Addressing Loneliness and Isolation with a Mobile Application : Connecting People through Sports and Shared Interests
Anti, Emmanuel (2022)
2022
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022060615603
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022060615603
Tiivistelmä
Prior research has indicated that humans are born with the need to connect with others. Making friends and forming relationships are integral traits that ensure people have sound support systems when they need them. Even with such evidence, Loneliness and isolation is still a problem in our present society.
This study developed a mobile application to help address loneliness and isolation by connecting people through sports and shared interests. Surveys were conducted to find out people’s perceptions about loneliness and isolation, how connected they are to their communities, thoughts on a mobile application that connects people through sports and shared interests, whether they were willing to use a mobile application to communicate with other people.
Data were collected from respondents in Finland and outside Finland. The study employed a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative data collection. Results show that 59.3% of respondents felt connected to their communities, 40.7 did not feel connected. Though many people felt connected, about 64.9% of respondents had experienced moderate to high levels of loneliness within the past two years. About 92.6% of respondents were willing to use a mobile application connecting people through sports ad shared interests.
A prototype of the mobile application was developed using Figma. Focus group interviews were used to conduct user-experience surveys to collect views on the features users wanted to see in the applications. Respondents' important recommendations were implemented through the various focus group interviews to improve the application, and a final design of the mobile application named InterestConnect was developed.
This study developed a mobile application to help address loneliness and isolation by connecting people through sports and shared interests. Surveys were conducted to find out people’s perceptions about loneliness and isolation, how connected they are to their communities, thoughts on a mobile application that connects people through sports and shared interests, whether they were willing to use a mobile application to communicate with other people.
Data were collected from respondents in Finland and outside Finland. The study employed a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative data collection. Results show that 59.3% of respondents felt connected to their communities, 40.7 did not feel connected. Though many people felt connected, about 64.9% of respondents had experienced moderate to high levels of loneliness within the past two years. About 92.6% of respondents were willing to use a mobile application connecting people through sports ad shared interests.
A prototype of the mobile application was developed using Figma. Focus group interviews were used to conduct user-experience surveys to collect views on the features users wanted to see in the applications. Respondents' important recommendations were implemented through the various focus group interviews to improve the application, and a final design of the mobile application named InterestConnect was developed.