situations”. 3.1.2.2 02 Say it with a picture The second task was named “Say it with a picture” and aimed towards a more in time centered approach, focusing on what the participant is doing in his or her life and why. Here, they were asked to take and add a picture of something they do when they feel lonely, it could be of an activity, object or place. Afterwards, the activity is asked to be described and reflected upon, what is it and why they chose this particular activity? In this task, the goal was to get some insights into the participants coping techniques, this because the previous interviews indicated a spread variety of activities. Asking the participants to share pictures of moments in their lives was inspired by Gaver (2001) as well as Norman (2004) and his thoughts on photographs and the meaning behind them: “Photographs, more than almost anything else, have a special emotional appeal: they are personal, they tell stories. The power of personal photography lies in its ability to transport the viewer back in time to some socially relevant event” (Norman, 2004, p. 50). The notion of a photograph having a special emotional appeal is what is especially valuable in this task, through adding a photo, the participant is telling and sharing a story, allowing others to connect with his or her coping technique.
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3.1.2.3 03 Change it up The third task has been named “Change it up” and is a continuation of the previous one as well as of the earlier conducted interviews. As mentioned before, some of the participants coping techniques were brought up during these interviews, and therefore, the purpose of this task is to further explore these and investigate how they are perceived and acted upon by others. What the participants are asked to do here, is to pick one of the listed activities and preform it the next time they are experiencing feelings of loneliness. The listed tasks are a collection of the insights from the interviews and the goal is to change it up and try something new in order to cope. When this is done, the participants are asked to describe and rate the activity with emojis expressing different emotions. The provided activities are as follows: paint, overnight phone call, connecting with a plant, creating a memory box and cleaning your home. Once again grounded in the work provided by Norman (2004): “One of the more powerful ways to induce a positive sense of self is through a personal sense of accomplishment” “This is one aspect of a hobby, where people can create things that are uniquely theirs, and, through hobby clubs and groups, share their achievements.” (Norman, 2004, p. 55). Meaning that, through preforming some of these activities, participants could experience a sense of accomplishment and pride, which could thereafter result in positive emotions. Continuing on the trail of positivity, the next task presented below was created. 3.1.2.4 04 Give it some time The last and final task is called “Give it some time”, here the participants are asked to take some time to think and reflect upon what makes them truly happy. If the answer is something that is no longer possible due to COVID-19 and social isolation, they are asked to think about if there are any technologies or new solutions that would make it possible for them to perform a similar task but slightly differently. In addition to this, one of the tasks the participants were asked to preform, is to take a picture of an object, thing or situation where they feel content and happy. Evoking positive emotions is central in this thesis project, gathering emotionally grounded information like this, could therefore help in understanding the users thought process and needs. The sent out cultural probe kit with these four tasks is communicated through figure 10 attached on the upcoming page below.
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Figure 10 Cultural probe kit
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3.1.3 Designing loneliness together: Workshops in social isolation Because research according to Norman (2004) has shown that “being happy broadens thought processes and facilitates creative thinking” (Norman, 2004, p. 19). Participants were asked to do something which makes them feel good before the sessions, watching some comedy, listening to good music, thinking of positive memories or have some candy. Something which was hoped to result in better brainstorming as well as more imaginative and creative ideas and approaches to the discussed issues. During these workshops, the virtual collaborative whiteboard tool Excalidraw has been used and applied. Here, participants were able to sketch, draw and create together while discussing their experiences on the cultural probe kit, results communicated in figure 11. 3 different sessions were conducted and during these, participants were asked to sketch up a scenario of a person’s actions when he or she is feeling lonely as well as which coping techniques were used to make the character feel better, connecting to the first and second task of the probe kit. They were asked to draw images, and add text, creating a storyboard. After this, they were asked to discuss and visualize some ideas on how these techniques could be improved and shared among others. For the last and final task, the participants were asked to do some brainstorming on what they would value in a digital service with the purpose to help its users combat loneliness, a task which originated from the previously stated research question and with the goal to get some insights on what the participants thought was of importance and valuable.
