DOMO
Travel to and from home
Themed Attraction:
2022 Student Showcase
Best in Class: Technology + 5 prizes
SCAD Startup is an annual week-long design sprint organized by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
In 2022, the competition challenged us with the question: “Where do we go from here?”
Teaming up with four fellow students from diverse nationalities and majors, we conceptualized Domo, an immersive marketplace offering a curated selection of cultural activities and high-quality products within a hybrid environment.
Attractions
Game
CLIENT
SCAD Startup
SCAD THED
DATE
2022
LOCATION
Savannah, US
TEAM CERANA (SCAD Startup)
Enya Huang
Flavia Yoshitake
Lina Edris
Pie Prapawuttikul
Jevin Chen
STAGE
Blue Sky & Concept
MY ROLES
Experience Design
Business Design
UX/ UI
Concept Art
Motion Media
Video Editing
Game Design
SOFTWARE
Illustrator
Photoshop
After Effects
Premiere
Figma
Unreal Engine
Step 1
Problem
Despite our diverse backgrounds, interests, and traditions, we identified a commonality among us as international students at SCAD: a sense of homesickness.
Recognizing this shared experience, we conducted extensive research, including desk research and a survey involving 20 international students. Our findings revealed that:
-
40% of international students experience homesickness at least once a week or more
-
85% of international students who have not returned to their home countries reported experiencing homesickness
-
50% of international students believe that homesickness has impacted their academic performance
These statistics underscored the prevalence of homesickness among international students, highlighting it as a significant problem.
Our design question became:
How might we establish an emotional connection to help international students
feel at home despite the physical distance?
Step 2
Ideation
To stimulate rapid idea generation, we employed the Crazy Eights technique. In this dynamic exercise, each team member sketched eight unique ideas in just eight minutes. The objective was to generate a diverse range of solutions to address our challenge.
Following this brainstorming session, we conducted a voting process to select our favorite ideas. From the pool of options, two concepts emerged as frontrunners:
-
Festival Celebrations
-
Food/ Surprise Delivery
Drawing inspiration from a trend report indicating that
"84% of the interviewers said that technology has deepened relationships with their family and friends” (Into the Metaverse, Wunderman Thompson, 2021),
we recognized the potential of integrating digital technology into our solution.
To further refine our concepts, each team member independently completed the 5W1H framework, answering these questions:
-
What will we offer to our target audience?
-
Who else will use our product?
-
Why will they use it?
-
When will they use it?
-
Where will they use it?
-
How will they use it?
These discussions culminated in the development of our solution, guided by our collective insights and informed by the needs of our target audience.
5W1H
Step 3
Concept
Inspired by our brainstorming sessions and informed by recent trends, I recalled an emerging concept known as travelportation. This trend signifies “the digital world is offering immersive travel experiences from the comfort of home.” (The Future 100: 2022, Wunderman Thompson).
Recognizing the potential of this trend, we sought to develop a solution that would enable users to embark on virtual journeys without physically leaving their homes.
Our aim was to create an experience that would foster a deeper connection to their loved ones and their cultural heritage, thereby establishing a strong emotional bond.
Step 4
Development
In order to gain deeper insights into our users and refine our concept, we crafted a persona drawing from our research findings and personal experiences as international students.
Additionally, we developed different user journeys to conceptualize digital experiences aimed at connecting diverse users through the concept of travelportation.
These two tools proved instrumental in solidifying our solution, providing us with invaluable perspectives and guiding our development process.
Step 5
Solution
Domo, derived from the Esperanto word for house, embodies an immersive marketplace that seamlessly integrates a curated array of cultural activities and premium products within a hybrid environment. This unique concept allows users to indulge in both digital and physical experiences from the comfort of their homes.
By delivering authentic cultural and social encounters to end consumers, Domo serves as a platform that not only enriches individual experiences but also provides a novel sales channel for Small and Mid-size Enterprises (SMEs) to thrive within the metaverse.
User Journey
Interface Design
Videos
Business Model
