Dasein
2019
When the new type of loneliness emotions 2.0 affect young professional by big cities’ lifestyle and the use of digital devices.
How can we find a proper relationships between the city and citizens?
Project Background
While it is undeniable that digital technology has brought a lot of convenience to our work and we got a lot of benefits from digital technology at work. However, living in big cities and the relationship with digital lifestyle brings new challenges to people in now days.
As majority’s standard of living is gradually improving and it is much easier to keep in touch with each other in digital times than before, there are more and more applications and devices that try to bring people closer and satisfy our desire. (online dating, social media, consumerism, etc.) But there is an emotion become more intense in such a circumstance – Loneliness.
“Equally concerning is that social media use may contribute to social isolation, loneliness, and decreased well-being. Research on nearly 1800 young adults aged 18 to 32 years indicates that high rates of social media use (more than 2 hours per day) are associated with a significantly higher likelihood of perceived social isolation than low levels of social media use (0-30 min/d).”
-Closing Commentary: Is Technology Making Us More Disconnected?
In today’s era, the impact of digital technology is the proliferation of information and the satisfaction that people can easily get brought us endless confusion and loneliness.
High rates of social media use lead more loneliness problem among young adult group.
Research & Finding
Before we start to design for our users, we need to understand how young professional think about modern loneliness, why they feel lonely sometimes and how they usually cope with this emotions.
I used multiply design tools in order to understand our users: Interviews,Observations, Literatures, Experience journey, Surveys.Based on all these research above, I figure out the core to understand this loneliness emotions is that we need to understand the difference/contrast between our inner thoughts and the reality that we are living in.
Based on these researches, I create the structure for my design concept:
First, experience the interaction of concepts, then understand this interaction, and finally, when my users feel lonely, this experience could let the users be aware that loneliness is exactly not that scary, it is how we live everyday.
Intentional Solitude is the method to following this structure. This is a positive cycle that helping users to get used to and understand the loneliness emotions.
There are lots of ways to approach intentional solitudes such as form hobbies, meditation is one of a good and direct way as a hobby to approach intentional solitude. There is a survey that formed by me shows that 87% of people agree that being alone sometimes have positive effect to us. Intentional solitude not only can explore our inner world and outside world, but also to helps us to learn how to be alone in a proper way.
Is about switch the passive to active attitude, is about the ability of controlling our emotions, to understand how is our life actually works and actively exploring our physical world and our inner world, rather than “waiting” and looking for a comfort zone.
An interaction between object and users
Creating an object by the process of stimulation, interaction and motivation can guide the users into the practice of intentional solitude. After multiply rounds of user testing, some of the important question came out though my mind:
How to make my concepts more in line with my topic?
How to add values to these form, not just a tent, four speaker or floating chair?
Having negative emotions during the experience sometimes doesn’t mean the influences are also negative. As long as it could reflect positive outcome. So thinking about how to motivate these group of people to make time for getting along with themselves or thinking about how to insert this concept into their daily activities.
Dasein a is home system that provide interactions with users through breathing, light and sound to inspire young professional to learn to be confidence of being solitude in daily lives. This interaction divide into two parts. First, it will track user’s breathing rate, then bring the users into different natural scenarios that can helps them stay calm and imagine the contrast between the nature and the reality.
The whole concept consists of a lamp system and a small seat. Once the user is sitting in the seat. The light will automatically turn on due to the pressure sensor. Seating is a response to user needs, and lighting is a response to this concept.
Why Dasein?
“Dasein” is a German noun which means the being in the world that is defined by Martin Heidegger. But the concept of being itself is so abstract, so intangible and so invisible that can it is embodied by different individuals.
The being is so intangible that we always ignore it in daily life. Like we always ignore we are living and we will die. We only notice it in some odd moments, perhaps at night or be alone all day or through the walk in the countryside. “Dasein” could be a metaphor of loneliness. It always be there, and different have their on different understanding of loneliness. It likes the water we drink, or the food that we eat. It is being there with us. So it is necessary to live with this emotions, is not about avoiding it but get used to it.
Concept Components
Material
The major material of this concepts would be P95 crystal ice matt acrylic. These material not only can represent the theme of loneliness. But also can diffuse the LED light so that to make the lighting softer.
Lighting
Lighting is an important component in this concept. The lighting not only aim to bring up the vibe of mindfulness and loneliness to the users. But also aim to show the responses by the object to the users during the interactions.
Home
The interaction of this concept will be provided at the user’s home. Home is one of the components of this design. Users are familiar with where they live. Therefore, it can provide a strong contrast between the reality they live in everyday life and the thoughts in their mind.
Seat
Combine with the lighting system and with the same material and led light. The seat can let users feel a more comprehensive theme when they experience this interaction compare with only have a lighting system. It also is the switch of the system when people sit on it.
Design Elements
The sense of froest
Not only having the effect of calmness. Frost material also can represent the concept of loneliness which is blurred and elusive. The process of define loneliness is like the lighting in the blur.The frosted effects also can create a sense of new dimension in visual which have a contrast with reality. This effects can represent that there are difference between your inner world and your surrounding.
Scenario
In the second part of the interaction, this system would bring users into multiply artificial nature scenarios that helps users to imagine and communicate with it. This is process of interact with the objects but also interact with user’s mind. The type of scenario have solar system, winter snowstorm, ocean, and forest.
Breath
The breath sensor inside the system can track user’s breath rate and collect the data. Then it will transfer these data into fade lighting as the response from the object to users. The first value of this element is to let users know their breath rate in order to help them calm. The second value of this element is to create a communication between objects and users. As a reflection of the users.
Press Sensor
When users sit on the seat. There is a press sensor inside to active the system. These elements let the beginning of interaction more smooth than regular switch button. Also when users leave the seat, the light will slow turn off the response the users.