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Aalto Thesis Project

Interpersonal Networking Map

Guidelines for designing an interpersonal network map for a mobile platform

In recent years, there is a growing attempts to distill digital network data and convert it into an insightful analytic tool, Social network structure is elusive and constantly transforming, understanding our own network’s status quo is important for both individual and society as a whole. Our brains are evolved to ensure we will come to hold to the beliefs and values of those around us, The social network intensify the bond we feel with those around and enhanced our capacity to forecast the future and better coordinate in the society as an individual.


In general, our online social data reflects partly of who we are and who we are connected with. By collecting our digital social footprint and visualizing it in a strategic manner can assumably assisting people’s understanding on how we form and maintain meaningful relationships. But beforehand, some critical questions required further study and clarification. What trigger the motivation for the reader to read their network record in the first place? What information they need and want? What probable actions points will the target user take after receiving and processing such information? In which visualization approach can guarantee high readability in limited screen size? Etc.

This high-level UI design studies followed the general design process (Design Council UK, 2015) Double Diamond and with four subsectors: Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver. For the Discovering phase, contained literature review, survey study, workshops and user interviews, the goal is to obtain fundamental insights and co-creating the user journey map and rapid low-fi prototype with target user groups to initiate the thesis research. In the Define phase, the author further framed the major, secondary and third user personas, listed out sitemap, UX red route and core motivation (Octalysis Framework), clarified scope of the user interface and visualization design. In the Develop stage followed a Build-measure-learn feedback loop to iterate the network visualization design guide with several rounds of interactive prototype with user validation. In the final section: Deliver, showcased the final design outcome which followed strictly with the interpersonal network map design guide.

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