ROLE
UX, UI, Brand Strategy, Prototyping
The goal of this project was to design a product from
0-1, with a focus on craft, attention to detail, and creating something visually stunning. My contribution was end-to-end, from research to developing the brand and prototyping the motions.
DURATION
12 Weeks
AUGUST 2024 - DECEMBER 2024
TOOLS
Figma, Adobe Creative Suite
TEAM
Samyak Agarwal, Aashna Keswani
CONTEXT
Most friendships and relationship development now happens online. We observed a certain pattern in our IRL interactions with friend groups - We all end up either partying, drinking, aimlessly chilling at home, or try to make plans that usually fall through.
RESEARCH
Scene is born out of a very simple, yet frustrating problem
80% of friend groups find themselves stuck in a boring rut of repeating the same old plans, doing the same things every weekend.
We conducted 5 in depth interviews and discovered 3 key insights
😮💨
Friend groups shuffle through multiple apps to make one single plan
🤯
Friend groups struggle with decision making due to unique perspectives
🤦♀️
One person usually takes the responsibility of planning
DIGGING DEEPER INTO FRIEND GROUP DYNAMICS AND DECISION MAKING
We identified 3 key archetypes & mapped out their goals, frustrations and how Scene could help
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WE ASKED OURSELVES,
How can we help friend groups break out of their routines and plan fresh, exciting experiences together?
INTRODUCING
Designed to mimic the comfort of a Hug, Snuggle affectionately squeezes your body when you use it.
Through touch sensations and haptics, you can use this device to feel the presence of a loved one.
BUT, HOW DID I GET HERE?
"Being in a long distance relationship is so tough. Especially will time difference, it feels more difficult to feel his presence around me. Like if we are excited about something, we have to wait 5 hours to share it with each other"
TALKING TO PEOPLE
Conducting interviews with people who are away from their loved ones
"Since I moved away from home, I miss my mother everyday, I keep wanting to hug her every time we video call. I think it’s also frustrating for her that she cannot just reach out and do it.”
Priya, 25
WHAT I LEARNT
A hug makes up for communication gaps, when it is difficult to find the words to express a feeling
Sound as a sense
Voice of a loved one was considered unique, reassuring and intimate
Chris, 27
“I miss those moments like at the end of the day when we sit close to each other on the sofa sharing a blanket while watching TV [...] we can talk as often as we like via WhatsApp but we can’t reach out and touch or hug as we sometimes would.”
Blake, 30
Working | Married 1 year
Working | LDR 2 years
Snuggle identifies important moments of longing and offers three functions that allow you to feel a person's presence.
Importance of an Embrace
In order to understand what I need to build, and how, I gained insights through in-depth interviews, observation and lots and lots of internet research.
International Student | Single
The world’s forever connectedness through a mobile phone - has lead to humans relying on external devices for connection
This device aims to provide physical comfort in this digital world.
“At the end of a tiring day, I just love to come home to a hug from my husband. That’s something I really crave.”
Identifying moments of longing and loneliness in people who are away from their loved ones
Asynchronous Connection
Most participants said it was challenging to be free at the same time as their loved one
Anika, 28
Student, Married 1 year
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Most people rely on video calls, messaging or posting online to stay connected, but most times, leaves them craving touch and feeling presence.
FORM
A meaningful tactile form that supports physical connection and represents the feeling and form of a hug.
A pillow with protruding arms
Low-fi Prototype
KEY POINTS
Participants shared that hugging a pillow creates a kind of compression that feels like a hug
It was recorded that most participants use a pillow to hug while sleeping
Why a pillow as a form?
Personal Wearable Item
Integrated as a part of your home
Ability to hug, sleep and lounge with
CREATING A BRAND AND DESIGN SYSTEM
Building UI elements, icons, typeface, colours
DIVING INTO THE IN APP EXPERIENCE
Navigation Bar
Home
Connect
Video
Video
Profile
Profile
USE CASE 1
Using Snuggle to Hug
Users can use the hug feature, adjust the intensity of hugs and haptics according to what feels most comfortable and real to them.
USE CASE 2
Home
Connect
Using Snuggle to Sleep
Users can treat Snuggle like a pillow, to hug while sleeping and feeling their loved one’s presence in real time.
The sleep feature identifies a bunch of factors that allows presence to be felt. It allows the users to toggle and play around with what feels most comfortable to them.
USE CASE 2
Using Snuggle to Listen
While interacting with Snuggle, users can use the feature of Listen to be able to hear a bed time story, a thoughtful voice note, or the sound of familiar snoring that you might have gotten used to.
TAKEAWAYS AND FURTHER STEPS
REFINED FORM
USER TESTING
SCALABILITY
With more time, and to assess future possibilities, I would explore designing the form as a more accessible and portable device.
By actually inculcating the haptics and features like sound, I would love to have it tested by user groups of people in long distance relationships.
After learning how large the problem of touch deficit is, I wonder if reliance on external products for touch is the future of establishing contact while retaining globalization and keeping mental health in mind. If so, how can I make this a more scalable home/travel device
Other Works
Comic Sans
Kodiak Icon Suite
New Phone Who Dis?
