Bifrost - An Event Based Socialisation Platform
Authors
Selman, Melanie ; Madsen, Cecilie Hyrup ; Jensen, Mikkel Filip
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-06-01
Pages
18
Abstract
Expanding one’s network and meeting new people can be challenging, especially when moving to a new city. This thesis presents Bifrost, an event-focused socialization app that matches users through shared interest in specific events rather than personal profiles. Adapting familiar swipe mechanics from dating apps, the design shifts attention from people to activities to reduce first-meeting pressure and support moving from online to in-person interaction. We developed a mobile application and ran an initial usability test (N=5), followed by a two-week field trial on Google Play. During the trial, 12 active users created 13 events, complemented by a diary study (N=2) with daily entries and post-test semi-structured interviews (N=3). Findings were largely positive: participants learned the app quickly, events were created and held, and some users formed new connections, including a repeat activity after the test period. Participants raised practical concerns about locating fellow attendees at events and whether others would show up. Despite the small sample, the results suggest Bifrost can help some users expand their networks. We outline next steps, including an iOS release, a recommender system, and a feature to save interesting events.
At udvide sit netværk og møde nye mennesker kan være svært, især når man flytter til en ny by. Denne afhandling præsenterer Bifrost, en begivenhedscentreret socialiseringsapp, der matcher brugere via deres interesse i konkrete events frem for via profiler. Konceptet bygger på kendte swipe-mekanismer fra datingapps, men flytter fokus fra personer til aktiviteter for at lette første møde og understøtte overgangen fra online til fysisk samvær. Vi udviklede en mobilapplikation og gennemførte en indledende brugervenlighedstest (N=5), efterfulgt af en to ugers feltafprøvning, hvor appen var tilgængelig i Google Play. I testperioden havde vi 12 aktive brugere, som oprettede 13 events, ledsaget af et dagbogsstudie (N=2) med daglige logninger og efterfølgende semistrukturerede interviews (N=3). Resultaterne var overvejende positive: Deltagerne forstod hurtigt appen, events blev oprettet og afholdt, og nogle brugere etablerede nye forbindelser, herunder gentagelse af en aktivitet efter testperioden. Deltagerne udtrykte dog bekymringer om at kunne finde hinanden til events og om fremmøde til oprettede arrangementer. På trods af det lille datagrundlag tyder fundene på, at Bifrost kan understøtte netværksdannelse for nogle brugere. Vi peger på videreudviklingsbehov, herunder udrulning til iOS, anbefalingsfunktionalitet og mulighed for at gemme interessante events.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]