UX/UI
2022.02-2022.07
Mateverse
Role taking:
individual project
Design for long-distance friendships
For non-EU international students in the UK, Because of the time difference and distance, it's difficult for them to stay in touch with close relationships. As a pc app, Mateverse can provide a lightweight social experience through the shared calendar that utilises metaverse.
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Imagine ...
When you want to contact long-distance friends, they already fall asleep.
Gradually, you fade out of each other's lives. Isn't that a pity?
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One of the UN goal is 'health and well-being'
450,000+
Non-EU students in the UK
The transition from home to college abroad causes loneliness. They are under a lot of pressure to adapt to the new environment.
72%
people who “Visit friends and relatives in the UK” fewer than last year
International students are hard to meet their long-distance relationships, more likely to feel alienated.
So, Materverse aims to
Help international students to maintain long-distance friendships and plan their time wisely.
What had been done for the user research
* Participants are from China, Thailand, India, Singapore, and Korea. Relationships are personal, so they need to be selected using a snowball method to make the research process easy and comfortable.
We extract key insights from primary research
This is Viviane
a 22-year-old introverted Chinese college student.
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Uncontrolled
The time jag
makes it
hard to manage time together
Diffident
Different affection needs
make them
Afraid of being annoying
Alienated
The Distance
makes them
lack engagement
There is an opportunity for
non-EU international students aged 19-40
who want to feel free to contact
long-distance friends
but are frustrated with the feeling of being uncontrolled, diffident, and alienated.
Erikson's Stages of Development
According to psychosocial development, young adults aged 19-40 need to form intimate relationships with others.
Age Group
About Face : The Essentials of Interaction Design
Behavioural variables are used to map interviewees. Most of them are introverted and always overthink when they try to contact others.
Behaviour Pattern
“With parents is hard, with friends is harder.”---PT6
It’s proved by the online survey that friendships are more vulnerable than family.
Friends? Family?
Understand the different affection needs
The mental Model Diagram shows that they have different affection needs, easier to feel uncontrolled, diffident, and alienated.
Mental Model
What had been done for the ideation
Our concept statement is
provide a lightweight social experience
through the sharded schedules
that utilise metaverse.
Accessible
to everyone
in the relationships
Flexibility
gives them the ability to
control lives
Perceptibility
helps them
build confidence
What had been done for the development
What had been done for the prototyping
MATEVERSE
with you anytime, anywhere
Storyboard
1. Viviane is alone at home in the UK.
2. Viviane sees the ads and downloads Mateverse on her desktop.
3. Viviane creates her avatar.
4. Viviane invites her best friend Coco to play with her.
5. Viviane and Coco set up their common schedules.
6. Viviane digitally accessed Coco on the desktop.
7. When Coco sleeps, Coco's avatar accompanies Vivian to learn.
8. They exchange digital gifts and feel happy.
Our three key ingredients are
uncontrolled
A sense of engagement
control time & arrange a schedule together
Metaverse
Shared schedules
Intimacy identifier
A sense of companionship
alienated
meet FTF beyond the confines of the real world
diffident
Welcome
visualize their two-way interactions
Users used to have low motivation and low ability...
Now, enthusiasm is rekindled!
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Intimacy Identifier
can boost their motivation
Metaverse & Shared Schedule
make their communication easier
Mateverse will operate on an In-App Purchases model.
Value
1 in 12
had experienced suicidal thoughts
32%
experienced negative feelings
With Mateverse, friends can be with them anytime anywhere. Not only reducing suicide rates but also creating more business opportunities.
Metaverse
Meet face to face beyond the confines of the real world.
Shared schedules
Control time & arrange a schedule together.
Intimacy identifier
Visualize their interactions.
