Product description
The application as an experience product aims to support young people with accessible and manageable help, personalize and develop with gamified content. All functions have been selected on the basis of expert involvement and previous studies in the field.
The purpose is to target the individual to strengthen his self-esteem and his daily routines by facilitating qualitative alone time. The application acts as support via a digital coach that helps develop personal goals and offers therapeutic exercises as well as emergency contact.
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Competence:
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Field research, behavioral therapy, behavior change design, Gamification & Persuasive Design, Adobe XD prototype.
01 Problem
How can a digital experience product be created that can reduce and/or prevent the feeling of loneliness among the 16-24 age group, as well as motivate the user to use the product?
02 Loneliness as an area of study
A study investigated the field to analyze the loneliness problem and the challenges of the individuals. The direction of the project was guided by the expertise in this field. Here is a summary of how loneliness manifests in individuals and creates disruptions in their behavior. Loneliness is a feeling where a lack of social relationship, need, desire and expectation is perceived. It often occurs when there is a feeling of being unwanted alone or lonely with others. It is a subjective feeling, influenced by objective conditions in a social context, for example if there is discomfort with other people (Lasgaard, Christiansen & Friis, 2019). The feeling is natural, it creates subjective evidence that there is a lack of social interactions. The problem with loneliness is when that feeling persists for a long period of time, creating negative thoughts, feelings and behaviors (Cacioppo J. T. & Patrick, 2008). In general, the lonely experience a greater internal reaction to the negative and notice less of the positive. Loneliness generally increases morbidity and mortality. It has been proven that there is a higher risk for lonely people that they have physical problems such as low blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, but also psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, lower self-esteem, increased risk of Alzheimer's and dementia (Hawkley & Cacioppo, J.T. , 2010). If you know that a change in life can affect loneliness, and loneliness can be divided into two categories that lack intimate interaction and belonging, how can we improve these to minimize risks for young people to become lonely? But if they are already lonely, how can we help them when they go through that phase and become socially active again?
03 Development paradigms and challenges
In order to understand the complexity of young people's behavior and mental well-being, it is important to understand the individual's overall picture, subjective constructions and the impact of loneliness on subjective cognition. Here is a summary of the important starting points for the project development. According to Berger and Luckmann, the ontology in social constructivism is that all individuals have individual understandings, perceptions and interpretations of the world's reality, thus it must be understood that all individuals' experiences are attributed a subjective assessment of how the reality of the individual's world is interpreted (Berger & Luckmann, 1966). In Epistemology, the philosophy is that all knowledge about the physical and/or social contains constructed components. Often the idea of an objective truth that is only the perspective is rejected. This social construction is thus how knowledge and reality can be recognized. Knowledge and reality are not unambiguous, but arisen by having subjective understandings, shared experiences and communication. Therefore, it is important to understand the individual's subjective paradigm, nuances in different individuals and closer to the generality that is reflected in the majority of individuals. Loneliness can be divided into two general categories: • Being unwanted alone, socially isolated, or a lack of feeling of belonging, which is an objective relationship that may be the reason why the individual feels lonely • The subjective feeling of loneliness that can arise even if the individual is with others. Here it may be a lack of intimate interactions and emotional isolation that may be the reason why the individual feels lonely (Lasgaard, Christiansen & Friis., 2019; Findlay, 2004) Loneliness is the natural response to survival, as feeling connected to other people is necessary. There are three complex reasons that influence the lonely individual's condition: • All individuals have a personal background that includes upbringing, genetic inheritance and the individual's intelligence and competence • The individual's emotional competences, by being able to self-regulate the feeling of loneliness and act on it • The individual's cognitive representation and expectations, i.e. how the individual interprets and makes sense of social interactions (Cacioppo, J.T. & Patrick, 2008, p 15) Loneliness is a very individual feeling and there are many different reasons why a person feels lonely. Therefore, there are also many different approaches to reducing loneliness, depending on the desired result and the target group. The feeling of loneliness in many cases also causes other psychological problems in the individual, such as depression. It is therefore important to try to reduce loneliness. A common goal for many of the existing measures against loneliness is not to eliminate being alone, but to increase the individual's opportunity to meet new people or to be able to handle being alone. However, increasing the solitary opportunity for social interactions is rarely enough, as many feel lonely even when they are in the company of other people. On the other hand, initiatives that work with the individual's social cognition can help individuals who feel prolonged loneliness and are not yet ready to form meaningful relationships. The study showed that the young people who were at the high end of the UCLA Loneliness Scale and thus felt very lonely, were more likely to have their attention directed towards the negative social situations than the non-lonely participants. The study showed that measures that increase the possibility of social interactions or social skills have a smaller effect on the feeling of loneliness, whereas measures that work with the individual's social cognition have a much greater effect, also that the best approach to reducing loneliness is by working with the individual's social cognition, regardless of the cause or degree of the individual's sense of loneliness. As the above literature review shows, cognitive behavioral therapy has a proven effect on reducing the individual's feeling of loneliness. In order to prepare a product aimed at lonely young people and the cognitive processes, therefore clarify which elements from cognitive behavioral therapy can be used to increase the individual's social cognitive abilities and thus reduce the feeling of loneliness.
