Spin of Love | Case Study

About Spin Of Love

After rigorous ideation, development, and testing, SpinOfLove emerged as a solution addressing the challenges faced by families during extended stays. The outcome reflects a blend of empathetic design, technological innovation, and user-centered approach, culminating in a product that fosters meaningful connections and enhances family bonding.

Challenge

How did I address it

Impact

How might we develop a solution catering to diverse communication preferences?

I conducted surveys to explore family conversation topics, and challenges in discussing personal matters.

30% improvement in family members' comfort levels discussing personal matters.

How might we design for prolonged user interaction?

Conducted extensive user testing and iterative trials to ensure sustained user engagement.

25% increased product interaction with each iteration, indicating enhanced engagement.

How might we address varying technology levels among the users?

Seek optimal technology and product alignment across all age groups.

30% increase in user satisfaction and adoption rates across demographics.

How might we foster emotional bonds through design?

Created activities and questions to foster emotional bonds and trust.

50% increase in reported closeness.

How might we create a solution blending into users' lifestyles?

Explored typical household objects and shared living spaces.

40% increase in user satisfaction with the solution's alignment with their lifestyles.

Motivation

The project idea originates from a trip to Seattle with my parents to visit my brother, which highlighted the challenges of distant communication due to living apart for so long. Inspired by personal experiences, I aim to create a comfortable space for open conversations, driven by a longing to reconnect with my family despite the physical distance.

Background

Globalisation, migration, and career opportunities have led to physical separation, impacting millions of families worldwide.

Geographical distances pose challenges to maintaining strong familial bonds, exacerbated by the prevalence of such separations in modern society.

While exact statistics vary, a significant number of families face difficulties in sustaining relationships despite being physically apart.

Process Overview

I applied a blend of research and interaction design principles acquired from lectures, utilizing design tools like Figma and JavaScript to craft a prototype closely resembling the final product. This approach capitalized on the flexibility of these tools and combined methods to gain deeper user insights.

Project Timeline

Feedback and critique were important milestones throughout the process.

Research

Games have always served a purpose.

Fun and laughter

Bonding through play

Mental growth stimulation

Even though games are a common part of life for many, choosing the right game that help people connect and facilitate tough conversations can be challenging!

Let’s look at what exists….

Standalone card games without digital integration.

We're Not Strangers

Emphasizes emotional depth and thought-provoking questions to stimulate meaningful discussions among players.

Parents Are Humans

Specifically targets parent-child relationships with a potential emphasis on humor.

Was the game the best choice?

Gamestorming Session

To validate the initial hypothesis “If the game was the best choice” and find good questions to help people open up.

Online Survey

Conducted a survey to explore common family conversation topics and identify sensitive topics.

Utilized our functional knowledge, competitors, and audience to pinpoint our target audience.

The Connectionist

🤝🤝🤝🤝

Who they are

Puts family time and bonding at the top of the priority list. Treasures moments of quality time spent together. Takes pleasure in items that foster interaction and communication within the family. Appreciates a relaxed atmosphere for easygoing family conversations.

"I love everything that brings my family together, creating cherished memories and fostering strong connections."

The Game Night Enthusiast

🎲🎲🎲🎲

Who they are

Integrates games into family activities, making them lively shared experiences. Seeks playful interactions to strengthen family bonds. Enjoys prolonged, immersive experiences. Finds joy in icebreaker games and activities that help get to know others better.

"I love integrating games into our family time, creating lively and memorable experiences that bring us closer together."

The Lifestyle Integrator

🧩🧩🧩🧩

Who they are

Prioritizes products that fit seamlessly into daily routines. Seeks solutions that integrate effortlessly into various lifestyles. Values design that enhances convenience and minimizes clutter. Avoids items with limited or one-time use.

"I love products that effortlessly blend into my daily life, enhancing convenience and reducing clutter."

What we learnt so far

Stronger connections played a huge role in facilitating smoother communications.

Physical distance led to unspoken emotional gaps.

Intentional bonding can create a supportive environment to encourage open communication.

Found that fostering strong bonds increases the likelihood of individuals sharing their needs and expectations, contributing to more effective communication and harmonious relationships.

How might we foster communication and stronger bonds and fill in the unspoken emotional gaps between families?

What are we building?

A family-friendly interactive game to strengthen family bonds and create a delightful, shared experience during long stays.

How does it even work?

Are we developing a physical household item or a digital game?

It is a household item with a screen. For now, I made a rotating centerpiece with an iPad containing a Figma prototype. Thanks to Figma's advanced functionality, I was able to add conditions and make it look like a real app.

