Sparks: Marriage, Connection and Design

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Sparks Marriage, connection and design

Ching Yi Lo

SPARKS

Marriage, Connection and Design

Ching Yi Lo

MFA Products of Design School of Visual Arts

SPARKS: Marriage, Connection and Desgin Copyright 2021 by Ching Yi Lo All rights are reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing form of the author.

Too see more, visit www.chingyilo.com For inquiries contact clo5@sva.edu School of Visual Arts MFA Products of Desgin 136 West 21st Streett New York, NY 10011-3213 www,productsofdesign.sva.edu

CHING YI LO

Author&Designer

ALLAN CHOCHINOV

Chair, MFA Products of Design Thesis Advisor

ANDREW SCHLOSS Thesis | Advisor

JENNIFER RITTNER Thesis || Advisor

JAMIE MCGHEE Editor

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Contents

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01 Introduction

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02 Goal

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03 Research

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04 Target Audience

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05 Lexicon

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06 Design Thinking

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07 Kuddle: Product Design

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08 Wobbowl: Product Design

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09 Loveliday: Service Design

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10 Kiddokie: App Design

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11 Popupluv: Experience Design

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Thank You Biblography

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Introductio

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Before the internet, a person's romantic options were often limited to people in his or her immediate vicinity.

Now, thanks to the rise of dating apps, people are able to meet more potential partners than ever before, from more places than ever before, from more places than ever before, across a wide variety of platforms.

Despite the increase in choices, however, more and more couples are worried about getting married because they see so many marriages failing. These days, getting married can seem a lot like gambling, and there are so many potential ways to cheat.

Introduction

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Figure 1. couples in old time

A study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin in 2003 found that the happiness of a new married couple is rapid at the beginning of the marriage, and the duration only lasts for an average of the first two years.

Then, their joy goes away. It senses the pleasure and excitement from the married couples going back to the starting point, so they start to wonder why they cannot be happy forever?

From Dr. Ted Huston of the University of Texas at Austin provided commentary on a study on the predictors of marital satisfaction and stressors.

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What Brought Me To This Topic ?

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"Nowadays, why do people in relationships tend to replace their partners, rather than repair the relationship?”

That question was the first thing that came to my mind when I first began my thesis.

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Figure 2. My grandparents from my mom's side.

Pictured here are my grandfather and grandmother.

Left one is from my dad's side, the right one is from my mom's side. Both sides have been married for over 50 years.

They are my inspiration when I think about love, as their marriage, as their marriage lasted over 50 years. When I was little, my grandpa would always playfully tease my grandma, both of their eyes filled with affection for each other.

At the time, I believed that every married couple should work like that. Fast forward a few years, and one of my close relatives has recently gotten a divorce after less than a year of marriage.

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Figure 3. My grandparents from my dad's side.

Although getting a divorce is, broadly, no longer stigmatized or considered morally reprehensible in many countries, it prompted me to think about the differences between marriages of the past—“past” here referring to before 1980, the year when U.S. divorce rates hit a historic high — and modern marriage.

The rise of modern dating has led to an increase in the sheer amount of romantic choices each person has. I believe that as a result, contemporary daters are less intentional and passionate about making things work out in their relationships; they believe that even if one relationship fails, the future holds countless possibilities.

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Figure 4. 15 Dating Apps for the Over 50 Crowd.

So, I started to wonder: Is this because people nowadays have more choices and therefore more temptations? Or is it simply because people have begun to prioritize themselves more than others, are more selfish, and lack responsibility, leading them to leave once they feel a relationship go slightly wrong?

I don’t believe that people need to stay in relationships that only make them miserable. However, before couples really make up their mind to transition out of their marriage, they still have a wide range of options for working on their relationship——if they are willing to invest the time and energy.

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One survey conducted by a U.K. law firm, Seddons, pointed out 22% of 800 participants regretted getting a divorce. They wished they could work harder to save their marriage when they were able to do it before the divorce. Undeniably, we all admit that some divorces are necessary, for instance, affair, domestic violence, yet others might not be.

Whether a couple decides to remain married or get divorced, the choice is ultimately all about making the best decision for themselves. I cannot design a successful marriage for all people. I am only

designing interventions for married couples who would like to reconnect with their partners when their marriages are strained.

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Goal

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What Is Love ?

What is love?

Love

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The main function of commitment is to establish the foundation for a long-term relationship. Committing isn’t easy. Maintaining a long-term relationship powerfully influences individual behavior, prompting spouses to adopt the behaviors that are in the best interests of both of them rather than serve their own individual, shortterm interests.

When two people decide to get married, they do so believing that their love will be forever and unchanging.