Figure 11 Insights from the cultural probe kit
3.1.3.1 The first session The first session, which can be seen in figure 12 below, was conducted in collaboration with the 67-year-old female and the 26-year-old male. Participants had both finished their probe kits before the session and expressed that the proposed coping techniques seemed interesting and had
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worked well. The 67-year-old female had chosen the overnight phone call technique as well as painting while the 26-year-old male had chosen connecting with a plant. During the workshop, they created a scenario where a man felt lonely and coped with this by trying to keep his mind occupied with plants. Both participants agreed on that finding an escape from their thoughts and reality, made a noticeable difference on their feelings of loneliness. “I feel like having something to do is always nice, it puts you on a different path and distracts you from the negative emotions. If what you are doing is productive you end up feeling even better” - Male, 26 In the second task, they both ended up visualizing a “plant-tinder” where the user would swipe on plants, add them to their collection and learn more about them. In addition to this, a virtual community where the users could garden together was discussed. “Having plants and flowers in your home creates a whole other environment, bringing nature in gives you strength and hope. Some plants are difficult to take care of and I think I would really like a community where people could help each other and bond” - Female, 67 For the final task, participants expressed that they would value a platform where people could bond and talk, making new connections. A service which promotes productivity and motivates you to get out of bed in the morning.
Figure 12 Co-creative workshop: first session
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3.1.3.2 The second & third session The second and third sessions were conducted with one participant at a time, the first one being a single mom, 24 and the second with the 24-year male who participated in the previous interviews. Both participants had taken part of the cultural probe kits before the sessions took place. In the scenario in figure 13, a female is feeling alone and frustrated with a screaming baby in her arms. In order to make herself feel better, she picks up her phone and calls a friend that keeps her company during the day. For the second and third task, she expressed a wish and need for services that connects people with similar interests, backgrounds and situations. “I feel less alone when I talk to other moms, they know what I’m going through and I feel supported” - Female, 24
Figure 13 Co-creative workshop: second session
Connecting and talking to people was a common denominator in the last and final session, as can be seen in figure 14, as well. Here the participant brought up Skribbl.io as an example of how the coping technique of painting could be shared and practiced with others. The third task took a slightly futuristic approach with a robotic version of Alexa, which was always active and asking you how you are feeling and doing.
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Figure 14 Co-creative workshop: third session
As is communicated in figures 13 and 14, there was a noticeable difference in the session with two participants compared with the second and third one. All participants showed confusion in regard to task two, in the first session however, the participants discussed and sparked each other’s creativity, pushing each other to think outside of the box. Compared to the one-on-one sessions which were more grounded in existing services and ideas. In figure 15, the more specific result and insights from workshop sessions is communicated.
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Figure 15 Co-creative workshops: collected insights 3.1.4 Part one: Summary To summarize part one of this chapter, what has been done is semi-structured interviews, affinity diagramming, cultural probes and workshops. The main insights from this are as follows:
• In this section, five interviews have been conducted, 4 cultural probe kits were sent out and 3 workshops, one of them being with two participants at the same time, took place. • In order to cope with social isolation and loneliness, participants do their best to stay positive and busy with different coping techniques.
• Some of these suggested coping techniques are overnight phone calls, caring for plants, creating memory boxes, playing games, being out in nature, photography and painting.
• Feeling the presence of another person, friend or stranger, makes the participants feel close and connected. Apps such as Tinder or GoFriendly are therefore frequently used. • Designing their own service, participants wished for something which would allow for new connections, something which makes you feel less alone, connecting over common interests, hobbies or activities, something that communicates a presence and something where you could be alone together.
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This has been part one of the two-folded approach. In the upcoming part two, these insights and wishes have been explored and investigated further in terms of design opportunities and possible design proposals.
3.2 Part two: ConnectiFlow, a design proposal Because the overall goal with this project has been to provide the target group with a digital service to cope with social isolation and loneliness, a service design mindset and approach has been applied. In addition to this, the holistic approach described by Stickdorn et al. (2018), is well in line with emotional design and its different levels. Service design is, according to Stickdorn et al., not simply aesthetics, customer service or service recovery. It is about all the core aspects of a service or product, how it works, how it is used and if it is even needed to exist. It is about the needs of the customer, processes and models. It is about addressing the full journey, from start to end. It requires a holistic approach, valuing experiences and needs (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 24). 3.2.1 Ideation The ideation that led to the created concept has been based upon the insights communicated above and throughout this thesis. The goal has been to create a digital service, more specifically an app, where people can meet and connect as well as take part of and preform different activities. Some of the brainstorming behind this can be seen in figure 16.
