Love in the modern world (Designing the social presence for long-distance couples)

One of the hallmarks of modern society is that there are increasing number of people who are geographically separated from their significant others. I was interested initially in how technology can help maintain long-distance relationships. This interest led me to conduct this project focusing on couples that are involved in long-distance relationships (LDRs). Long-distance couples have to experience more restricted communication than geographically close couples, which works to potentially hinder the couple’s ability to maintain intimacy in relationships. Due to emerging technologies, many individuals are able to stay in touch through the use of modern communication tools. But this communication between couples can be more complicated and deeper than everyday interpersonal communication. To understand these unique needs more deeply, interviews and observations were conducted to find novel design opportunities. Through a human-centered design approach, I designed a mobile application to enhance social presence over long distances. It helps LDR couples connect seamlessly on a daily basis, and to easily discover mutual topics, activities, and interests.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.F.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Art and Design

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Zhou, Hailun

• Long-distance relationship
• Design for couples
• User Interface
• User Experience
• Human Computer Interaction
• Relationship study
• Qualitative research
• Intimacy communication
• Couples communication
• Communication design
• Interaction Design

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2015 Hailun Zhou

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/78529

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/78529