That’s the misleading belief of every fairytale love story.

After all, no couple wants to be reminded that, in real life, some stories have an unexpected ending: divorce.

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Commitment plays an important role in marriage.

The main function of commitment is to establish the foundation for a long-term relationship. Committing isn’t easy. Maintaining a long-term relationship powerfully influences individual behavior, prompting spouses to adopt the behaviors that are in the best interests of both of them rather than serve their own individual, shortterm interests.

Before the commitment stage, couples assess whether they are suitable for the marriage. Once they determine their pattern, then comes the commitment stage.

"Commitment means making the choice to give up other choices."

Scott Stanley This simple fact explains why marriage can be so difficult. People are not resting easy to give up options in life. But healthy marriages are required on deep commitments that gives up all possibilities but one.

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Yes, I do. vs

Maybe I do.

When people bring reluctance and fear of commitment into a relationship, that relationship may fail to build a lasting love. In the past, we lived in a "Yes, I do" time, yet, now, we all live in a "maybe I do" world. When we say yes to something, it might make people get into a mindset that there has no turning back road, no matter if the relationship is good or not.

Of course, making a single promise or pledge does not guarantee a frictionless marriage. All relationships require work, and the effort that one puts into maintaining the marriage directly impacts its quality.

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That said, many couples unfortunately never reach their full potential because they don’t fully commit and can’t provide the security necessary for true intimacy. Some people mistakenly believe that "entering into marriage" alone is enough to guarantee their own happiness and satisfaction. So they neglect to maintain it over time.

This simple fact explains why marriage can be so difficult. People are not resting easy to give up options in life. But healthy marriages are required on deep commitments that give up all possibilities but one.

Maintaining intimacy requires intention, and learning methods to do so is important for a healthy relationship.

Through design, I am focused on understanding why marriages fail and on creating ways to rekindle the passion and improve satisfaction in a long-term marriage.

Love is a thing that all people always are purchasing for, looking for the answer. Until today, there's still no way to measure how it exists but feel and experience it only.

There are different ways to describe the form of love, and many people seek its expression in a romantic relationship with a compatible partner. Romantic love means a lot not only for one person in a long-term relationship only, but also affects two people. Therefore, for these individuals, romantic relationships establish one of the most meaningful and valuable aspects of life and present a deep fulfillment source to their lives.

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Figure 5. 101 Romantic Messages to Keep the Love Alive While You're Apart Credit: betsie van der meer/getty images

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Human beings are social animals.

Our lives depend on other humans. These connections to others are key to not only our survival but also to our happiness and the success of our careers.

Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher found that marriage has a much greater impact on our lives than many have assumed, especially when it comes to the health and well-being of adults. (Waite, Linda J., and Maggie Gallagher. The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better off Financially, Broadway Books, 2001.)

A good marriage impacts more than two people; it also influences their families, their children, and even the whole society where they reside. However, before it can have a positive influence, a relationship must be healthy.

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How Expectations Affect One’s Happiness in Marriage ?

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There is a saying: "A

simple way to improve your marriage is to change your expectations."

Over the past few decades, people's expectations of marriage have changed dramatically. For many generations, marriage was a means of gaining status, economic security, or a stable environment for raising children. Recently, many people's intentions for marriage have shifted to include friendship, confidantes, romance, and, for some, the search for "soulmates."

The happiest couples amend their expectations to what is realistic for their own situation. They follow basic guidelines of kindness and respect, and trust that the other person has their back. They follow the general rule that if you want something more from your marriage, put more into it — more fun, more thoughtfulness, and more trust. As with most things in life, the more effort you put into it, the more you can expect to get out of it.

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Research

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U.S. divorce and marriage rates by year

Figure 6. U.S. divorce and marriage rates by year

The divorce rate fell from a historic high of 22.6 divorces per 1,000 married women in 1980 to 17.5 in 2007.

(Wilcox, B. W., Murray, C., & Barone, M. (2009). The Evolution of Divorce. National Affairs).

This means that slightly quite 40% of first marriages are likely to end up in divorce, dropped from approximately 50% in 1980. Almost 50% of all marriages in the United States will end in divorce or separation, supported by the statistics shown on the wf-lawyers firm.

They also pointed out that, in 2016, both marriage rates and divorce rates in the US are decreasing. Recent research has shown that Millenials are choosing to wait longer to get married, are staying married longer, and are the main driver in the decline of both the marriage and divorce rates in the U.S. This could be because, after seeing the various failed marriages of the generation before them, Millennials became more rational and careful when it involves finding “Mr. Right” or “Ms. Right.”

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Background

To deeply understand the meaning of marriage today, it is important to trace how we got to where we are.