04 Solution progress in field of study
The direction of the solution is based on cognitive behavioral therapy, proven to be a therapy that has a positive effect on the feeling of loneliness. The therapy supports the individuals to deal with the loneliness and their alone time. Here you can read the related important points of cognitive behavioral therapy. Overall, cognitive behavioral therapy is about focusing on the positive rather than the negative. This type of therapy helps the individual to redirect negative emotions by changing everyday thoughts and behaviors. The individual is encouraged to try new ways of acting, which can help them gradually undertake activities that they would otherwise have avoided. Cognitive behavioral therapy often uses techniques for relaxation and distraction, as well as getting the individual to write down thoughts and feelings. Writing down one's thoughts and feelings on a daily basis gives the opportunity to analyze when and how the irrational thinking, for example the belief of being socially unwanted by others, affects the individual. The purpose is for the individual to be able to stop the negative thoughts about themselves and social situations, by finding evidence of whether this way of thinking is truthful or not. EASE They call this model EASE, it aims to create direction for a safe place where the individual gets the opportunity to feel safe in their own body and they can experiment with new experiences with themselves, to create positive feelings. This can increase their confidence and self-esteem and give them the opportunity to better enjoy time with themselves. Likewise, it can train them to stand stronger themselves and make them more ready to confront the world around them, as well as change their negative behavior and irrational thinking (Cacioppo J. T. & Patrick, 2008). E for Extend Yourself The withdrawal and passivity associated with loneliness is motivated by feelings of fear and being threatened. In order for lonely individuals to change their behavior, they need a safe place where they feel safe to experiment with new experiences. It is necessary for the individual to start with small challenges and changes that provide small doses of positive emotions, in order not to lose motivation. A for Action Plan In this step, the lonely individual must realize that they are not just a passive victim, but that they have the control and ability to change their situation by changing their behavior, adjusting expectations and changing negative thinking patterns. The individual must make a realistic and not too difficult plan for the behavior they wish to change. S for Selection In the third step, the focus is on quality rather than quantity. Social relationships must be meaningful and satisfying for both parties, the same applies to activities. The challenge in this step is therefore to identify which relationships and activities are beneficial and contribute positively to the individual's development and to deselect those which are harmful and which contribute negatively E for Expect the Best In the fourth and final step, the individual must learn to expect the best from other people. Lonely people often have many negative thoughts about themselves and others in social contexts. The purpose here is for the individual to realize that to some extent they have the ability to control their thoughts and feelings. If the individual expects positive interactions with others, the individual will also appear more positive and open.
05 Design processes
Process overview
The design is based on a deep understanding of users, tasks and environments, and is refined through the user-centered paradigm. It addresses the entire user experience and involves users directly and indirectly, throughout the design and development process. The process is iterative and the team possesses interdisciplinary skills and perspectives.
Idea generation
Idea generation is a creative process used to form new ideas or concepts and to help convert intangible ideas into tangible ones. This process is also called idea generation. Idea generation involves coming up with many ideas in a group, finding ways to use those ideas, and then turning them into reality. This process can go through divergent or converging phases to filter, redefine and concretize.
