the interaction of the object focus social network service website

MFA Review

The Interaction of the Object Focus Social Network Service Website

Yu-Wei FuSavannah College of Art and Design

Interactive Design and Game Development

Overview:

1. Thesis Abstract2. Project Description 3. Prototype4. Referenced Sites5. Project Plan6. Reference and Blog

1. Thesis Abstract

Social websites can be categorized into two groups: focusing on objects or focusing on people.

The general socializing concept of an object-focused website rarely emphasize on actual physical interaction.

The next step on improving social network website is to combine three concepts: objects, social network service, and physical interaction.

Members post desired items with special meanings from a particular region, and search for other members that are traveling from the particular region back to the user's location.

Travelers act like couriers by bringing back the desired items and the experience of the trip

Couriers not only fulfill receivers’ desires, but also bring back nostalgia and cures receivers’ homesickness

2. Project Description

Story Behind The Thesis:

Meanings of GoHitchhike:

• “Go” means the action of transportation.

• “Hitchhike” means the item “hitchhikes”.

• Delivery love and support from friends and family.

• Cheer people when they receive their specific item.

The Goals of GoHitchhike:

• Next step of the social network website.

• Get close to friends.

• Share item story and trip experience.

• Save shipping fee.

• Make earth green.

Thesis Goals:

• Create an object focus social website. • Merge the site into exciting social network service websites.

• Cooperate with programmer to develop the back-end.

• Analysis users’ behaviors of GoHitchhike

• Analysis users’ physical face-to-face interactions.

Technical Specs:

• Html, CSS, Php, and MySql • Interaction design and information Architecture

• Interface Design and Information Design

• Visual Design

3. Prototype

Site Map:

Why Use Us:

How To Us:

Personal Info:

Item List:

Item Info:

Item Story:

Browse Trips:

Bookmarks:

Trip List:

Trip Info:

Trip Story:

Forum Categories:

Forum:

4. Referenced Sites

Social Network Sites:

• Analysis Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, and Orkut, friend search functions.

Conclusion: The best social network sites focus on legitimate friend that users know and tend to keep in touch with them.

Casual Courier Sites:

Casual Courier is an everyday traveler that informally delivers packages for shippers.• The Casual Courier brings the world together by connecting senders of packages with independent traveling couriers.

Air Courier works for traditional courier companies as an employee and may receive discounted airline tickets.• Courier.org is an International Association of Air Travel Couriers serving Casual Couriers Around the Globe.

Sharing Travel Experience Sites:

• Dopplr is an online service for traveler. Dopplr helps you share your future trips privately with friends and colleagues.

• Citiport is an online community based on travel and living. People share their travel and living experiences in each city all over the world.

Merging into Social Network Sites:

• Zimride is an online social rideshare and carpool matching systems in North America.

• Created an application for Facebook and makes sharing a ride safer and easier.

5. Project Plan

Thesis Timeline:

• Studio I: Decide thesis direction, research, Complete wireframe, layout

• Studio II:Develop project front-end and back-end,Complete alpha version, debug

• Thesis: Publish beta version, user testAnalysis user interactionWrite thesis

Measure project:

• Open beta for SCAD students.

• Promote to SCAD Chinese Student Association, Korean Student Association, Japanese Student Association and International Student Association.

6. Reference and Blog

Reference:

• “Everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth.” Guare, John. Six Degrees of Separation, 1990.

• Six Degrees.com, Andrew Weinreich, 1997-2001.

• Hoschka, Peter. The Social Web Research Program. GMD German National Research Center for Information Technology. Sankt Augustin, Germany, 1998.

Blog: Gohitchhike Blog

Thank You

Contact info: Yu-Wei Fu Interactive Designer

fuwax@hotmail.comwww.yuweifu.com