Over the course of America’s history, marriage has developed through three distinct stages, according to psychologist Eli J. Finkel in his book, The All-OrNothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work.

On the one hand, in terms of both happiness and divorce rate, the average marriage today, that is, after 1980, is poorer than the average marriage of the past.

However, the best marriages today are much more robust, in terms of both pleasure and personal well-being.

In the United States, marriage rates have declined steadily since 1972, and are currently the lowest in recorded history. Within the same time period, divorce rates have increased. However, when people ask, “Is marriage getting worse,” the answer is complicated. Are today's marriages better or worse than those in the past? From Finkel's point of view: The answer is both are true.

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Industrialization of marriage

Figure 7. How did Industrialization Alter the Family

Before the early stages of industrialization, economic factors determined one’s choice of marriage partner. There was almost no room for romantic love.

In the upper class, marriages were formed to consolidate land and political power through dowry, inheritance, and social alliances with the goal of maintaining bloodlines. In the lower class, it was necessary to get married in order to survive, and men usually chose wives based on their potential production contributions and reproductive capacity.

During the time of institutional marriage, the prevalence of individual farming households meant that the main requirements such as food production, shelter, and protection from war, Americans had for marriage revolved around aspects.

Therefore, even Americans were grateful if they could experience an emotional and physical connection with their spouses, but this type of affinities was a proper operation for running a typical marriage, but it's not the core purpose of the marriage.

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Companionate Marriage

Companionate marriage first appeared in modern Europe and North America in the early modern period between 1500 and 1815 B.C.E. Rather than focus purely on economic factors and reproductive capabilities, this type of marriage emphasized the love and partnership between husband and wife, prioritizing spouses’ personal and economic relationship with each other over questions of money, procreation, and survival. This arrangement usually afforded women greater rights than patriarchal marriages.

Such marriages were discovered in Europe as early as the 17th century.

Other theorists choose instead to apply this term to a specific version of marriage that appeared in the early 20th century. The term “companionate marriage” was proposed by American judge Ben B. Lindsey in 1927, to describe marriage that encouraged sexual and emotional intimacy, especially among young people. Delays in marriage and childbirth, combined with contraceptive methods, made divorce easier, as there were no children to take it into account.

At the time of companionate marriage, from about 1850 to 1965, the marriages in the US increasingly focused on intimacy needs, for example: loving needs, being loved, and experiencing a satisfying sex life. This era overlaps with the transition from rural life to urban life as more and more men engage in paid labor in cities.

As the country became richer and the social system became stronger, Americans began to seek marriage primarily for love and companionship.

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Current Landscape

Figure 8. Happy young relaxed couple in love laying down on the grass overhead

Then comes to the current landscape. Since around 1965, we have been living in an age of self-expression in marriage.

Americans increasingly demand that marriage serve as a stepping stone on the path to self-discovery, self-esteem, and personal growth.

Due to the counterculture trend of the 1960s, people have started to treat marriage as a less essential institution, the opposite, and it becomes a means of achieving personal fulfillment. “You make me want to be a better person” is a popular refrain in wedding vows. If a marriage can not bring one confidence, self-expression, and respect, then there's little point in staying in the marriage.

How Maslow’s five-level hierarchy relates to marriage?

According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, human needs fit into a five-level hierarchy: The lowest need is physiological wellbeing, including the need to eat and drink.

The necessity for safety follows this, then for belonging and love, then for esteem, and eventually for self-actualization. Each need generally depends on the prior satisfaction of a more basic need.

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What role does design play in marriage?

Wedding dresses

Figure 9.Monique Lhuillier

In the United States, grand weddings are a public celebration of love and marriage. A bride’s wedding dress is an extension of this celebration. No matter where the wedding dress comes from, maybe an unknown store, or renowned designers work, or it is the same one to your granny, eventually that it'll be beautiful and stunning.

After all, the most important factor is the story behind the dress, which expresses the bride’s personality and style. It’s not uncommon for brides to have “dream” wedding dresses onto which they symbolically project their romantic hopes.

Figure 10. Maggie Sottero

Some brands have garnered reputations for classical elegance. Or if brides are looking for something on the nontraditional side, individual designers or smaller boutiques can offer a certain flair.

With such a wide range of options, there’s no doubt a bride will find something she loves. It’s clear that design plays an important role in cultural understandings of marriage even before the marriage actually takes place.

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Wedding rings

Figure 11. De Beers

Figure 12. Harry Winston

"A diamond is forever." What was once an advertising slogan from the diamond company De Beers is now a cardinal rule when getting engaged. How can one measure love? How much power does a symbol of love have? Designers set the standard: They’ve trained people to measure love by calculating the carat of a diamond.

