Social Animal
Young people living alone in China's first-tier cities face an isolated social life beyond work, bearing the pressures of life and emotional solitude on their own. In these fast-paced cities, everyone is busy navigating society, yet people seem isolated, consumed by the heavy demands of survival.
Social Animal is a VR online social app designed to create a more genuine sense of connection for individuals living alone, allowing them to engage with others in a realistic way within limited space and time, using VR to transform their real-life experience.
Young Adults Living Alone in First-Tier Cities
As development disparities grow among Chinese cities, young people increasingly choose to move to or stay in first-tier cities after graduation. They rent small apartments or studios, shouldering significant work and life pressures while maintaining limited social circles. Without family or close friends nearby, they often return alone to their rented rooms after a long day, confronting a sense of isolation that contrasts sharply with the communal lifestyle they were accustomed to growing up in traditional Chinese society.
What might They Need?
5W1H
Ideation
My ideas evolved and shifted as I delved deeper into the research.
Why VR APP?
VR and AR make social interactions in games more immersive, offering players new ways to connect and engage with each other. VR can also deliver a higher level of user experience through immersion, a sense of scale, embodiment, and presence.
App Architecture
User Flow
Sketches
Design System
Avatar
Menu
Virtual Social Scenes: Hi-Fi Demo
Coding
Here is some code I used while creating the scene demo.
User Testing and Future Vision
We often say that in the virtual world, we experience connection and a sense of being needed, as if we are undeniably the protagonist, with everything revolving around us. But what about the real world? How can I find that same sense of fresh challenge and unwavering determination to establish a meaningful connection with it?