Figure 16 Ideation session 3.2.2 ConnectiFlow As is communicated through the storyboard in figure 17, ConnectiFlow is an app connecting strangers, family and friends over different tasks and activities. With the goal to inspire and promote personal development and
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productiveness as well as connecting its users over distance, ConnectiFlow aims towards fulfilling the needs expressed throughout this design process.
Figure 17 Storyboard
The name of the application, ConnectiFlow, was briefly tested and discussed with 3 different participants. It is a merge of Normans (2004) Flow and the word connect. Participants expressed that the word sounds like: “An easy connection with something, creating the connection is pretty easy to follow, like fluid” - Female, 24 “With connection, I think of the plug and electrons, like a flow of electrons. Flow is endless too in terms of the river for example. So, I guess endless connection between two people” - Female, 22 3.2.3 Why an app? Connecting to the fieldwork According to Rauschenberg and Schick, et al. (2021, p. 2), “Internet-based interventions [eHealth] and mobile health applications [mHealth apps]), may help to increase public mental health during health crises “. In addition to this, their research shows that apps and smartphones are a helpful tool when it comes to remote interactions and social connection (Rauschenberg & Schick, et al. 2021, p. 2). Furthermore, the interviews, workshops and research conducted during this particular project has shown that participants use or have used Tinder and GoFriendly frequently during social isolation and the pandemic, this to establish new connections and simply having
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someone to talk to. When asked about the functions they would wish for in a service for coping with loneliness, they provided answers such as: a place for connecting with people, something which promotes productivity and motivations, something that is present and asks you how you are doing as well as something which allows you to connect virtually through activities or coping techniques. In addition to this, the need for connections other than romantic have been expressed. What makes this particular app and concept valuable, as well as what makes it differ from previously existing ideas such as Tinder or GoFriendly, is that it brings people together over remote activities during social isolation. It is not only about connecting with strangers, but with family and friends as well. Which makes it relevant in contexts beyond this pandemic as well as in future situations similar to the one we live in now. Connecting with family and friends, and maybe even strangers, could of course be done through various platforms such as Messenger or WhatsApp. But what once again makes ConnectiFlow different, is its focus on activities and challenges. Here, it is not just about connecting over text, calls or video, it is about common interests and tasks. About being engaged, personal development and having a community in a similar mindset to share your accomplishments with. It is about being inspired and thriving, about learning how to cope when everything around you is changing and the need for social connection, distraction or stress relief is high. 3.2.4 Sketching & prototyping Exploring designs can be done through different techniques, one of these is sketching. A sketch can be created from different materials and take different forms, such as through a storyboard, illustration, or styrofoam, all depending on its goal and purpose (Koskinen et al., 2011, p. 133). Arvola (2016) describes storyboards as scenarios with along following images. They are used to illustrate an issue or problem the main character, usually based on a persona is experiencing. Storyboards communicates experiences, emotions and future visions (Arvola, 2016, p. 70). Sketches are concepts of experiences, in order to gather answers and deeper knowledge on the investigated subject, prototypes have to be created (Koskinen et al., 2011, p. 134). Looking back at the history of prototypes, the term: “…derives from the Greek prototypon, which can be interpreted as “first or early from” of something – in our case, of a service or product, whether physical or digital. A service prototype needs to create a first or early experiential form of the service or the service experience” (Stickdorn et al. 2018, p. 65). Prototypes are by Houde and Hill described as “core means of exploring and expressing designs”, giving the designer opportunity to explore different problems or solutions (Houde & Hill, 1997, p. 1). In the creation of prototypes, focus should according to Houde and Hill (1997) be placed on the purpose of
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the prototype, its intentions and what it is meant to communicate and investigate. In doing this, it is also of importance for the designer to be clear about what the prototype is prototyping, “looks can be deceiving”, and everything, used in a meaningful way, could be a prototype (Houde & Hill, 1997, p. 2). The prototypes used in this particular project are paper and digital prototypes. The aim of these has been investigating coping techniques as well as the depth of emotional reactions based on Normans (2004) different levels. 3.2.5 Wireframes & paper prototype The initial sketches and prototype created in this project consists of wireframes created in Exalidraw, which were then transferred and put together into a paper prototype. In order to get some feedback on the concept as well as on the design and its different aspects it was shown to 2 participants which provided input for the next iteration. The wireframes have been created as two different versions; the first one as can be seen in figure 18.