A diamond’s cut, clarity and carat all factor into a diamond’s price. And the price is seen as a reflection of love.

From these two examples, I found that when people design something for love, the design, no matter how small it is, can ripple out into an unbelievable butterfly effect. That said, while designing elements such as dresses and diamonds for weddings is valuable, designing for the married life that begins after the wedding is arguably more crucial, given that people face more temptation within marriage and more pressure to leave their marriages.

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Have You Heard About "The Seven-Year Itch" ?

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Figure 13. The Seven Year Itch

The seven-year itch is described as a popular belief that during a marriage or long-term romantic, marital satisfaction and happiness relationship declines after approximately the first seven years of marriage.

This must be grounded in some sort of truth, as the average marriage in the United States lasts 7-8 years, and a person’s first marriage ends around year 7.

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Divorce Trends - 7-year itch

Figure 14. Divorce Trends - 7-year itch

Years 1-2: High Risk The first year of any marriage is usually unpeaceful and unstable because two individuals are still getting used to one another. If the marriage is proven not to work well within less than a year, it might be time to cut ties and move on.

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Years 3-4: Average Risk Research shows that the average couple begins having children around year three. Due to the new birth, couples have to take care of the child together, therefore, children have been said to be a way to increase marital relationship stability and decrease divorce risk. (Tracy, A. (2015, April 30).

Married Couples In This State Wait The Longest To Have A Baby. Vocativ.)

Years 7-8: High Risk When the time comes to year seven and year eight. At this point in a marriage, younger children grow up and are old enough to have chances of surviving to adulthood, which may cause couples to feel free to transition out of marriage.

And by then, they have been married for an average of 7 years.

The tendency to separate at around the sevenyear mark is frequently tied to repetitive small problems rather than a single large issue. Rather than continually solving marital problems, couples tend to give up. The final straw does indeed break the camel’s back.

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Principles of marriage/ or designing the interventions In the book, Seven Principles of Successful Marriage, John Gottman recommends seven principles for married couples to follow to improve their marriages.

Enhance your love map: Enhancing a love map is about partners getting to know each other deeply, not only at the beginning, but also over the course of the entire relationship. This includes coming to understand his or her challenges, dreams, friends, beliefs, various favorite things, and childhood experiences. Both partners should continually check in with each other to make sure they’re on the same page.

Cultivate your hobbies and admiration: By expressing appreciation, gratitude, pride, and admiration for each other, partners can demonstrate how precious the relationship is to each of them.

Solve your solvable problems: If a problem can be solved, a couple should figure out how to handle it together.

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Let your partner influence you: In the same way that partners should share responsibility for household tasks, they should also influence each other and allow themselves to be influenced, in turn.

Practice mutual assistance and mutual benefit: Partners gradually establish the same needs, habits, and routines as each other. Eventually, they can become so in sync that they seem to be speaking a language that only they understand. Purposefully sharing and communicating with each other can deepen this connection.

Overcome the deadlock: According to Dr. John Gottman’s research, 69% of problems in a relationship are unsolvable. Trying to solve unsolvable problems is fruitless and unnecessary, and no couple will ever completely eliminate them.

However, having discussions about the problems provides a positive opportunity for understanding and growth.

Create a common meaning: This is the ultimate goal of a relationship of a relationship. People in a partnership should create and share a life and share a life that is meaningful for both of them.

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Users

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Who Am I Designing For ?

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Target Audience The range of potential users is wide, but my designs are particularly suited for long-term married couples ages 22-50, with or without children.

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User persona #1

Patty Lin 34, married, a wife/mother of two children Taipei, Taiwan

Patty got married right after she finished graduate school when she was only 24 years old. In Taiwan, the average age for women to get married is 31.

Patty and her husband both specialize in finance and stock analysis, and they work in the same company. She was promoted to be a group leader last month.

They have been married for seven years, during which time they have worked extremely hard at their jobs in order to secure a better life for their family. Their lives are essentially filled with work. When spending time together, they seldom talk about their daily lives, because most of the things they could share pertain to their jobs.

Moreover, they feel exhausted every day, with little time to talk before they sleep, which makes Patty feel lost when it comes to connecting and communicating with her spouse.her spouse.

Patty has recently started to miss the days when they would have a date on weekends and chatted about life during mealtime. Patty is not asking for too much; she just wants to take some time to sit down with her husband and enjoy a meal together.

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User persona #2

Kent. B 35, married, a husband/father with 3 lovely children Utah, US

Kent got married at a very young age. ”I CHOSE my wife and she chose me in return,” he told me. Each day he and his wife make a choice that turns them toward each other.

