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O'friends Abka Bulshada by Yichen Wang

O'friends Abka Bulshada by Yichen Wang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 Abaalmarinta Naxaasta ah ee A' Design Award in Naqshadeynta Tiknoolajiyada Moobiilka, Abikaasyoonada iyo Softweyrka Competition Category.


NaxaasMoobiil· 2024

O'friends Abka Bulshada

by Yichen Wang

Client: Ycstudio

Abaalmarinta Naxaasta ah ee A' Design Award Winner in Moobiil Category

Colors

The Design

About O'friends Abka Bulshada

O'friends, oo calaamad u ah saaxiibbo hore, waxaa loogu talo galay in lagu xoojiyo saaxiibtinimo waarta dhalinyarada dhexdooda. Iyada oo ay jiraan nolosho mashquulsan iyo masaafo fog, waxay furaysaa wadaddo cusub oo isticmaalayaasha ugu soo xusuustaan waqtiyo hore, u gudbiyaan dareenkooda, oo ay ku abuuraan xusuuso cusub. Abku si farshaxan leh ayuu u xidhaa hab-nololeedyo kala duwan, isaga oo leh astaamo muujiya saaxiibbo ku salaysan aagagga waqtiga iyo helitaankooda. Sidoo kale wuxuu suurtagelinayaa is-dhexgal qani ah: farriimaha codka, wadaagista sawirrada, iyo goob xusuuseed maya-jir ah oo la wadaago. Wuxuu dhiirigeliyaa in dib loo soo nooleeyo xiriirro hore iyada oo la adeegsanayo su'aalo kala qaybiya, si loo hubiyo in saaxiibtinimada ay ku barwaaqoobto adduunka maanta ee dhaqso leh.

The Recognition

About the Abaalmarinta Naxaasta ah ee A' Design Award

O'friends Abka Bulshada waa guuleystaha Abaalmarinta Naxaasta ah ee A' Design Award, aqoonsi sharaf sare leh oo la siiyo naqshado aan caadi ahayn oo lagu garto hal-abuur, hal-abuur cusub iyo caqli. Guuleystayaasha Naxaasta waa shaqooyin xirfad buuxda leh iyo hal-abuur yaab leh oo xaqiijiya khibrad weyn, male-awaal iyo kartida naqshadeeyayaashooda. O'friends Abka Bulshada waa walax la filayo inay noqoto mid aad loo tixgeliyo, la ixtiraamo oo la jecel yahay, xirfad cad leh oo hal-abuur cusub leh. Naqshadahan ku guuleystay Abaalmarinta Naxaasta ah ee A' Design Award wuxuu ku darsadaa hab-dhaqanno ugu wanaagsan farshaxanka, sayniska, naqshadaynta iyo tignoolajiyada wuxuuna ku fiican yahay dhawrista tafaasiisha. O'friends Abka Bulshada si fiican ayay u buuxisaa baahiyaha, taabataa rabitaannada, soo jiidataa dareenka kicinayaanna xiisaha aqoonta.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
O'friends is a mobile application that supports young adults in maintaining long-lasting friendships. Recognizing the challenges that young adults always connect from long distance, O'friends aims to provide a solution to foster and nurture meaningful relationships.
Dimensions & Packaging
Universal mobile interface and user experience design based on iOS 16.
Tags
Mobile Application, Old Friends, Long-lasting Friendships, Connection, Emotional Well-being
Production Technology
Built with React Native, O'friends ensures cross-platform compatibility and a user-centric design. Cloud-based solutions enable scalable data storage, while robust security measures protect user privacy. The app's special friend list panel, displaying friends based on time zones and locations, enhances availability tracking. O'friends offers voice messages, photo sharing, prompts of activities,and a virtual home for shared memories.
Design Challenge
The greatest challenge in creating 'O'friends' was developing a solution to alter the state of isolation or solitude that people often find themselves in, especially during times like the pandemic. Prior to 'O'friends,' I had experimented with various approaches, but the most difficult part was always encouraging users to take that first step to reach out to others or engage with the world around them.
To address this, I focused on designing an extremely smooth and attractive landing experience, coupled with thoughtful planning of users' social sharing boundaries. It was crucial to create a sense of belonging and connection within groups, making users feel like they are part of a community. This involved not just aesthetic design choices but also deep consideration of user psychology and social dynamics. The challenge was to balance functionality with emotional appeal, ensuring that users felt comfortable and motivated to initiate and maintain connections through the app.
Research
Research Objectives: design an app for meaningful connections.
Methodology: User research, wireframing, prototyping.
Methods: Storyboarding, field and market research, interviews, user personas.
Participants: 12 participants from various locations, including China, South Korea, the US, and India.
Results: Participants desired reconnection with old friends.
Insights: Importance of maintaining old friendships
Impacts: Business opportunities for meaningful connection tools, societal importance of nurturing friendships.
Inspiration
During my years in New York, I witnessed the severity of the pandemic and the resulting loneliness experienced by people. They are actively trying to overcome this emerging health issue, especially among young individuals. Instead of solely seeking new friendships, I believe it is crucial for people to consider rebuilding old connections. Inspired by this, I envisioned creating a platform where individuals can reconnect with their past relationships.
Project Duration
The project started in June 2021 and finished in Nov 2022 New York, and was exhibited in New York.
Operation Flow
O'friends focuses on activities to foster interaction. Users update their status daily, expressing feelings or sharing small activities. The app simplifies engagement by offering activity options instead of long posts. Users discover similarities, important events, and join activities with friends. In the "Room," users communicate in real-time, share memories, and plan activities. The app provides methods and activities for users to interact and showcase their personalities.

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