Figure 18 Wireframes: first iteration
After the first iteration of wireframes was finished, it was time for some input from the users. In order to communicate the concept and interactions, a paper prototype, figure 19, was made based on the created wireframes. Because of the digital nature of this investigation, the paper prototype was made into a video and shown to the users. In addition to this, the storyboard in figure 17 was discussed as well.
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Figure 19 Paper prototype
Following the service design guidelines (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 21), it was of importance to, through quick experiments and rapid prototypes, get early feedback on the concept and prototype. One of the ways to quickly do this is making a hand-sketched version on paper and testing it on the indented users (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 21). Two different interviews were conducted, with female, 24 and male, 26. Both participants found the concept intriguing. Here, they were asked some initial questions about the reflective level (Norman, 2004) of the concept. What they thought and felt about it. “The thought of this concept makes me feel good, I think it would be a relaxed way to make friends, and not love connections. If I tried connecting with someone and they would reject me I might feel differently though” - Female, 24 Even though seemingly positive to the concept, they did express some opinions on the design: “I do like the magic 8 ball effect but what happens if I like a task, I just don’t want to do it right now?” - Male, 26 “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have tasks as a home page? It seems to be the main aspect of the app, and not the profile” - Female, 24 Based on their comments the following design was created:
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Figure 20 Wireframes: second iteration
As is illustrated in figure 20, the application consists of a few different pages. Tasks, where the user can at random be shown different activities, is now home page. If the task does not feel right, the user can simply press next. If the task seems interesting but too time consuming or not for right now, the task can be saved to the profile. If the task is interesting, the user leaves it open and then presses complete when it is done. There is a page that was originally named community, which is now connect, where users can be inspired and connect with each other. Another difference between the two versions is the profile which in the second version does not only contain tasks and challenges, but also saved tasks and completed tasks. Users can add their own challenges and tasks, in addition to this, users will get daily notifications with motivations and questions asking them how they are doing.
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3.2.6 Digital prototype: First iteration Leaving the quick and rapid prototypes behind, a more hi-fi version was created using Sketch and InVision. The aim was to keep the design simple, peaceful and easy to navigate with smooth colors. The icons used are from Stockholm icon set and the typography consists of different versions of Avenir and Avenir next.
Figure 21 Digital prototype: first iteration
What has guided this design is accessibility, buttons and icons have been placed close to the thumb. This prototype was tested on myself, using InVison, a quick test which raised some issues and failures in the design, something which will be further discussed in the following section. 3.2.7 Digital prototype: Second iteration According to Norman (2004, p. 29) people are genetically programmed for rounded smooth objects, the menu does therefore in this iteration have a rounder, softer shape. In addition to this, some screens such as “keep track of your challenges”, “received challenges”, and how it looks inside of a challenge has been added. This was missing from the last design, making it incomplete. Because of this, there is now an icon in the profile for finished and received challenges and the chat-screen has been changed slightly. The design in “connect” has been modified in regard to size, spacing, and the “add” ikon.
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Figure 22 Digital prototype: second iteration
In order to get deeper feedback, this iteration was tested on the same participants as had taken part of the previous paper prototype and storyboard interviews. They were asked to download InVision and try out the prototype themselves. During the testing they were asked questions related to the visceral, behavioral and reflective level. 3.2.7.1 Visceral The visceral level is about the first impression of a product, its appearance and design. Participants commented on the colors being peaceful and calming, but that there could be some uplifting done. Maybe through a color modification or adding some illustrations and images. The purple circle appearing in most screens, could be made to look more “fun” and “bubbly”.