Due to their religious beliefs, their marriage is unique.

Their faith teaches that marriage can be perpetuated beyond the grave, making marriage a union that goes past death. This lowers the divorce rates within his faith.

As for managing the marriage, he prioritizes his wife before their three lovely children. He enjoys having long conversations with his wife when they’re in bed ready for sleep. They go out on dates at least three times a month without their children. Apart from the work and children, Kent knows that his wife is the only person he should keep spending most of his attention on since he understands that their children will one day have their own families.

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Lexicon

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Commitment: Making a marriage last requires a high level of dedication because both spouses need to feel secure and loved. Making a pledge or promise with one’s partner is a way to deepen intimacy.

Attachment: A person’s model of attachment develops in early childhood and continues to function as a working model for their adulthood relationships. This attachment pattern affects how an individual responds to and meets their own needs.

John Bowlby identifies four attachment styles: First attachment style is Secure, second is Anxiousattachment/preoccupied, third is Dismissive/avoidant, and the last one is Fearful-avoidant.

Long-term relationship: A romantic coupleship that lasts anywhere over 3 months can be considered a long-term relationship. It may be lifelong and may or may not include marriage.

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Intimacy: Most of the time, it refers to the closeness between two people in personal relationships built when those people can deeply get to know each other while also deeply knowing themselves. It usually describes the relationship in marriage, close friends, and family members.

Relationship choices: These could sometimes be described as transactional decisions because, while people can choose the person they want to be with, that person can also choose whether or not to return the sentiment or pursue a relationship.

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Design Thinking

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Design Thinking Human-Centered Design My thesis builds on my desire to learn more about the connection between married couples and the maintenance of intimacy. Because this project addresses human relationships and connections, my primary methodology is human-centered design.

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People often compare usercentered design to humancentered design. Some people argue that user-centered design is just what it implies: designing for a user. There has already been a lot of debate about the term "user" and whether it is even an appropriate word for those whose research is initially human-based resources. The term "user" tends to define people as part of the system instead of its cause. While I find this quite interesting, this approach is neither one hundred percent right or wrong.

Human-centered design offers a broader methodology and perspective for investigating the topics around human emotions, love, experience, and culture. Human-centered design is about cultivating deep empathy. That makes it the best tool to develop my thesis work.

As a complement to humancentered design, historiography and anthropology are also useful tools for learning more about marital structures throughout history.

Marriage is about more than individuals. It can impact partners’ collective desires as well as those of the children.

Therefore, it’s important to take everyone’s needs into account.

People in contemporary marriages are no longer satisfied with the base needs of food, money, and housing that marriage was historically intended to provide.

While love and passion are important pillars of marriage, some people prefer to prioritize the need for self-expression, such as room to pursue their personal tastes and hobbies.

People considering divorce often do so because they feel that they cannot be the person they want to be within their marriage, or that the reality of marriage differs sharply from their expectations.

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In my case, the first step I used is the human-centered design method. After that, I looked to existing articles and readings pertaining to family management and divorce.

This formed the basis of the design research. Due to my lack of personal experience with marriage, it was crucial for me to understand as many situations as possible.

Talking to people was therefore key to learning more about marriage. From each person, I came to understand their story, their emotions, their tips for managing their marriages, and the moment they each decided to end the marriage.

Each person had vastly different experiences. Synthesizing their stories allowed me to gain insight and, based on those insights, to generate ideas, build prototypes, and share what I made with the people I was designing for. Drawing on their feedback, I was able to revise and improve various iterations of the prototypes. My dream is to eventually put my new solution out in the world.

Human-centered design allowed me to get close to those I was designing for due to my comprehensive design research background, and because the human focus inspired trust in my intentions and design.

In terms of building the prototypes, I began with speculative design as the initial prompt; after receiving feedback from my target audiences, I could begin to make a more realistic physical product. After all, I am a practical designer.

Human-centered design dominates my thesis work, especially in terms of research, since a great deal of my work handles emotions, experiences, and relationships.

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In addition to creating designs that can facilitate and improve marital satisfaction and emotional intimacy, I would love to offer more biology-based understandings of the behavior of men and women within relationships, such as how men and women have different attitudes toward stress and fear, toward modern marriage and toward divorce.

From my research, I was able to learn from the past history of marriage in order to understand its present role in society. Now I can design with an eye towards the future.

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Design Thinking Emotion-Based Design

In my thesis work, the human is the center of the whole work.

When it comes to humans, designers inevitably discuss emotions, behavior, and physiology.

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Since marriage and relationships are closely tied to emotions and psychology, and relationships are closely tied to emotions and psychology, I should never overlook emotions-based design.

