The original presentation of research, and hypothesis was primarily academic and recent case studies: http://www.powtoon.com/show/cF6B9Qklfy5/the-missing-link-in-virtual-teams/ from here I narrowed the focus from a group dynamic level to a concentration on the individual level.
The Prezi below is a walk through of the progress at the mid-point of the project and a high-level overview of the insights gained from the interviews, surveys, and analogous research. The condensed summary: Human connection portrayed as bonding or trust may not be the most important element, as originally hypothesized. Human connection is more about a combination of atmosphere, environment, and tools that facilitate getting to know one’s teammates on a deeper level, knowing their current workload, sharing meaningful experiences with each other, a place where judgment is suspended, shared values and core beliefs are solidified, and acceptance and appreciation for one’s teammates is celebrated. Bonding and trust can be a part of that process, but happens as secondary, or may result from filling the other needs first. Link to summarized insights: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CrqRL6W8Nhyaq8veRE5g3ce16TfZ1dUPyBEBjxO3kXY/edit?usp=sharing
This is the landing page I made for the project.
Building Empathy, Journey Map, and Next Steps
This is a 24" x 36" poster that describes the premise, the user-journey, the meta-level framework, and possible future opportunites.
Synthesis and identified themes/patterns
The project was selected as one of twelve projects to be in the Parsons Festival 2015 through Wanted Design's hot Industry City Programing during NYCxDESIGN Week 2015.
From here the project was chosen for the exhibit event with the Chinese Delegates visiting Parsons. Attendees included:
Beijing Hearst Advertising Co., Ltd., Shanghai Dobe Cultural & Creative Industry Development (Group) Co.,Ltd, Crystal Digital Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai Promotion Center For City Of Design, Shanghai Jahwa United Co.,Ltd, Shanghai Yatian Cultural And Creative Co., Ltd, Shanghai Neutrino Innovation Service Ltd., Beijing Fengzhiyang Enterprise Planning Co., Ltd, Shanghai Heshi Network Science And Technology Limited Company, Shanghai 800show Enterprise Management Co., Ltd, Shanghai World Fund Co.,Ltd, Hi Design( Shanghai) Investment Management Co., Ltd., Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy, Division of Technological Improvement, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy
After synthesis of academic and ethnographic research, user interviews, and surveys, I was able to identify some common themes and formulate some design principals. I tested out some sacrificial concepts such as an app, facilitator cards, and a concept for a workshop with the same users before deciding a web-based platform with a team networking component would be the best option for further exploration. Here is the first iteration of the website flow.
Here are a few sample screens of the first prototype.
Link to presentation video: http://youtu.be/WWrNFZTTfQ0
Link to Current working Prototype: http://Invis.io/SJ2X7NTEA