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In addition to this, participants both commented on the text size and that the look of it seemed a bit off. “I like the design, but I think it could be more fun, have some extra umpf if you know what I mean?” “Colors, contrasts, shapes, illustrations, you name it” - Female, 24 3.2.7.2 Behavioural The behavioural level is about a products usability, function and performance, about the product experience. One of the initial comments from both participants was related to the menu, its icons seemed too big and the communication behind them seemed unclear. In addition to this they wished for some feedback when a button had been pressed down, because the icons would have some learning time, some color or indication would act as a helpful reminder. Focusing on usability, the prototype seemed easy to use and navigate. Buttons were reachable and the lower placement of the search bar was appreciated. The overall function of the application, receiving and adding “real” challenges and preforming proper tasks could however not be tested in this iteration and digital prototype. “Moving around makes sense, I get the flow and what is happening. I’m not really vibeing with the menu though, it has me lost” - Male, 26 3.2.7.3 Reflective The reflective level is about the impact and thought of a product, what it means and what it indicates in terms of identity and culture. This has been lightly touched upon during the previous paper prototype testing session, there were however some new comments to be made. Being able to keep track of tasks and challenges was important to the participants. Knowing they had completed X number of tasks and X number of challenges, would have made them feel accomplished, proud and motivated. “This reminds me a bit of the Apple watch and its challenges and workouts, being able to see and track progress always makes me motivated. The sharing aspect here is extra and gives you the opportunity to show off” - Female, 24 ConnectiFlow has two different aspects to it, the user can choose to either inspire or be inspired, or both. There is a sense of accomplishment in both actions, having an impact on others or yourself. It encourages self-thought and reflection, stepping out of the comfort zone.
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“Thinking about it, a function or product like this could improve or effect how you live your life. It makes you try new things and offers the opportunity to get to know different sides of yourself. Collecting multiple alone people in a space like this, creates a different sort of togetherness that could be needed in times like these.” - Male, 26 3.2.8 Digital prototype: Third iteration For the third and final iteration, the participants thoughts and feedback from the previous testing’s was taken into consideration and applied. The guidelines were to make the design more “fun”, experimenting with colors and shapes, giving the application life. As can be seen in the linked video, figure 24, the function and flow of the application are still the same, but the appearance has changed a bit. What has been done here, is some experimentation with sizes, details and gradient colors. Inspiration has been taken from the Apple developer page (developer.apple.com, n.d).
Figure 23 Figure 24 ConnectiFlow: some main screens In order to provide: some amainn overview screens of the design, some of the main screens can be seen in figure 23. As can be seen, the background is now gradient, and so is the menu. Even though the used colors are the same as before, this way of using them adds a different expression to the visuals, impacting the visceral
44 of 53 level of the design. In addition to this, some more extensive changes have been done to the chat screen. Both in regard to color, shape and menu. An example notification has been added as well. The design was once again tested on the same two participants, this to get a more continuous feedback. Because most of the changes have been applied on the visual parts of the design rather than the behavioral or functional, the main feedback circled around the visceral level. The participants stated that the initial emotional impact this time around was positive, the design looked and felt good. In addition to this there was also a positive surprise to the notification-aspect of the design. “Even though the time is not in correlation with the message this would make me so happy! I haven’t had anyone saying good morning to me in a long time and waking up to this would definitely put a smile on my face” - Female, 24 “Having notifications this would act as an encouragement to use the app more. Getting the same message over and over again would probably get boring though” - Male, 26 In order to take part of the final prototype as a whole, the video is linked here 1as well as in the image below.
Figure 25 Link to final prototype video
1 https://youtu.be/HIUAlNJr94I
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3.2.8.1 Reflecting on the design Adding some final reflections on the design in relation to Normans levels, there is of course a complexity to this as well. “True, long-lasting emotional feelings take time to develop they come from sustained interaction” (Norman, 2004, p. 46). Even though consciously designing and testing based upon the different levels, the true impact and end result of ConnectiFlow is difficult to determine. Because ConnectiFlow has merely been created as a prototype, none of the intended users has actually used the product and tried it out in their everyday life. Focusing on the visceral level, which is referring to what people find beautiful, intriguing and aesthetically pleasing, positive first impressions, is that taste, like loneliness, is individual and differs from person to person. Norman, however, argues that people are genetically programmed for warm, comfortably lit places, temperate climate, sweet taste and smells, bright, highly saturated hues, soothing sounds, smiling faces, symmetrical objects, rhythmic beats, caresses, attractive people, rounded smooth objects, sensuous feelings sounds and shapes (Norman, 2004, p. 29). When designing ConnectiFlow, round, smooth, symmetrical shapes have been central. The goal of the design has been achieving a calming, pleasing softness. Something which is mirrored in the color choices as well. 3.2.9 Part two: Summary To summarize part one of this chapter, what has been done is some wireframing and rapid paper prototyping. In addition to this, three digital design suggestions have been created, presented and tested with Normans emotional design as well as service design principles as a guideline.