It is not enough to just understand how my users react — I must also understand why they do so. This leads me to real emotional design.

I emphasize “real” emotional design because designers tend to bring up emotions in conversations, yet gloss over their importance without truly delving into solutions.

Emotions play a significant role in the ways that humans understand and learn about the world. In the book Emotional Design, Donald Norman identified three aspects of design: visceral design, behavioral design, and reflective design.

In terms of emotions, something as insignificant as an image can trigger a deep memory, while something as monumental as an invention can transform the ways in which people build new memories and have new experiences.

When a user encounters a design, the visceral design refers to a user’s subconscious response, their immediate and strong reaction. Good design, for example, elicits happiness and excitement. For my thesis, I decided to focus on shape, form, and colors—intuitive and straightforward design that would shorten my users’ learning curve.

Behavioral design is usually said to the usability and the functionality of the products, also it includes users' perception of how well it uses and the user-friendly it's. At this level, incorporating exciting and humorous elements into design inspires interest and delight in the user.

Receiving people’s solid and constructive opinions about the product during this stage helped me to truly understand my users’ needs and, as a result, ensure a good behavioral design.

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The final step of emotional design comes to reflective design.

This is related to humans' ability to predict the impact that products will have on their lives. The prediction corresponds to self-image, personal satisfaction, and memory. A product can be designed with a beautiful appearance to attract consumers. Functionality can capture a user’s attention and help them have fun while using the product.

Only a very small number of products can be truly designed from the heart in a way that resonates with the user. The biggest success is when a user connects with the product deeply and intuitively—when, as he or she reflects on its cultural aspects, functions, features, and product meaning, the user personally identifies with it.

Once a design influences the user's emotions, the user creates a relationship with the brand that propels them to use it again and again. That's the ultimate goal of emotional design.

Informed by emotional design, I was able to move forward to the designing solution stage prepared to to build an App on a mobile phone or design a product. For my user to fall in love with my design, I had to make a product that looked good, that was user-friendly, and that built a connection deep enough to inspire loyalty deep enough to inspire loyalty to my brand and my design.

Humans are emotional animals who tend to respond to their environments based on first impressions and kneejerk reactions; emotions and feelings are clearly essential tools for understanding the world. I mean, is there anything that doesn’t affect our feelings in one way or another? The answer is no!

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System mapping has also played a key role. By first understanding the big picture, I could work outwards in order to see the consequences and the flow of the work. It was useful to map out the entire structure to build an obvious, concrete, and constructive solution for my target users.

In order to create a holistic thesis work, I had to understand these incredible tools well, use them as guiding principles and as frameworks for the whole work.

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Kuddle

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Nearly 10% of couples had argued with a partner about excessive time spent on the devices.

According to a 2018 study, (My life has become a major distraction from my cell phone: Partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction among romantic partners. (2016, January 1). ScienceDirect.,) conducted by 145 U.S. U.S. adults, phubbing—snubbing one’s partner to use the phone instead——decreases marital satisfaction, in part because it leads to conflict over phone use.

They also found a study from Chinese reserouch, that 243 married adults had similar results. As researcher Meredith David wrote, “It is ironic that cell phones, originally designed as a communication tool, may actually hinder rather than foster interpersonal connectedness.”

"With the pace of life today, we all communicate, but we don’t always connect. However, connection and communication are the two key elements for a healthy relationship."

Danny Chou

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Early Exploration The initial idea for Kuddle came from my own observations that “mobile phones come between couples — even making them physically turn their backs on one another.

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Figure 15. Are You Guilty of Phubbing?

In my research, I found that just having a phone out and present during a conversation (on the table between a couple, for instance) interferes with the sense of connection and the feelings of closeness.

Not surprisingly, the practice of ignoring companions to pay attention to one’s phone is so prevalent that it has even earned its own term—phubbing—a portmanteau of “phone” and “snubbing.”

This product also acknowledges the importance of prioritizing time as a couple without digital interference.

As I would like to tell everyone who uses it: “Putting your phones down not only recharges the devices, but also the relationship itself.”

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To encourage couples to spend time more meaningfully, communicating face-to-face, I designed Kuddle, a wireless phone charger.

Kuddle is a wireless phone charger that encourages couples to spend more meaningful time communicating face-to-face. The dock only charges when two phones are placed side by side. If only one partner puts their phone down, the device won’t charge. It’s like a metaphor for a relationship. The phones will only charge if the two are close together on the dock.

If only one partner puts their phone down, the device won’t charge. Like a metaphor for a relationship, the phones will only charge if the two are close together on the dock.

