The Love Of the Rings

matchmaking

/ˈmatʃmeɪkɪŋ/

noun

the arranging of marriages or initiation of romantic relationships between others.

1. "opportunities for matchmaking between her daughter and some suitable partners"

Matchmaking is as old as romantic relationships. Matchmaking has been existing in various forms from hanging out with mutual friends to professional matchmakers. In today's world, matchmaking is quite synonymous to online dating. Since its inception in 1995 with match.com, online dating has seen various stages of involvement. Pew Research Center found that the number of people who thought that online dating was a good way to meet people rose from 44% in 2005 to 59% in 2015. With the modern market dominated by smartphone applications like Tinder and Bumble, online dating is now easily accessible to more than a billion smartphone users.

A major aspect of online dating is the recommendation system that it follows. According to a 2012 study by social psychologists Benjamin Karney and Harry Reis, matching algorithms of online dating services are only negligibly better at matching people than if they were matched at random. The inputted data, the processing steps and the matching algorithm for the two users are the ultimately crucial deciding factors whether your soul mate would even show up in your recommendations or not.

‘The Love of the Rings’, a diegetic prototype which represents a new world of dating. We use the medium of design fiction to imagine a world where there exists devices called 'Love Rings’ which finds a compatible match based upon one's personality and lickings, thus eliminating the user's task of searching. Secondly, these bands also try coaching the individuals to gradually overcome any incompatibility by providing suggestions in their day-to-day activities. And lastly, help the users to connect better by arranging one on one meetings for them.

Design fiction attempts to achieve the goal of speculative design, i.e. to challenge what society provides and thus influence how the world develops: by encouraging the public to think critically about norms and values, this practice aims to encourage public debate. In our case, the system of matching, the attributes we look out for in a person, and the social stigma behind the matching choices.

Common Argument Types Matrix was used to critically examine a Design Fiction.

Through ‘Love Ring’, we are trying to change the perspective linked to the electronic medium of matchmaking and dating. Matchmaking is either done through the means of other people or the selection of suitable partners through in-person or online mediums. Here we are changing the perspective that this task can be handled by a smart accessory such as a ring and as a result make better matches and reduce cognitive load.

Secondly, we are enhancing appreciation by giving a non-functional object a purpose. We are enabling it to take vital decisions in the bearer's life. The AI will consider several socio-cultural factors which are specific for a person before making a match. This is unlike the current online dating, where users have to go through a generic template provided by the service which might leave out multiple important aspects.

We chose rings over other wearable because people can wear them continuously over many decades without causing any hindrance in their daily tasks.