Mai Elamin's portfolio
Senior Product designer in London

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My virtual sketchbook from University

Tipitap #1 Writing project proposal plan

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Overview: To understand the manipulative tactics of social media and produce an interactive design which demonstrates these methods.

Context: We are living in a digital age where tech firms are competing among themselves for our attention. Using human psychology to pull us into the applications they are creating, but who is responsible for our compulsion to use social media? the designer/developer or the user? To what extent does the design no longer become persuasive but deceptive. Exploring such approaches such as dark UX patterns will not only extend your understanding of the techniques used today but will also make you, as a designer, determine whether we should conceal the processes or make consumers more conscious of what is being done.

Research: To learn about the design methods used and how other fields such as psychology influence the user experience. As part of user research, conducting surveys, mapping a user experience journey and doing user testing will help you understand how people can use social media.

  • Alter, A. (2017) Irresistible: why are you addicted to technology and how to set yourself free. London: Penguin Random House Uk
  • Eyal N. with Hoover R. (2014) Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. England, Penguin group.
  • Foer, F. (2017) World Without Mind: Why Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple Threaten Our Future. London, Penguin Random House UK.
  • Hall, P. (2008) “Critical Visualization.” In Design and the Elastic Mind, edited by Paola. Antonelli. 122-131. New York: Museum of Modern Art. Available at: http://peterahall.com/pdfs/Hall_critviz.pdf 
  • Schüll, N. (2014). Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas. Princeton University Press
  • Webster G., James (2014) The marketplace of attention: How audiences take shape in a digital age. USA: MIT Press
  • Williams, J. (2018) Stand out of our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Yablonski, J. (2019) Laws of UX. Available at: https://lawsofux.com
  • https://leanderherzog.ch/stream/
  • http://www.abstractbrowsing.net
  • http://www.ted-hunt.com/ELSE.html
  • http://www.ted-hunt.com/SOCRATES.html

Form: An interactive user interface which may be presented as an app, book or physical product. The target audience would be social media users.

Scope: 6 weeks

Tools and methods: Read around the field, get in contact with industry designers, if possible, and test users.

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