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Create a digital platform that connects a community of people with a third place/space
A website that allows cosplayers to find and host events outside of social media and foster a third space
Third place is a place outside of home and work where people can meet and socialise with new people from backgrounds different from their own. Common examples of these places are public parks, coffee shops, and local libraries. They not only serve the role of being an equaliser but also strengthen communities through supporting mental and physical well-being. However, there has been a decline in these third places and spaces due to decreased funding and inaccessibility in the past couple of years.
Cosplay is a niche activity but has established third spaces that shift and mould according to the culture of the community. As a cosplayer, this hobby has led me to physical and online third places where I have made amazing friendships. Through the shared interest of fandom, cosplay provides a safe space for unconventional (Letamendi & Rosenberg, 2018). Cosplay is inherently a social space as cosplayers gather at a single place to socialise (Aljanahi &Alsheikh, 2021).
For my design outcome, I focus on the opportunities identified in the key insights and desk research. As noted in the findings from my survey and interviews, cosplayers wish for small events to be held throughout the year. Small cosplay events are great third spaces that allow cosplayers to socialise in a less commercial environment. The benefits of casualness and intimacy for cosplayers are also present in convention bathrooms and hotel rooms(Brenner-Levoy et al., 2020). By moving away from performing for con-goers, small events allow cosplayers to enjoy the activity more authentically. However, most of the participants have not hosted one themselves. While lack of time is not something my design outcome could directly solve, it could help lessen the time needed for organising by providing online resources. Likely due to miscommunication in my survey, participants focused on commercial venues. Small cosplay events can be held at public areas like parks and conventions as fandom meetups. Therefore, I decided to create an event-hosting website catered for cosplayers.