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Wobbowl

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Background Research According to the Marriage Foundation, a nonprofit focused on improving the quality of relationships, claimed that married couples who eat together are 15% more likely to report maximum happiness with their relationship.

In their study, sixty-seven percent of the married couples who ate together said they were very happy with their relationship, compared to 58% of the married couples who did not eat together. Those who didn’t have any distractions, for example using their phone, enjoyed their meal more than those who did use their phone.

Having dinner together is better than alone. However, the satisfaction is still based on their partner’s engagement.

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Figure 16: Marriage Foundation. Based on analysis of the UK Time Use Survey, 2014-15.

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Using this knowledge, I played around with the idea of helping couples pay more attention to each other at meal time.

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Wobbowl Wobbowl is tableware designed in the form of Saturn that makes mealtimes about being together. This bold, innovative design prompts the couple to fully engage in mealtimes, elevating quality time above simple conversation.

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Concept

Bringing couples to engage in mealtime together opens muchneeded channels of communication and mutual care.

When people set the bowl on the table, it tilts toward one side.

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Food in Wobbowl can not be served lile this.

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If a partner's hand leaves, food will spill out.

So if someone from the other side would like to take food, their partner has to hold the bowl up to make it stable enough to easily get food.

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Loceliday

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Based on the research, ”Luscombe, B. (2018, November 26)". The Divorce Rate Is Dropping. That May Not Actually Be Good News. Time. “ said, Divorce is on the decline and has been since the 1980s in America, when the divorce rate stood at 50%.

However, this does not imply that more people are happily married. We live in the era of self-expressive marriage, which means if a person cannot value themselves in a relationship, they would rather be single. This means that people are falling out of love more than they are staying in love.

However, maintaining the spark in marriage has always been a prevalent issue. Researchers found that divorce divorce is reduced by 14% in couples who find time to go on a “date” where they focus on each other once a month.

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Why don't cooules have date nights?

Time Constraints

Sick of Planning

Children

Lack of Information

Some people have busy schedules, are not good planners, or don't have the way to access the date night opportunities.

Why date nights matter?

Take a break from your routine life

Learn new things about each other

Reconnect and bond

Rekindle the passion

Most importantly for conducting the date night is about increasing intimacy.

Increase the intimacy

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Loveliday is a dating service to help cou keep dating even after they’re married.

uples

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Loveliday Loveliday curates date nights for busy couples. Some couples must maintain a strict work schedule; they devote most of their scant time to children, making it very hard for them to access date night opportunities.

Date nights offer couples a break from their daily routine, rekindle passion, and help them learn new things about one another.

As an app, Loveliday is very easy to use. First, a couple must pair with one another in the app.

Setting a budget

Next, they import their work schedules and choose preferred activities.

Deciding the desired number of dates

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Based on this information, Loveliday can curate a customized date night based on the ranking they assigned to certain activities and their availability.

After confirming the couples’ schedule, Loveliday helps reserve the places that require bookings in advance.

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This relieves stress on the couples when it comes to planning dates: All they have to do is show up to the place where Loveliday asks them to be. The vision of Loveliday is to help people reimagine date night. Loveliday aims to become the most reliable, trustworthy, and premier date night curation service for married couples.

According to 2020 census data, there are 62 million married couples in the US—in other words, 62 million married couples who may benefit from monthly dates. Yet low-income families are the most likely to be negatively impacted since they cannot spend extra time and extra money on the date.

How is it addressed today?

Right now, only small, independent services provide date night planning, and these tend to focus most on dinner plans. However, due to the high cost of many services of many services, many people are unwilling or unable or unable to subscribe; one service, for example, charges subscribe; one service, for example, charges $$225 for a monthly subscription, a price point that is out of reach for many working families for a monthly subscription, a price point that is out of reach for many working families.

Additionally, the service is only available on the website page instead of a phone application, which is inefficient for most people. One of this method's strengths is that couples do not need to do anything else; all they need to do is show up, prepare to be surprised, and enjoy.

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Some services offer a date box delivered to the door every month to help couples have fun at home. This reduces the cost for couples. Nonetheless, because it only provides services once a month, some people may find it boring and unsurprising.

Why will people use your Loveliday?

Loveliday’s convenience, as well as its low cost and easyto-use interface, would attract users. Unlike other competitors, Loveliday would only charge people $5 per month. Loveliday cares about what exactly married couples are up to. Most people might mistakenly believe having a date night must necessarily be expensive, fancy, and luxurious.

What is much more important than cost, however, are the activities that the partners choose to do together.

The best scenario is that the couples who use Loveliday keep the concept of "date night" in mind, bringing dating back to their marriages. The worst case scenario would be for couples not to form dating habits with each other.

