Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington
Browse

Designing a social exercise app to combat the negative effects of social media on body image amongst young Chinese woman

Download (14.62 MB)
thesis
posted on 2023-09-27, 09:36 authored by Yi Yu

This study aims to design an app to alleviate the negative impact of social media on young Chinese women's body image, and instead, strengthen their connection to others through a digital design that matches individuals with a workout partner and promotes their physical activity. Human-centered design methodology and methods such as literature review, interviews, rapid prototyping and user testing helped to gain understanding of young Chinese women and develop guidelines and a prototype that matches those. The prototype iterations were designed based on knowledge from the literature and then refined through interviews and user testing. Self-Determination Theory, alongside research on social media, social comparison and social support guided the design. Furthermore, interviews and user testing with participants highlighted important aspects for the design. This study offers a possible way to mitigate the negative impact of social media on body image amongst young Chinese women. The final prototypes alongside the design guidelines can help designers gain understanding of the negative influences of social media and mitigate those through design. Future research could explore further the long-term impact of the design and the social comparison and social support influences on one’s well being and body image.

History

Copyright Date

2023-09-27

Date of Award

2023-09-27

Publisher

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Rights License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Degree Discipline

Design Innovation

Degree Grantor

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Degree Level

Masters

Degree Name

Master of Design Innovation

ANZSRC Type Of Activity code

1 Pure basic research

Victoria University of Wellington Item Type

Awarded Research Masters Thesis

Language

en_NZ

Victoria University of Wellington School

School of Design Innovation

Advisors

Fridman, Dana