Picture Pairfect

Develop a critical design piece that uses speculative design proposals to challange preconceptions about image data, specifically in the world of online dating.



Design Focus - Camera Roll Dating

Pushing the boundaries of image data privacy, we decided to create a dating app that requires access to one’s camera roll. While camera rolls are likely to be more telling of your true interests than your social media pages, they also hold more sensitive and private information.

By encapsulating authenticity of raw and unedited photos, we pose the question of how far people are willing to sacrifice their data privacy to find the love of their life.

cirendipity-cover

UX/UI + Branding

Academic Group Project - 2021

My Role

  • UX/UI design
  • UX/UI research
  • Video editing
  • Created artifacts to suspend disbelief
  • Content writing

Final Artifacts

Pie/Donut Chart Best Practices

User Flow

Nokia Sample Dashboard

Design Process


Inspiration

The team was initially driven by a keen interest in the advancement of AI and its potential to expose private information without users' knowledge. We researched relevant case studies and precedent concepts to make sophisticated speculations on our critical design. Gathering feedback from existing dating apps, we were able to narrow down our target audience and gain a better understanding of the industry domain.

Design System Tokens

Case Study 1 - Facebook Dating

At first, we imagined a future where Facebook utilized its invasive image-analyzing technology to relaunch Facebook Dating, matching users based on perceived similarities in their profile photos. However, this idea failed to fully leverage the potential of image analysis, as Facebook's heavy reliance on metadata shifted the focus away from our critique of image data security.

Case Study 2 - Instagram Dating

With the ongoing discourse surrounding the effects of Instagram on self-image, we envisioned that a dating app based on Instagram images would create an interesting perpetuation of the issue. While we intially aimed to critique images on social media platforms, we felt that the decision to post publically, as well as the control over the appearance of one's photos through various filters, did not push the invasive aspect of our critique. After considering a potential target audience of people who are seeking ‘geniune’ connections, we decided to focus on camera roll photos.

Pie/Donut Chart Tokens

Reflection

A challenge I faced during the development of Picture Pairfect was adapting speculative design, which emphasizes imagining alternative futures and questioning existing assumptions. This new mindset required me to shift from my usual approach focused on immediate user needs and practical solutions.

Through this process, I learned that critical design is not just a method but a mindset that enriches creativity and highlights the power of design in conveying ideas and messages.

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