Project Development
Progress from Week 8 and Onwards
Week 15 Update | May. 2nd, 2020
Final Sisters App
Final Zine (Animated when Viewed Digitally)
Final Version of Virtual Wall
Tool Kit Illustration
Week 14 Update | Apr. 26th, 2020
Logo Revision
High-fi Wireframes
Final Deliverable (Zine) Digital Storyboard
Week 13 Update | Apr. 19th, 2020
Project Tagline
Original Ideas
- We’re doing this together!
- Together we create!
- We are here together!
- Together we’re here!
- Bonded by friendship
- Friends start here
- Seeding friendships forever
Further Brainstorm
- She’s got your back
- Sisterhood
- Cultural bonds
- With every charm, there’s a bond
- Connect with a charm
- Earn a charm, earn a sister
- Let your experience blossom
- Together we bond
- Let’s connect!
- Support, Growth, Care!
Logo Refining
Final Project Presentation
Updated Wireframes
Also worked on refining the language and wording of the content.
Week 12 Update | Apr. 12th, 2020
Color Explorations and Virtual Wall
Additional “Sisters” Logo Brainstorm & Mock Up
Revising our Visual Brand & Color Palette
Low-fi Wireframes of Sisters Matching Portion
Low-fi Wireframes of Bracelet Portion
Mid-fi Wireframes of Bracelet Portion
Revised Wireframe Flow and Color Palette
Week 11 Update | Apr. 6th, 2020
Ideas on Final Deliverables
Options Considered
- Video of Scenario Setup — Two girls at home interacting using sisters app → meeting on campus + receiving tool kit → interact in person (bracelet exchange + hangout at Asian restaurant + play with cards, etc)
- Video of Illustrations — Showing same outline as above but with illustrations instead (due to current COVID19 situation making it hard for us to film all components)
Current Inclined Idea
- Digital Zine (animated pdf) — Similar to a storybook, containing illustrations + short screen captures of app screens showing the sisters’ interactions from using the app to physical interactions on campus (similar outline as above)
Timeline and Plan for Upcoming Weeks
“Sisters” Logo Brainstorm
Revising our Visual Brand & Color Palette
Mid-fi Wireframes in Figma
Updated Research Statistics
Statistics on Asian international students coming to CMU and colleges the United States
In Carnegie Mellon, 16% of undergrads are international students and they are represented by 47 countries on campus. The largest community in Carnegie Mellon University is China, Korea, and India.
Week 10 Update | Mar. 30th, 2020
After reevaluating and revisiting our project idea, we worked on mapping out a journey map of our product and all the touch points, developed our probe research into a digital interactive conversational activity, and conducted further research on dating app algorithms to help make decisions on how we match the sister pairs.
Visual Style and Branding Exploration
Timeline
To clarify and rethink through our project innovation and service, we mapped out a micro timeline of all the steps and touch points between the two sisters.
We then processed to working on the initial stages of the experience, where the sisters get matched and first start to interact and get to know each other.
Interact with Visual Conversational Topics
Through our previous design probe research, we have discovered that the memories and moments our participants wrote down when viewing the same image were all culturally tied together, containing some overlapped elements and scenarios but also each being uniquely different. We hope to transform these visual cues into our digital app to help foster communication and build connection (get to know each other) after getting matched, through the sisters responding to and chatting about the Asian culture related images.
After scheduling and confirming on a meeting time, the pair of sister comes online at the same time and interact through these visual conversational topics. Both sisters see the same image at the same time, each type in their memory or anything that the image reminded her of, share their responses with each other, and further chat about the responses (ask follow up questions, etc). In addition to preset Asian culture related images, the sisters also have the option upload their own photos and engage in the same activity as mentioned above.
Research on Dating App Algorithms
Tinder
- Swipe left (dislike), swipe right (like), swipe up (superlike)
- Advanced: Profile boost, rewind (goes back to the profile before if you swiped left by mistake), Tinder Gold (paid; users can see who liked their profile), Tinder Plus (paid; users can change the setting on their profile such as hiding their age or see how far they are from each other; users can rewind their last swipe without any limits; no ads)
- Once you swipe left on a profile the user will not be able to see that profile again
Tinder uses a Elo rating system which is the same method used to calculate the skill levels of chess players You rose in the ranks based on how many people swiped right on (“liked”) you, but that was weighted based on who the swiper was. The more right swipes that person had, the more their right swipe on you meant for your score.
Tinder would show users the profiles that have similar scores to the users.
Hinge
- Users are presented with a match every day the app has deemed their “Most Compatible”.
- Users are required to choose three question prompts when they are making their profile and then other users can swipe right or left based on their profile pictures or answers from the questions.
“Hinge’s algorithm is specifically designed to introduce you to potential dates who meet your preferences (and whose preferences you meet),”
— Jean-Marie McGrath, director of Communications at Hinge
Hinge uses the “Gale-Shapely” algorithm. It was developed by mathematicians David Gale and Lloyd Shapley as a means of solving a mathematical phenomenon called the “stable marriage problem”.
