We all want to use our time well. We want to feel that we are getting the most out of our time outside of work, enjoying ourselves, experiencing new things, and spending time with loved ones. One way to make the most of your time is to have dedicated time for hobbies and leisure activities, such as a weekly pottery or foreign language class, a recreational sports team, or volunteering in a local museum. There are plenty of options for online learning, but in our post-COVID world, face-to-face connection is particularly important. But how do you find such a thing? What if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, just that you’re searching for a little something extra in your week? Getting started with something is often the most difficult part. When looking for a class or other weekly activity, we immediately face a lot of decisions and option, and this can be paralyzing. If these barriers were removed, would we be more likely to engage with the communities around us, learning new things and creating connections?
How important is connection with one’s community? What is the value of face-to-face connection, as opposed to online? How might we make it easy to build a full and fulfilling life through life-enriching activities? How do we make finding these life-enriching activities equitable and accessible?
These questions are the basis of a new direction for research that I will pursue during the thesis semester. The thesis will include both research and a practical output. I will first address the current state of research. Then, I will conduct field trips and include a series of interviews with relevant experts (transcripts and reflections). Building on both the research and interviews, I will begin the design process and focus heavily on user testing, which will lead me through prototypes and onto the final design. The current idea for a practical output is as follows:
Passion Project addresses the previously stated problem by offering a service to support you from start to finish. Through the Passion Project website or app, the user is onboarded with a series of questions to get to know their location, age, priorities, interests, availability, needs and wants. Following this, the algorithm can offer personalized recommendations. For each class, the sign-up process is the same and is hosted directly on Passion Project, never on a third-party website. Additionally, Passion Project stores important information such as class times, location, and supplies lists, and sends email/push notification reminders at appropriate times.
The preliminary structure is as follows:
Introduction (problem statement, state of research, goal, hypothesis, research question, concept & approach)
Research (tbd)
Expert Interviews & Field Trips (interview transcripts & analysis)
Practical Work (design process & outcome)Conclusion (applications, thoughts & reflections)
My personal theory is that regular, in-person activities that aren’t related to work or other obligations can be extremely important for creating a healthy, balanced life. Theory references, although yet unexplored, will likely include psychological journals to explore the impact of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the comparable benefits of in-person connection and community. I will also explore social design, or the practice of designing for a better society.
Some questions I have
What are your thoughts on the potential of this topic? Should the scope be broadened or narrowed at this point? Do you have any recommendations for potential site visits/field trips and/or interviewees? What are your thoughts on the practical input piece? Having never done a thesis before, one of my biggest concerns is having enough to work with to fill the timeline of the thesis – how do I really dig in to this topic over such a long period of time?
