1. Product design
2. User research
3. Arduino
4. Sensors
USER
Age 18-30, mobile dating app users

TEAM
Cameron, Jon Talbot, Matthew Chen, Rives Matson

DURATION
3 weeks

ROLE
Design Prototyper, Initial Concepter

Data Date: Romantic Sensor


Project Summary: The Data Date project is an experiment that makes the invisible visible, focusing on the first encounters and interactions between two people who met through dating apps. The experiment aimed to observe how people reacted to real-time information triggered by cues from the sympathetic nervous system ​(SNS), which are then gathered by heart rate and sweat sensors and displayed on monitors in front of participants.



Video stills

Hypothesis:


There will be specialized tools that exist to serve as icebreakers for young people to engage with one another when participating in their first in-person meetings. These tools will help bridge the gap between the digital and physical.





UNDERSTANDING

Concepting


Romantic interaction is a complex design space influenced by emotion and layers of subtext that are difficult to capture. The team began gathering information from personal interviews and observational research.






Guiding Questions:


In the modern world, where 70% of young people now meet other singles using mobile apps, how would interactions change if data were accessible during the date?



How much information can be made available in a romantic interaction?






CONCEPTING

Initial Form & Concept Sketches




Battle-bots style

  • Need to think through where the screens are and what the entire interaction is with Data Date
  • Could be hard to travel with since sensors are a distance

WINNER!

Wearables / Flirt-gear

  • Would someone want to wear this on their date? Looks similar to a bullet-proof vest
  • Someone is staring at your chest
  • Easy to hide the sensors

Swizzle game

  • How does the movement support the romantic experience?
  • What does revealing personal information mean to someone?
  • Think about the purpose of gamification

CONCEPTING

Use sequence

PROTOTYPING

Product experience testing


Questions: What kinds of environments would this object be used in? How does this object change the experience of talking with a romantic partner? What would it be like to know someone was interacting with this object when they were with you?

The above are a few driving questions that influenced the design of Data Date. I investigated different model versions, testing the ergonomics, the amount of information on the interface, and the configuration of monitors through rapid prototyping with wooden models held together by metal fasteners.





PROTOTYPING

Prompt design: use of language and their intention






Product experience with prompts sketch












PROTOTYPING

Final prototype


The final prototype that the targeted audience interacted with was made of a metal sketch, laser-cut acrylic, and the electrical components with sensors accessible by placing your hand on the device.

Based on the insights gathered from the earlier prototype testing, the design was to be a single unit that utilized etching from laser-cut manufacturing to create visual cues for where to place hands and what each monitor presented to the participants.









PROTOTYPING

Features

LED Monitors
Real-time feedback and interaction between both participants

Heart rate and perspiration sensors





Documentation


The purpose of this product was to be utilized in an experiment to test how much data can be shared in an intimate setting and to what extent real-time data about yourself and your partner can affect the experience. For documentation of Data Date in use, this team gathered four sets of partners who ranged from strangers, romantic interests, platonic friendships, and early romantic relationships to go through the entire process of interacting with one another using Data Date. After each test, a survey was given to collect insights, and their experiences were recorded with their permission for observational research purposes.
Tools used: Adobe Illustrator, concept sketching, laser cutting, Arduino, coding, model making 
Contact for Resume
© RivesMatsonDesign