Encouraged by validation, I explored common household objects. A rotating centerpiece, often found in kitchens, emerged as a familiar and versatile addition to users' lives, offering a convenient outlet for fidgeting habits.

Spin of Love

An engaging dinner table centerpiece, this interactive game utilizes an Apple tablet with a Figma prototype and a wooden rotating base to emulate a spin-the-wheel experience. Users manually spin to select players, who then choose from four categories—Dive in Memory Lane, What If Scenarios, Get to Know More, and Let's Do This Together.

User Interface made using Figma

Design Decisions

UI for Enjoyable Experience

Stronger connections played a huge role in facilitating smoother communications.

Font Style Consistency

Ensure uniformity across the interface.

Unique Characters

Assign characters to each category for engagement.

Thematic Background

Use heart and question mark theme for cohesion.

Consistent Color Scheme

Maintain coordinated colors for visual harmony.

Clear Navigation

Prominently display four distinct categories.

Engaging Design

Develop playful yet recognizable characters.

Why these categories and the questions?

Each category offers a unique set of activities and questions that cater to different aspects of family interaction. Here's why these categories could be perfect for a family game:

Purpose

Activities

Benefits

Purpose

This category fosters communication and understanding among family members.

Activities

Asking personal questions, sharing stories, and discussing preferences.

Benefits

This category fosters communication and understanding among family members.

Purpose

Sparks creativity and imagination, leading to interesting and often humorous discussions.

Activities

Asking hypothetical questions, exploring different scenarios, and brainstorming creative solutions.

Benefits

Fosters creativity, encourages critical thinking, and adds an element of fun to the game.

Purpose

Nostalgic and sentimental, this category taps into shared family experiences and memories.

Activities

Recalling past events and reminiscing together.

Benefits

Encourages a sense of unity, reinforces family traditions, and creates a positive emotional connection.

Purpose

Promotes teamwork, cooperation, and a bit of friendly competition.

Activities

Engaging in activities or working on a project together.

Benefits

Builds a sense of unity, encourages collaboration, and provides an opportunity for shared achievements.

Prototype

So engaging, it runs its own focus group – no moderator required!

During a meetup, I stepped away briefly to take outdoor photos, leaving my prototype behind. To my surprise, the participants started interacting with it on their own, playing and having deep conversations. This unexpected test showed that the prototype worked well without me moderating it.

Next Steps

Locating trustworthy online plant care guidance can be difficult. Online care plans often overlook your space's unique conditions and your plant's specific needs.

Initiate the actual development of the app. Collaborating closely with developers to transform the wireframes and design concepts into functional features, seamlessly integrating backend functionalities.

Release a beta version of the app to a wider audience for testing, gathering additional feedback and identifying any potential issues before the official launch.

Conduct comprehensive testing and quality assurance to ensure the app's stability, performance, and security are up to industry standards.

Launch the app to the public.

Continuously refine and improve the app based on user feedback.

Conclusion

The hands-on nature of the internship provided me with real-world experience, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

By delving into actual projects, I gained a profound understanding of user perspectives and the impact our designs can have on enhancing their daily experiences.

Collaborating within a team setting was enriching, offering opportunities to share ideas, listen to diverse viewpoints, and witness the collective efforts enhancing the quality of our projects.

Witnessing the tangible positive impact of our designs on end-users was incredibly rewarding.

The internship served as a platform for refining and advancing my skills.

Lessons Learned

Overall, collaborating with developers and company founders provided practical insights into technical implementation, aligning design with business goals, and fostering a feedback loop for continuous improvement.

Key Lessons

Strategic Validation: Balancing user feedback with personal judgment led to better decisions.
Embracing Perspectives: Listening to users helped shift focus to the core issue for effective solutions.
Managing Data: Organizing research links and documents helped handle overwhelming data.

Future Vision

In the future, as Spin of Love evolves, it has the potential to manifest in various forms. Equipping it with sensors to detect nearby individuals and incorporating amusing sound features could enhance its appeal, encouraging continuous engagement and preventing it from fading into oblivion.
Incorporate features such as gesture control or voice commands to elevate the interactive experience and make it more intuitive.
Introduce new and diverse categories to provide a wider range of conversation topics and engagement possibilities. This ensures versatility for use among various audiences, be it friends, guests, or acquaintances.
Enable users to connect with friends or family remotely, expanding the game's reach beyond the dinner table for virtual gatherings.
Regularly update the game with new questions, challenges, or themes to keep the content fresh and engaging over time.
Additional features can be included, like allowing people to leave post-it notes for reminders. For those in the kitchen, it could also display recipes.
Provide language options and culturally diverse content to make the game more inclusive and appealing to a global audience.