TIME BUDDY // Project at Tilburg University
Problem statement
“People in long distance relationships face problems with communicating due to time differences which affects the degree of intimacy.”
Research methods
Desk research, interviews, personas, storyboarding, prototyping, user tests.
Design tools
Paper prototypes with pencil, Axure, Sketch, Invision.
User Stories
Research tools like desk research, interviews and personas were used to get an understanding of the users’ behaviour and needs. Based on the research, we created three user stories.
1. As a person who lives abroad, I want to have the ability to share emotions and experiences so that I feel more intimate with my family and friends at home.
2. As a person who lives abroad, I want to have the ability to experience happenings at home so that it feels like being there.
3. As a person who lives abroad, I want to communicate with more easiness within different time zones so that communicating becomes easier.
2. As a person who lives abroad, I want to have the ability to experience happenings at home so that it feels like being there.
3. As a person who lives abroad, I want to communicate with more easiness within different time zones so that communicating becomes easier.
The concept
Design methods were used in order to create a concrete solution for the problem. Brainstorm sessions are held to create ideas for solving this problem, such as: making communication in different time zones easier through different digital features, applying these features in new or existing applications, or create projected videos that show the environment of the person on the other side. The decision was to focus on an application which can solve the communication problems due to time differences. Requirements that were important to include in the design method: create awareness of the time of the other person’s environment and whether the person is awake or sleeping, and the ability to contact the other person in case of emergency.
Sketches of the click-through prototype for our concept 'Time Buddy' (Invision)
The requirements were sketched in an interface of an application called ‘Time Buddy’. A click-through prototype of these sketches through Invision was tested by the target group in the iteration phase. Based on their feedback the prototype was improved. The main improvements for the application were: the dot that showed the availability of the person was removed. This was experienced as too confusing in case of more users available, or it was not even recognized by the target group. Furthermore, the numbers in the overview of the application were not clear, for that reason the abbreviations of time (A.M. and P.M.) were added. Moreover, a scheduling function for messages in WhatsApp was included for planning messages when someone is sleeping. Finally, the app included an extra control message in the SOS function, connected to the time that the other person will wake up. Users mentioned that it is sometimes not necessary to make an urgent call when the person will be awake in a short time.
