Avatalk
Product Design
Duration
6 Months
Tools
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Photoshop
Cinema 4D
My Roles
UX Researcher
Interaction Designer
Visual Designer
Project Type
Personal Project
During the early days of the pandemic, I found solace in playing video games and socializing online. Although I was able to connect with others, I still experienced feelings of loneliness at times. The report shows that 28% of Americans live alone, leading to limited social interaction for extended periods. This isolation has contributed to high levels of anxiety, with 53% of those living alone and 59% of those living with others reporting heightened stress. The pandemic has brought to light the growing psychological challenges faced by many people.
In response to the social and mental health challenges intensified by the early days of the pandemic, specifically feelings of isolation, my thesis project aims to develop Avatalk, an audio-based social media platform with avatars in 3D spaces. The goal is to create a virtual environment that fosters connections and interactions among users, using immersive and interactive features to enhance overall well-being and combat the sense of seclusion experienced during this period.
The pandemic led to a significant rise in digital communication, as indicated by a survey. The data shows that 43% of respondents reported using text messaging more frequently. Other modes of digital communication, such as voice calls, social media, and video calls, also saw an increase. About one in four respondents used email more often, and slightly more than one in five played online games more often. When all modes of communication are combined, the data indicates that 46% of respondents increased their digital communications without any decrease.
I conducted 20 interviews with social media users between the ages of 19-30, asking for their perspectives on popular platforms like Instagram. The participants expressed a diverse range of concerns, but some recurring themes were identified among their responses.
Through the interviews, I learned about various aspects of people's concerns. Based on the results, I prioritized four problems that could be solved by design and proposed the corresponding solutions, turning them into tasks that need to be solved through my design.
To tackle each task, I studied a range of existing platforms, including social media like Discord, Clubhouse, TikTok, and gaming platforms like VR Chat and Second Life, to see how they addressed similar user concerns. I also compared real-life communication to the way people interact on popular social media platforms such as Instagram and WeChat. This research helped me to gather inspiration and generate ideas for how to effectively complete each task.
After evaluating the usability and creativity of the solution, I built the final version of the audio-based communication platform.