The “stable marriage problem” occurs when difficulty is found matching a group of men and women equally when the participants have been asked to rank each other in order of preference. Hinge is able to match people on the app based specifically on their answers to the random questions, and thus help them find partners with whom they will have compatibility.
Things to Note and Consider
- More on-boarding for o week upperclassmen
- Upperclassmen should send something personal during toolkit
- Jimmy Kimmel live game storytelling
- In general this would happen during no quarantine, so share snap stories
- “You’re not alone in this, sisters united” with acceptance letter
- Episode of Jimmy Kimmel for game inspiration
Week 9 Update | Mar. 22nd, 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the further semester becoming conducted virtually, we revisited our team contract, project idea, and next steps.
Revisiting Our Team Contract
Supportive Working Environment: Be organized and help each other out when needed; raise and discuss any concerns/thoughts together
Online Working Styles: Try to be fairly flexible and adaptive; open to feedback and try our best to work efficiently and effectively
Further Team Meeting Times (in EST) due to Time Zone Differences: Tuesday 22:00–00:00, Thursday 22:00–00:00, Friday 10:00–12:00 or 22:00–00:00, Saturday 10:00–12:00 or 22:00–00:00, Sunday 22:00–00:00
Communicate & Share Information: Messenger group chat, shared google folder & documents
Feedback: Use meeting times effectively and keep everyone updated on what you have been working on
Decisions: Use meeting times effectively; raise questions/concerns during meetings to talk it through to reach consensus (and make revisions if needed)
When Having Different Opinions: Talk it out; ask for feedback from professors and/or other classmates, list out pros and cons of each path/option and then try to reach a consensus
Keeping Each Other Accountable: Set reasonable internal and step-by-step deadlines; provide update during meeting discussions; check on each other’s progress from time to time
Our Next Steps
- Consider Coronavirus pandemic
- Tool kit + digital app hybrid innovation
- Virtual sharing wall
- Asian Restaurants + Grocery guide in Pittsburgh
- Branding and visual style development
Things to Note and Consider
- How do we help new freshmen amidst the heightened bias?
- Can mention pandemic in beginning, won’t change final deliverable
- Preventative mental health, sisterhood
- Do not downplay the stigma surrounding mental health -->What is the first thing that comes on new sister’s mind?
- Feminine hygiene
- Shifting to pre-CMU students, getting toolkit before arriving
- Go through match.com. Toolkit is down the service
- This community stands on principles of inclusivity. It’s kind of like the sister effect. Humanity and care.
- Online platform for cards? Maybe you flip it over and a video plays.
Week 8 Update | Mar. 3rd, 2020
After creating a user flow diagram, we created low fidelity wireframes for our Buddy app. We plan to match students based on their preferences. Each app user will rank 4 preferred qualities: their hometown, major, age, and language by most important to least important. The algorithm will then find sister pairs with the most commonality.
Conversation with Kristin
- Consider using “sister” instead of “buddy.” We feel that “sister” describes the relationship more than our other considerations, “buddy” and “mentor.” We decided not to use the word mentor because it assumes one partner taking on a leadership/advice giving role. Instead, the sister relationship is more of friendship than mentorship.
- The algorithm prioritizes the user’s preference accordingly. For example, if one user really wants her potential sister to be within the same major, she would place “area of study” above the other qualities. We acknowledge the risk of paired sisters not getting along with a random algorithm. This preference algorithm reduces that risk.
To continue the community that the campaign inspired, we created a website that would give students a more permanent and safe environment to continue the conversation. It is ultimately the sister’s choice to engage with all parts of the system (app, tool kit, and virtual conversation wall) or only one component. A user with an introverted personality may choose to only engage with the virtual wall.
Conversation with Dina
- One option is to game-ify the website experience. Users will be awarded “charms” based on their level of engagement. The charms will be one another board.
- It isn’t clear just from this static screen that the main interaction is to drag assets from the left bar to the board. It may be clearer to have buttons below active posts users can react to, similar to the way people react to facebook posts.
- It would be helpful to include an “about us” or “more information” page to connect the entire system together.
- Make it more clearly connected to culture.
- There can be a short in-website tutorial on how to interact with the site for first time users.
Physical Product
For one of our physical products, we wanted to include a DIY bracelet packet that will help students make the bracelets together with their assigned sister. With the bracelet we wanted to add a charm on the bracelet that had an encouraging statement in the student’s own language.
We have gathered words of encouragement in different languages. Our options of choosing the words are:
- Have the sisters choose the words for each other
- Choose the same word for each pair
- Have the pair achieve the charms for their bracelet
We went back to more problem defining by asking Viviana, our CaPS representative, about student demographics who use CaPS.
