Date of Award

May 2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Design

Advisor(s)

Donald W. Carr

Keywords

Couple’s relationship, Gamification design, Professional couples counseling, Self-Reporting, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, UI design

Subject Categories

Arts and Humanities

Abstract

Given the high divorce rate in America, the purpose of this thesis is to explore and design tools for newlyweds, unmarried, and married couples which focus on how to maintain a healthy and stable relationship by receiving professional counseling; all the while increasing the awareness of damaging unnoticed variables and issues that lead to an unhealthy relationship between couples. Through a literature review, Dr. Gottman’s The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work method and other research has shown that relationship satisfaction has a massive impact on health and happiness between the partners, and their relationship can be strengthened. Moreover, when people have relationship issues, the best choice is to seek professional help at the very beginning. Timing is an essential aspect of couples counseling. Content analysis indicates there are few if any existing tools that combine both professional counseling and relationship coaching for couples. By conducting consultations with experts, focus groups, and user testing, this paper demonstrates that professional counseling is necessary for maintaining stable and healthy relationships, especially in the early stages of issues and conflicts amongst couples.

Access

Open Access

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.