3. All you can do with friends
now is talk. We used to do so
much more.
I miss the little things that
are important but you
don’t bring up on a phone
call
The human connection is
missing over long distance
I just miss spontaneity

8. Having a contact from home
who is a “rock” or “foundation”
is key for remaining grounded,
sane, and relaxed while living in
a foreign country.
It is often emotionally exhausting to
reach out to loved ones. Bad
internet, expensive data usage,
confusing time zones, and
frustrating scheduling make it
sometimes more painful than
valuable to connect.
Connecting with loved ones can often feel like a reporting session.
Some people even make lists of what to discuss. The spontaneity
of physical proximity is lost to mere updates and storytelling.
Interviewees agree
that what’s missing
is the randomness,
creativity, and
playfulness of
physical proximity.

10. Fiona, 28
USA | Currently living in Rwanda
Project Manager | 2 year contract
Has lived abroad for 5 years
“It’s pretty amazing that we can keep in touch as much as we do,
but there are countless little things you just don’t bring up in a
phone call. It’s great to keep up with each other, but it just can’t
compare to being together.”
Frustrations:
• Has a horrible internet connection, so often cuts calls
short or doesn’t bother reaching out because the
technology is not sufficient
• Had a boyfriend when she arrived in Kigali, but ended
the relationships because distance was too difficult
• Feels herself growing more and more distant from
people and norms of home
Needs:
• Wants communication from afar to be easy to
coordinate and organize
• Wants communication at a distance to be more than just
reporting on her life. Wants to be able to have
experiences with loved ones far away.

13. WhatsApp
Skype
Google
Hangouts

14. Realized that what users needed most was an
interface to synchronize calendars and time zones
for easy scheduling. Rather than invent another
interface for connecting, decided to just link to the
applications users are already utilizing.

17. It was difficult to stay focused on one task and not
draw a user flow for each experience. This difficulty
highlighted the need to simplify pathways to be very
direct rather than multidimensional.

19. Conducted Usability Tests with
the sketch wireframes to explore
preliminary user reactions before
committing to high fidelity.
4 individuals, aged 24-32, were
tasked with three different
scenarios of how to connect with
“Mom.”

20. Though the flow was intuitive, it
was obvious the user needed a
clear sign up process to explain
the purpose of the app and
streamline further interactions.

22. Focused on activities users can do
together, even from miles away.
While obviously not in the same
location, performing the same
activity enables users to connect
beyond just conversation.
If users do want to just
talk, however,
Spontistance still
streamlines that process
by making it easy and
quick to schedule a call.

23. It’s unclear what I would do
if Mom wasn’t “available”
now.
I would never do that
Camera might be intense
for the whole walk
Easy to navigate, very
intuitive
I do not have a regular
schedule, so this would
not work for me
I would use this app only
with close friends
Have you considered
adding movies?
Is this addressed to me or to
Mom?

25. Global Navigation: added a top bar that is visible
consistently throughout the app. Double clicking
“Spontistance” takes the user to the home page. The
toggle button on the right can be slid “on” to
indicate the user is available to connect.
1
1
Created a sign-up structure where users could input their
preferences, streamlining the activity options later in the
app.

26. 2
2
Contacts
Button: leads to
page where users
can search for
contacts
Settings Button:
leads to page
where users can
edit their
preferences from
when they signed-
up
Calendar
Button: leads to
users’ personal
calendar page.
Here, users can
edit their own
availability and
view their
contact's
availability
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
Availability
Button: if
“checked,” this
button indicates
Mom is available
to connect
immediately.
Best Times to
Connect: this
line simply
indicates the times
Mom has
indicated she is
usually free.

27. Basic Activities: Each of these
three activities has just two layers
Corresponding app: this line
indicates which app you and your
contact both have chosen in
“preferences” as your default,
eliminating the need to coordinate
apps each connection.
7
7

28. Advanced Activities:
Each of these activities has three layers
Entertainment Page: added after user feedback indicated an
interest in more entertainment connection options. Links to reliable
platforms for TV, Movies, Games, Books, and Music. Users can then
share the url from the website with their contact in Spontistance,
coordinating time and availability in the same manner as other activities.
8
8

31. https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigitgoebelbecker