Design for postponing loneliness in the public domain

Abstract

This graduation thesis report gathers the research activities investigating loneliness and the design to postpone it. The research approach refers to Vision in Product design (ViP), which includes exploring the domain. The context factors were gathered based on the literature, interview experts and non-experts, and observations. The research was formed in a world view, summarizing the driving forces around loneliness. The vision was formulated from the context research, including a design statement, interaction vision, and product qualities. From the research summary, loneliness can happen for a variety of reasons. However, one thing that every lonely person has is a lack of control. In contrast, a driving force that keeps a person away from being lonely is a sense of security, including self-awareness, sense of place, and belongingness. Following this insight, the design goal was to enhance people’s sense of security by giving them agency in the environment. Ideation involved creative sessions and individual brainstorming. The outcome was the Sound of a city, a sound creation tool using augmented reality, letting users create their sounds and add to their location. The design was validated through user testing of the interaction between users and the environment. In conclusion, the Sound of a city provided users a positive experience in having their personal (sound) touch in the public space. Participants agreed that this could make them bond with the places, resulting in more security. This master thesis contributed to bring some potential results in bringing sense of security to postpone the loneliness.