PHASE 1: Project Research and Pitching

There has been considerable back and forth when it comes to ideation for the topics of my final year project. Throughout this process, I explored multiple ideas and considered various perspectives, weighing the pros and cons of each. However, after much deliberation and reflection, I have decided to stick with one title that I believe has the most potential to work on. This decision was based on its relevance, feasibility, and the potential impact it could have. I am believe that this topic will allow me to make a meaningful contribution and achieve my project goals effectively.


Hence this blog will only be focusing on my process for the final topic idea.


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Initial Research


Project Background

E-Dating is a relationship that develops online, with no face-to-face element and/or no plans for ever meeting up in the real world or consummating the relationship physically. It has become a common way among Gen Zs to meet potential partners because of how socially convenient it is. Though, it is undeniable that there is always a potential of deception - because most of the time, people would often misrepresent themselves online which could lead misunderstandings and trust issues.

Problem Statement

Educate Gen-Z to recognize the red flags of e-dating to ensure safer online relationships and prevent digital exploitation.


Key Insights

I conducted a survey where I approach Gen Zs to find out more information and their story about e-dating. I received a total of 23 respondents, and here are some of the key insights that would really help me to take the next step of coming up with the solutions.


Forms response chart. Question title: What are the social platform(s) that you know are heavily associated with e-dating?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

65.2% respondents has chosen Discord as a platform that is heavily associated with e-dating. As I try to find more information about this, I found out that the reason why Discord is relevant for people who are looking for love is because of the platform itself made it easy to communicate with people online. A lot of Discord users would share or talk about e-dating in other platforms or forums.


Forms response chart. Question title: Which are the red flags that you know in general when it comes to e-dating? . Number of responses: 23 responses.

In this question, I have listed out some of the 'red flags' that is considered as common to encounter in e-dating. It is evident that all of these characteristics are relevant based on what the respondents picked. This would be useful when it comes to the solution of this project.


Forms response chart. Question title: Was it a good or bad experience?. Number of responses: 5 responses.



Most of the respondents had a bad experience in e-dating because of their e-partners red flags. These red flags from their e-partners affects them deeply, which is something that nobody would ever want to go through. These responds from the respondents will strengthen the problem statement.


Based on research that I had for now, I began to list it out before I brainstorm for the solution. This helps me to keep track of what are the main information that I want to include while thinking of possible solutions for this project.




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Solution

Project Title : Discord's Date Dash


Project Goal

Educate Gen Zs to recognize the red flags in e-dating to ensure safer online relationships and prevent digital exploitation.


Idea

Idea Draft #1:
Create an interactive website that has a chat simulator to demonstrate potential e-dating situations. There will be multiple scenarios in the chat simulator, allowing users to learn and watch out for the warning signs.


My Self-Reflection:
After consulting with one my supervisor, he points out that the current idea is still on the surface and too small scale. I agree with him, because the purpose of the project is more like spreading awareness to the audience. Hence, I decided to make the interactive website as a part in a campaign. That being said that there will be various solutions from social media to the web platform. This way, it will definitely reach to user much more effectively.



Idea Draft #2:
An integrated campaign aimed at educating youngsters about the red flags in e-dating, utilizing a combination of social media contents and interactive microsite that consists of chat simulator. This campaign will be under Discord, as it is considered as the platform that is known for e-dating.



My Self-Reflection:
I conducted a brief concept test with my classmates, and some of the feedbacks from them made me to think about this solution in a different light. One of my classmates mentions that it would make much more sense if the chat simulator is within the Discord app instead. I decided to ask my friends around that are avid Discord users, and they agreed with it. This is because they are more used to using 'features' inside the Discord app for a seamless experience. Hence, I decided to change the platform.



Final Idea:

A digital campaign in social media platforms to increase awareness of red flags in e-dating. This digital campaign is a collaboration between Discord and NoFiltr. The main event of this campaign will be an e-dating chat simulator where users will be interacting with characters that has various of red flags.


There will be 4 characters total, each has their own character attributes (aka red flags).



This is one of the example of a possible chat simulator scenario with the characters. Each characters will be having a different scenarios and chat interaction based on their red flags.


From here, I start on working on the proposal & pitch deck. In order to make it easier to understand how the chat simulator works, I decided to make a simple lo-fi wireframe of some parts of the chat simulator and include it inside the pitch deck. Full idea is available in the pitch deck link at the end of this blog.

Case Studies


1. It's Not Violence by SOS Violence Conjugale (Link)



It’s Not Violent is an interactive campaign that educates teenagers about a more insidious form of violence. This campaign has 5 different textversations, each exploring different forms of non-physical violence

Note: This campaign is a good example of using the chat system to demonstrate non-physical violence to the audience. It is also a collaborated campaign where audience will have the choice to seek help or find resources regarding the matter.



2. Raya Remixed (Link)



Raya Remixed is a campaign for Hari Raya celebration where it can transform your heartfelt message into a personalised song, through AI, making your greetings truly unforgettable. Note: This campaign is a good example of how they make use of the technology and media to make Hari Raya celebration more fun and modern. The way they advertise the campaign is also well planned.


3. Spotify Wrapped (Link)



Spotify Wrapped is an annual campaign by Spotify that gives users a personalized summary of their year in music. It compiles their most streamed songs, artists, genres, and other listening habits into a shareable recap. Note: The campaign is a good example of creating a fun and engaging way for users to reflect on their musical journey over the past year. Even though this campaign is annual, they manage to find different ways to make users to check their 'Spotify Wrapped' every year.


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Full Idea Brainstorming Link: Link

Proposal & Pitch Deck: Link


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Bibliography

Vice.com. (2023). People Are Finding Love on Discord. [online] Available at: https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5v4k7/people-are-finding-love-on-discord 


Cao, S. (2022). People Are Dating Via Discord, Venmo, And Other Non-Dating Apps. [online] BuzzFeed News. Available at: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stefficao/discord-venmo-internet-apps-love-stories 


SOS Violence Conjugale. (2024). It’s n̶o̶t̶ violent — SOS Violence Conjugale. [online] Available at: https://itsnotviolent.com/


Axiata. (2024). Raya Remixed 2024. [online] Available at: https://www.axiata.com/rayaremixed/home


Spotify. (2023). Spotify — 2023 Wrapped. [online] Available at: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-wrapped/ 

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