This is part 1 of a 5-part blog post in which we spotlight 5 teams from an IMVU-sponsored project at ArtCenter College of Design. As summarized in this post, the question was posed to a group of cross-disciplinary art students, what would foster friendship and connection on the IMVU platform. Students were encouraged to explore the platform, learn to create rooms and content, and explore what type of “recipe” could be created that would influence connection between users and ultimately friendship.
Elizabeth Klein: Fashion/Photography Major – 8th Term
In traditional social media, the current influencer culture has become very boring. Posts look like perfect museum artwork. Emotion is nonexistent. Since it’s not always easy to come up with things to talk about in a conversation, we could consider the 3D Chat-room as a new form of “Blog” to facilitate better conversation. The room acts as an “ice breaker” the same way you used to bring a new friend over to your house to get to know you.
Welcome to a dystopian (retextured) version of your private world.
I was inspired by the journals that 18th and 19th century women in New England kept, where they would write about their daily lives and communities with the purpose of sending the journals around to keep their family and friends updated.
Lizzie’s Cool Blog Room is a hyper customized chatroom all about me and stuff that I like.
My favorite thing to do in IMVU is search the depths of the catalog to find hyper themed rooms people have made about themselves. They’re kinda rare, but since IMVU has been around for so long and everything is user made, if you’re patient there is some really weird cool stuff! I want to encourage everyone to make their own hyper customized blog room and include personal photos and anecdotes because they’re super fun to make, super fun to look at, and an immersive way to get to know someone. And if you make one please send it to me!
Proposal: Utilize a shift in experience “tone” to facilitate longer and more meaningful interaction on IMVU. What could IMVU look like as the future of social media expression?
Within the chat room design, Elizabeth explored several areas of engagement as possible tests:
- Avatar “Try on”
- Your Art (on the wall) as personal expression
- Recommendations can be visual instead of textual – or both
- Visual Inspiration – around the room
- Your Collections – photos of your favorite things
- Photos of your life for all to see
- Remake a place you love/like
Visit Lizzie’s Cool Blog Room here »
A close up on the detail and “texture” of the images in the Story Room concept
Elizabeth in the final presentation explaining how today’s social media has become “boring” with imagery becoming too regular and static.
Another closeup from the My Story room where we see Elizabeth’s face emblazoned on the side of a building that is a familiar church from her upbringing.
An early mock-up using paper cutouts to illustrate the visual story-telling format Elizabeth proposed for her concept.
