Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed a portion of people’s way of living and forced a radical shift in working habits. Due to restrictions of non-essential travel and the need for social distancing, many companies have adopted a work-from-home policy for their employees; with some even allowing it to be a permanent move. The policy creates a number of benefits such as increased productivity, reduced commuting time costs, attracting the best talent from any location, and more. And yet challenges have appeared. Long-term remote workers frequently experience feelings of loneliness and isolation, as well as a decline in team engagement. As a result, people are struggling with mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. They are also much less likely to work for their company in the long run. The objective of this project is to assist employees in interacting with their team members and rebuilding connections in order to increase engagement and fuel work relationships. To address the problem, I created Coffit, a tablet-based application, that provides a virtual space to encourage employees to interact and communicate with one another by simulating the coffee and activity area from the actual office. The project displayed the user interface and animations demonstrating how it could foster team relationships.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Telecommuting--Social aspects; Shared virtual environments--Design

Publication Date

8-4-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Visual Communication Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

School of Design (CAD)

Advisor

Adam Smith

Advisor/Committee Member

Mike Strobert

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

VISCOM-MFA

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