• In total, 6 different separate testing sessions, with two participants have been conducted. • The testing was performed on the concept, wireframes, paper prototype and the digital iterations. • Participants were positive towards the concept but initially skeptical to the design, expressing that it at times was difficult to navigate and that it was lacking on the visceral level. Something which was adjusted in the third iteration. • In addition to this a brief, through text, discussion regarding the service name was conducted with two other participants. Some further reflections on the conducted research as well as on the topic of emotional and service design will be presented in the upcoming chapter.
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4 Discussion & Reflection
During this thesis project, 4 cultural probe kits have been created and sent out, 5 interviews have been conducted, 3 workshops have taken place and 6 different prototype testing sessions have been performed. In this section, the conducted work as well as the applied theories will be discussed and reflected upon.
4.1 Why emotional design? In order to design for loneliness and social isolation, this project has been guided by Normans (2004) emotional design theory. But why emotional design? And how has applying it benefitted this project? Any experience or product, no matter what it is, will evoke an emotional response with the user. That is inventible, it is how we are genetically programmed. So, we might as well design for it, making sure that the emotions our designs do evoke, are the right ones. As has been explained in the emotional services section above, what emotional design is about, is design focusing on the users’ different needs in the interaction. The aim is to create design that is smooth and aesthetic. Design that is functional, efficient and that achieves the user’s goals when using it. Design that on a deeper reflective level adds value and true satisfaction. Together, these factors result in a holistic, meaningful experience. Creating different experiences is central for interaction design, which has made this theory valuable and useful throughout the work conducted during this thesis. Furthermore, the participants early on expressed a need for positivity in times like these, suggesting coping techniques for combating the negative emotions loneliness and social isolation has brought upon them. Design for evoking positive emotions has therefore been a central part of this project. In order to do this successfully, it is of importance to understand the human brain, how it works and how it reacts. What Norman (2004), through emotional design is suggesting, is a way of doing this based on three different levels of the brain. Working from these different levels and keeping them in mind in the conducted research has helped in understanding the participants, their opinions and reasoning. It has provided the design with guidance and mindful decisions, resulting in a personal service with a stronger relationship to its users. Truly understanding the participants has been an important part of the project purpose and why the emotional design theory was initially chosen. Because of the way the project ended up being conducted however, simply applying emotional design was not enough and service design methods and principles had to be borrowed. Through doing this, it has helped with understanding emotional design and what it means in relation to loneliness and social isolation.
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Emotional design is user centered, with a focus on emotions and the human brain in particular. Applying the social needs perspective on this, the pandemic and social isolation is standing in the way for basic human needs of closeness, social interactions and connectivity. Something which in this project has been deeper understood through the application of co-design methods. Loneliness, a complex topic with different aspects and perspectives, is typically associated with negative emotions. Because of this, the focus here has been placed on, through applying emotional and service design, creating things that evoke positive emotions to combat this and to make sure the user has a truly positive experience. Further reflections on this will be provided in the upcoming section below.