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Kiddokie

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46% of married couples say that their intimacy is reduced since having their first kid.

According to John- Hopkins school of medicine study, found that forty-six percent of people report becoming less intimate with their partner following the birth of their first child. This dip in happiness doesn't go away until after children leave the family.

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Child care can be a source of tension in a marriage.

Finding child care is tough because couples need someone who meets all their standards, like flexible time, professional certification, and trust.

The Existing nanny services focus on daytime services and don’t always require nanny certifications. As a result, many new parents struggle to find a trusted nanny at night.

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Concept To maintain passion and intimacy, Kiddokie is a nanny service that helps married couples get the best-match nanny at night. By providing a professional, trustworthy nanny, Kiddie allows people to take a break from being parents or have a date night stress-free.

Demonstration

Kiddokie works when couples are off work, and they need a break for themselves. Parents use kiddokie to reach out to the night nanny to take care of their child before they sleep.

Or they could choose to have an in-house overnight nanny, so they both could sleep well.

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Also, the INA (international nanny association) certification is required to help parents relax, knowing that their children are safe.

Value Proposition

Kiddokie’s value proposition is based on a trustworthy community of nannies parents already know. Also, the INA (international nanny association) certification is required to help parents relax, knowing that their children are safe.

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Popupluv

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Popupluv

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Popupluv is a public intervention, a series of instructional posters that guide couples to interact and have fun with one another. Behind each of the covers, there are nstructions for an activity. This intervention creates a time and space for couples to examine their relationship. Because of Popupluv, couples will reclaim and revive the intimate moments that they haven’t had with each other in a long time.

Couples passing through public spaces find a series of posters. They lift the top page to see what is underneath. And find instructions for loving interactions.

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These interactions bring them some joyful moments together.

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Thank You

Allan Chochinov

Bethany Fronhofer

Andrew Schloss

Pimm Buddhari

Sinclair Smith

Jamie McGhee

Jennifer Rittner

Elvis Yang

Krissi Xenakis

Karan Bansal

Emilie Baltz

Stephanie Gamble

Steven Dean

Ben Bartlett

Bill Cromie

Rhea Bhandari

Ashely Wang

Yang Ying Ye

Joseph Cilona

Marc Schupp

Danny Chou

Joan Yu

Amy Chen

Ben Bartlett

Kristina Lee

Xiao Han Miao

Marko Manriquez

Joey Yuan

Elspeth Walker

Danica Dou

Sami Wu

Kgothatso Lephoko

Kent Barney

Andre Orta

Selina Chen

Rita Chen

Stellar Lo

Eva Liu

Jaime Wu

Cynthia Lo

Jane Fujita

Prashant Singh

Jui Lien Wu Woei Lo Chiu Yuan Lu Pantea Parsa Jessie Hsu Regena Reyes

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12 Greatest sex tips for women https://www.Oprahdaily.Com/life/ relationships-love/a28763479/sextips-for-women/

101 Romantic messages to keep the love alive while you're apart https://www.Travelandleisure.

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How 'thoughtful communication' can improve your marriage, according to a divorce attorney https://www.Nbcnews.Com/ better/pop-culture/howthoughtful-communicationcan-improve-your-marriageaccording-divorce-attorneyncna872661

Elderly couple, paris https://www.Flickr.Com/photos/ tokaris/207335658

The science behind the ‘seven year itch https://www.Wevorce.Com/blog/ the-science-behind-the-sevenyear-itch/

The date night opportunity http://nationalmarriageproject.

Org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ nmp-datenight.Pdf Why we love summary and review https://lifeclub.Org/books/whywe-love-helen-fisher-reviewsummary Why you should let a date planner curate your next date https://avitaldatenight.Com/whyyou-should-let-a-date-plannercurate-your-next-date/

Here's why you should never stop dating your partner (even after marriage) https://mytherapistnc.Org/blog/ heres-why-you-should-neverstop-dating-your-partner-evenafter-marriage

Intimacy exists outside of just sex — here are 4 other kinds https://www.Mindbodygreen.

Com/articles/types-of-intimacybesides-sex Managing vs. Resolving conflict in relationships: the blueprints for success https://www.Gottman.Com/blog/ managing-vs-resolving-conflictrelationships-blueprints-success/ The all-or-nothing marriage https://www.Nytimes.

Com/2014/02/15/opinion/sunday/ the-all-or-nothing-marriage.Html

Are you guilty of phubbing? https://www.Northshore.Org/ healthy-you/are-you-guilty-ofphubbing/ Joe, Frank, Bruce & the Summer Blockbuster https://inthevintagekitchen.com/ tag/bestselling-books-of-the1960s/

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