Connect
Paige Neufeld
Promoting human connection and community engagement through design.
An epidemic of Loneliness
This project began with research about the Epidemic of Loneliness that so many have been experiencing over the past decade or so. The idea came to me as I had been hearing more and more about Vancouver being described as a lonely or cold city so I began to dive further into this topic. As more research has been done about loneliness, it has been found that it can have pretty severe physical and mental health side effects especially if its over an extended period of time.
Loneliness
Loneliness has been found to contribute to various mental and physical health conditions. It can have just as much of an impact on the human body as smoking fifteen cigarettes per day. Around 50% of the population experiences loneliness some or all of the time.
Fortunately, while there is no cure to loneliness, one way to combat it is through genuine human connection, so that is what this project works to promote. Involvement in community and putting effort into relationships with others is one of the best ways to initiate genuine connection and a sense of belonging and this project is meant to be a starting point towards connection for those who don’t know where to start.
The Connect Kit has five objects: The Introduction Pamphlet, Mundane Moments Journal, Connections Booklet, Letter-Writing Set, & the Connect Cards.
Branding
The branding for Connect is meant to be very tactile and human-centred. The whole project is a physical, compact, risograph-printed kit rather than an online solution as to centre the user in the real-world rather than push them to spend more time on a screen.
The colours I chose were based off the risograph colours: Light Teal, Orange, Yellow, and Violet and the typography was meant to look professional and clean while still being round and friendly.
The Connect Kit
The kit has five objects: the Mundane Moments Journal, the Information Pamphlet, the Connect Cards, the Connection Booklet, and the Letter-Writing Set.
Mundane Moments Journal
The Mundane Moments Journal is a pocket-sized prompt-based journal meant to document small, otherwise unmemorable moments from your day.
Purpose
Mundane moments is based off of a journaling practice that I have created for myself, in which I write or draw something that happened during the day that felt special, but not necessarily memorable. An example might be a compliment you got from a stranger, a nice conversation you had with a barista, or a moment of connection with someone over their dog. These moments are as they sound: pretty mundane, but the purpose of documenting them is to be a form of journaling, reflection, and to give a better understanding of your involvement in your community.
Some of the inside pages of the journal.
Features
Mundane Moments contains 52 original, unique prompts and response spaces that the user can respond to however they desire. While the intent is for the user to draw or write, the purpose of the book is to be reflective, so whatever creative method for documenting this the user wants to use is welcome for this booklet.
The book is passport-sized – perfect to fit in a pocket or a bag – which gives the user the option of keeping it with them and filling it out on the go.
Connections Booklet
Similar to an address book, the connections booklet is meant to be a working document of places to visit, to volunteer at, and people to see.
Purpose
The Connections Booklet is a place to document people, places, and service related activities that you are involved in in your community. Essentially, it is meant to be something that you can build on over time to reflect back on when you are looking for something to do. Keeping a simple record of places you can visit to get out of the house, or even people to call when you want to connect with someone may make getting out of the house easier as it eliminates the barrier of knowing where to start.
Some of the inside pages of the booklet.
Features
Connections features three sections: People, Third Spaces, and Volunteering. Within each of these chapters is plenty of space to write as well as short instructions for what the section is about and some suggestions to get the user started. Included on the intro pages are some reasoning of the importance of that section as well as some small illustrations to make the information easier accessible.
Letter Writing Set
The letter writing set is a small stationary set to give the user some opportunities to express something to someone else.
Purpose
The letter writing set is as it sounds: a set of postcards for the user to write a letter to someone. The reasoning behind the postcard set in the Connect Kit is to be a simple way to connect with someone that isn’t reliant on digital technology nor face-to-face interaction. One barrier towards connecting with others is sometimes building the courage to talking to someone in-person however these cards offer an opportunity to tell someone you love them, or compliment them if that is too hard to do with words.
Functions
The postcard set includes five risograph-printed letters with a decorated front and empty space on the back. They visually fit within the Connect Kit, but are able to exist as fun cards on their own as well.
Connect Cards
The Connect Cards are a 52-card prompt-based activity. The idea is that the user draws one card per week, completes the prompt on the front, then responds to the question on the back.
Purpose
The connect cards are a prompt-based activity meant to guide someone who wants to be more involved in their community but doesn’t know where to start. The cards each have a unique prompt on the front so as the user draws a card they are directed by the prompt towards what their goal is for the week.
After they have completed their prompt, the accountability system is the response section on the back of the card which the user can fill out. The activity is meant to last a full calendar year as there are 52, one-week long activities, however the user is welcome to participate as frequently or infrequently as they desire.
Functions
The fifty-two card deck features a prompt and a unique illustration on the front as well as an open-ended response space on the back. The cards come in three separate suites divided by the three main colours of the project Teal, Violet, and Orange which are meant to be shuffled pretty much equally throughout the deck.
While each prompt is unique, having the different colours dispersed through the deck allows for a greater variety of difficulty and type of prompts between weeks. They are stored in a simple box that has a slide-off lid to make it easily accessible.
Introduction Pamphlet
The intro brochure is the place to start with this connect kit. It houses all the information about the kit that might be needed for the user.
Purpose
The introduction pamphlet is as it sounds: the place to start when you first get the kit. it has all the information that the user would need about using the kit, the different tools inside, as well as some information about loneliness and human connection.
Features
The Intro Brochure is a tri-fold pamphlet that introduces the user to the kit. It features information about the kit and each of its items, some general tips for connection, as well as a short blurb about the importance of connection and the effects of loneliness.
Release Granted