4.2 Reflection In total, the investigation has included 6 participants of different genders and ages. There has been a combination of interviews, workshops and cultural probe tasks, some of the sessions have been conducted in pair and some one on one. The expressed issues have varied yet met in different common denominators, as has been discussed in the previous chapter and as will be further elaborated on in the upcoming conclusion. As was discussed above, one important aspect of the process was the possibility of deeply getting to know the participants and their lives. How their lives have changed, what they are doing differently and how they are coping. Looking into the why’s and how’s. In order to do this, focus was placed on listening and paying attention. By placing more attention on the participant, using the power of silence and silent pauses, the participants became more open to the conversation, continuing speaking and touching upon issues and areas the original questions had not intended. Another interesting unintended aspect of this was how the design process ended up bringing people together. During one of the workshops, two participants were invited and encouraged to work together. Something which ended up in deeper discussions, reflections and the establishment of a new connection between them. Looking back, conducting this type of workshop with more than one participant turned out both valuable and useful. Especially when comparing with the one-on-one sessions, where the participants experienced issues with thinking outside of the box. Giving the participants someone to discuss and explore with is fruitful and a lesson for future work on the topic. Another issue which arose during these sessions and during the user tests, was how what is obvious to you as a designer might not be as obvious to the participant. In addition to this, some other challenges related to the physical distancing arose. Because of the investigation taking place over the phone or via Zoom, the participants were not able to test the initial versions of the wireframes and paper prototype themselves. Something which resulted in more shallow feedback, lacking in criticality, compared to if they would have been able to test the prototype. One of the ways of doing this, could have been
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through interactive click modeling, where the hand drawn sketches are imported and linked together in a computer (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 236). This method would have been more time consuming, but it could have resulted in deeper, more critical feedback on the functions and interactions. Throughout the process the decision was made to continuously test the concept and prototype on the same two participants. These participants were part of the process from the start and played a role in the design decisions from beginning to end. This decision was made with the thought that it would bring more fluidity and continuity to the feedback. Reflecting upon this however, the feedback on the concept and prototypes might have been more constructive if tested on new participants. The product has been specifically created and designed to fit the needs of the participants part taking in this project, comments of dislike have therefore been unlikely. Re-doing the project or proceeding with continuous work on the topic, the design and concept would be tested on not only a larger number of participants, but on new participants as well, not at all involved in the previous stages of the process. Because of the lower number of participants however, they were able to be tightly entwined with the process. Something which enabled a close connection between designer and participants, fulfilling the aim of gathering a deeper understanding of the target group. Being able to reach this closeness, and in a way personal relation to the participants, was one of the reasons for deciding to apply service design principles and methods to the work. As has been previously mentioned, the best design process is the one adapting to the problem you want to solve and not the other way around (Stickdorn et al., 2018, p. 83). In order to do this, cultural probes, co-creative workshops and rapid prototypes and feedback has been of importance, they have allowed for gathering a deeper understanding of social isolation and what it means to the target group. Norman (2004) speaks of the importance of design based on emotional reactions; he does however provide little information on actual methods for doing this, other than the emotional design guidelines on the different levels. In a project like this, working from an emotional perspective and approach has been central. Only applying the levels of emotional design in the initial stages of the project did however turn out to be difficult, which is why the work with ConnectiFlow has benefitted from the holistic structure and work service design and co-creative methods are allowing for.
4.3 Contribution Loneliness is becoming a more and more important and acknowledged subject within our society, it effects individuals, families, communities and the world as a whole. COVID-19, forcing us to live our lives socially isolated and in some cases even alone, is impacting the way we cope with emotions and stress as well as how we cope with life in general.
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This project has therefore aimed towards contributing with insights and knowledge on this, as well as on how we as individuals can work towards coping with these types of challenges and states. In addition to this, the conducted research contributes on insights relating to experiences of loneliness. As has been mentioned throughout the thesis, this type of research has been lacking and the work around ConnectiFlow is therefore aiming towards being part of filling this gap. Furthermore, this thesis project has opened up the space for emotional service design, how it can be understood and applied. In line with Muratovski (2016, p. 28), this thesis work is hoped to make a difference by providing new knowledge within the field. This, through insights gathered from research and interviews as well as the proposed design. Taking an ethnographic perspective, the results from this thesis have also contributed with insights in people’s everyday lives. How we are living, coping and acting in times like these.
