We are social beings. In 2020 when the world went into isolation, we moved online to stay connected.
This design aims to combat increased loneliness among Australians by starting a conversation and encouraging people to reach out to their loved ones. Air Hug is a cushion comforter designed to provide the comfort of hugging in a form that displays the rapid increase of video call platform usage since social isolation was implemented globally in 2020.
The intention of this design is for a user to send the Air Hug to their loved one as a friendly reminder and encouragement that we stand together. The Air Hug cushion is accompanied by a booklet explaining the purpose of the Air Hug, and a dedication page encouraging the sender to personalise their gift with their name and the name of the recipient.
Data for both designs are closely related to the impacts on social interaction and loneliness during social isolation. The Air Hug cushion seeks to enable social connection through its physical form so that when recipients hug the cushion they are in turn receiving a hug from the sender. The potential for meaningful contact is limited during social isolation, therefore this design is particularly pertinent to this data.
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Air Hug
Designed for Australians impacted by Covid-19, encouraging them that we stand together; that even in a time of isolation, the world went online to stay connected. This design displays the contrasting usage of video streaming and calling applications over the past three years, in an aim to demonstrate the rapid growth of certain video conferencing platforms in 2020. Data is sourced from the individual platforms, Global Digital Report, and Statistica.
Air Hug is a radar chart, displaying the change in monthly active users across 6 video streaming applications, and 5 video conferecing applicatings over the past 3 years.
Data variables:
- Year
- Application
- Monthly Active Users (in millions)
- Application Type
This is a multivariate infographic expressing how many monthly active users there were on each application, of either video streaming or conferencing in each year.
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Bars of Loneliness
Communicating to Australians who are lonely or know people who might be lonely. This design presents the shift in loneliness from before the pandemic with approximately a month into it, based on the 20 aspects of the UCLA loneliness scale. Data is sourced from APS (Australian Psychological Society), Swineburne University, and VicHealth.
Bars of Loneliess is a stacked column graph, tracking responses to the UCLA loneliness scale from approximately a month into the pandemic, overlayed with markers for the corresponding answers priot to the pandemic.
Data variables:
- Time
- Aspect
- Response
This is a bivariate infographic expressing the growth in loneliness for each aspect of the UCLA scale since the pandemic isolation occurred.
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Booklet Layout
This booklet accompanies the Air Hug cushion to explain its purpose, data mappings, and impact of loneliness. The cloud shape and name pull on the common idea of giving someone an ‘air hug’ when you cannot hug them physically. In the same way the purpose of this design is to “hug” when people can’t connect physically.
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Iterative Design Process
Paper-based Prototyping
After collecting the relevant data, paper-based prototypes were developed to experiment with how the data-form relationships could be presented.
Headphones Prototype
A bar graph splayed across the head bar of a set of headphones. Displaying the stacked data segments from video calling to video streaming.
Cushion Prototype
A series of three glyphs presenting active users across video applications over the three years. This is accompanied by a bar graph tracking the impact on internet speeds across the world. This was later adapted to present the bar graph in tassels on the edge of the cushion.
Cushion Prototype 2.0
After consultation and review it was determined that the formal relationship with data would be best presented if the shape of the cushion took on the shape of the glyph. This was accomplished by layering the three glyphs, and adding the bar graph tassels on the longer edges.
Hanging Art Prototype
In order to continue experimentation with form and data, a hanging art prototype was developed. The concept was that the art would hang on the users desk while displaying the three glyphs in a hanging chronological form.
Cushion Prototype 3.0
After further consultation and review the design was altered to remove the logorithmic scale; instead taking on a shape with long arms for hugging. The three long points (Zoom, YouTube, and Google Hangouts) would simulate two arms and a head respectively. The sharp points of the design were then curved out to better replicate the appearance of arms and a head.
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Design Development
Cushion Prototype 2.0 - Proof of Concept
To provide a proof of concept for the Design Prorotype 2.0, the shape was measured and traced to align the shape of the material with the shape of the data. These shapes were then layered and stitched together to create the front face of the cushion.
Cushion Prototype 3.0 - Development
To create the Air Hug cushion, first accurate measurements were recorded and a to-scale image was printed for blueprint sketching. Once the blueprint was completed, the shapes were cut out of the respective fabrics with an inch margin for seam-allowance. The fabrics for 2018 and 2019 were then pinned and stitched together, these were then pinned and stitched to the fabric for 2020 and finally the back was stiched on with a zipper attached, then filled with 250g of stuffing.
After development, a wool outline was added to trace the part of the shape that displays video streaming and hightlight the difference between the two types of application.
Cushion Prototype 3.0 - Possible Iterations
Air Hug presents hope and comfort to those who are struggling with loneliness, particularly in isolation. While this current evocative design promotes conversation and connection, further iterations could enable an enhanced experience, emphasising the aspects and sensations associated with a hug.
Such possibilities include moving to a stuffing that has more weight in it, to provide for some of the sturdier and stronger hug preferences. Another avenue for exploration is the insertion of a hotpack to provide the warmth you would expect from hugging a person
While these adustments would be interesting to explore, they are outside the scope of this project, and have the potential to remove the focus from the data being visualised and experienced onto a more functional aspect.
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Source Datasets
Cushion Prototype 2.0 - Dataset
Dividing monthly active user data by application per year allowed the formation of the shapes displayed below. These were presented in a logorhythmic scale to allow for greater data visibility due the the drastic outliers, such as YouTube, Zoom, and Google Hangouts. These shapes formed the foundation for Prototype 2.0.
Cushion Prototype 3.0 - Dataset
After the alteration in the prototype concept, the application placement on the radar chart needed to be rearranged to provide the clearest shape for hugging. In order to maintain data integrity and simplicity of form, the video streaming and video conferencing applications were kept separate.
Loneliness Measurements - Dataset
Because loneliness is a feeling, quantitative data is hard to source, however, UCLA created a 20 point system for measuring loneliness. The results based on this system were then constrasted against the 14% increase in loneliness from ‘Prior to Pandemic’ to 28 April 2020, resulting in the dataset below.
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