4.4 Future work The work investigating experiences of loneliness is lacking. With this, comes great opportunities for design-based contributions. As mentioned in the contribution section above, this thesis has aimed towards filling a part of this gap. There is however still much work to be done. To specify, future work within the topic could be conducted on experiences of loneliness, how they tend to take place and how to design for them. In addition to this, there is also space for work on how to cope with loneliness. ConnectiFlow is one suggestion of this, but there is also Puppy Society, QuarantineChat and the loneliness project, showing that there are more opportunities than just application-based solutions. Another interesting area which QuarantineChat is slightly touching upon, relates to coping techniques in different ages and target groups. ConnectiFlow is targeting users with smartphones that are relatively comfortable with technology, but this is far from everyone in our population. One alternative could therefore be investigating physical opportunities and interfaces, working with objects and artefacts to combat loneliness. Widening the perspective, designing for crisis is an area of relevance to this project. During this thesis work, the area has been slightly touched upon and entered but in the end, there was no space for further investigation and application of the topic. In future work however, this could be a fruitful area to explore and design for. How can designing for crisis be applied to loneliness and social isolation? What does design for crisis mean and look like in a context like this? Because designing for crisis is partially about anticipating the future, a speculative approach could be applied. Speculating for future crises and solutions. Even though the vaccine is here and the social isolation this time
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around is hopefully soon to be ending, another crisis like this could and should be expected in the future. And what better way to be prepared than to start designing and practicing now.
5 Conclusion
The aim of this project has been to investigate and understand the complexities people have struggled with in times of the pandemic. To understand experiences of loneliness as well as how these are coped with. To understand which role emotional and service design could play in this. Through conducting design work from a social needs perspective, combining emotional design and service design, the application based solution ConnectiFlow has been created. The design has been grounded in insights and common denominators rising from the conducted research. Connecting to the third sustainability goal mentioned in the introduction, good health and well-being (un.org, n.d), ConnectiFlow is proposing a design that through preparation for what is to come, values and cares for its users. A design acknowledging issues on mental health and loneliness. A design promoting mental and physical well-being through social connections, tasks and activities. During the different sessions, it was expressed by all of the participants that staying positive and busy, finding an escape from what is going on is central for coping with loneliness. Staying positive is however not always as simple as it might sometimes sound and finding inspiration, joy and coping activities in life is not always close at hand. Designing for services with emotions kept close in mind is therefore of importance to this type of work, something which is exemplified through ConnectiFlow and the work around it. When feeling lonely, connectedness and the presence of others is a common way of socially coping. This is something which can be done in different ways, for seeking new connections however, apps such as Tinder or GoFriendly seem to be continuously used. To summarize, this research has shown that loneliness can be combated through two main ways: by finding an activity-based escape or by connecting with people or other beings such as plants or animals. ConnectiFlow has been designed as a platform for combating these issues. A platform where people can meet and share, a platform for being alone together.
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6 References
Alonetogether.com. n.d. Alone Together. [online] Available at:
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Marangoni, C., & Ickes, W. (1989). Loneliness: A Theoretical Review With implications for Measurement. Journal for Social and Personal relationships, 6(1), 93-128.
Martin, B. and Hanington, B. M. (2012) Universal methods of design. [electronic resource] : 100 ways to research complex problems, develop innovative ideas, and design effective solutions. Digital ed. Rockport Publishers. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat05074a &AN=malmo.b1901209&lang=sv&site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 16 May 2021). McKenna-Plumley, P. E. et al. (2020) ‘Experiences of loneliness: a study protocol for a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative literature’, Systematic Reviews, 9(1), p. 1. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=1 47410730&lang =sv&site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 4 February 2021). Muratovski, G. (2016) Research for Designers: A Guide to Methods and Practice. Sage Publishers Norman, D. A. (2004) Emotional design : why we love (or hate) everyday things. Basic Books. Available at:https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat0507 4a&AN=malmo.b11 25752&lang=sv&site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 2 February 2021). Peplau, L. & Perlman, D. (1982). Perspectives on loneliness. In L. Peplau & D. Perlman (eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy (pp. 1-20). USA: John Wiley. Polachek, M., 2020. We’re feeling more lonely than ever—here are 5 ways technology can help. [online] Fast Company. Available at:
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transcript-Verlag, pp. 65-78. https://doi.org/10.14361/transcript.9783839420386.65 Shafique, T., 2018. Designing cities to counter loneliness? Let's explore the possibilities. [online] The Conversation. Available at: