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QUESTIONS.SOCIAL
Speculative Prototype for an Experimental Model of Digital Engagement
Product Concept · Behavioral Design · Interaction Design · UI Design · Brand Identity
Project Overview
Designing a New Experience for Emotionally-Driven Connection
Osei Bonsu Productions, a creative media company working across photography, video, fashion, and dance, commissioned me to explore how one of their experimental video concepts could take shape as a digital product. My role was to define and visualize what this concept could become, translating its emotional premise into an interactive platform. Through an iterative design process, I shaped an experience-centered product vision that established the interaction framework for a new kind of emotionally-driven social engagement.
Inception & Intent
Scaling a Social Experiment into an interactive experience
Osei Bonsu Productions developed a visual concept inspired by The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness, a psychological study by Arthur Aron, popularized by the 2015 New York Times article The 36 Questions That Lead to Love. The study explores how a sequence of structured, increasingly personal questions can foster emotional intimacy between strangers through mutual self-disclosure.
Building on this foundation, the company created a video-based experiment in which individuals from diverse backgrounds were filmed answering the questions. I was brought in to explore how this emotionally driven concept could evolve into a digital platform, articulating its potential through design, interaction thinking, and product storytelling aimed at shaping a new kind of participatory experience.
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Foundational Concept
Visual Proof of Concept through rapid prototyping
As an initial assignment, the company requested a rapid concept exploration to assess my creative direction. The central challenge was behavioral: how do you motivate users to record themselves responding to personal and often intimate prompts? I proposed a system grounded in structured reciprocity:
New users began with access to a selection of lighter, introductory questions from the original study. A content feed displayed preview clips of others’ video responses, including recordings from the original video concept, but full responses from the community remained locked unless the viewer had answered the same specific prompt. Emotional access required emotional contribution.
This dynamic turned passive browsing into active participation and established a cadence of shared vulnerability. Early prompts served as gentle entry points, while deeper, more introspective questions were introduced gradually as featured content, designed to encourage ongoing engagement and emotional progression over time.
To support the concept, I developed a focused brand identity, speculative interface design, and early promotional assets that conveyed the platform’s tone and core narrative. Initial messaging positioned the product as a digital experiment in human connection, centered around mutual discovery and reflective dialogue.
UX Reframe & System Thinking
Translating Concept into Interaction Architecture
With the concept approved, I worked on a formal UI/UX exploration. My focus was to define a more structured interaction model, guided by research into best-practice UX patterns and behavioral design principles observed across relevant platforms.
Core features from the initial concept were further developed into functional design components. Video responses were presented in a full-screen format to maximize focus and encourage a sense of intimacy by centering the user’s presence. Social interactions, specifically liking and following, were emphasized as primary tools for
sustained engagement and connection.
An initial version of the recording interface was introduced, prioritizing simplicity: users could easily record, post, or delete responses, minimizing friction in the act of participation.
The Discovery and Following feeds were refined to distinguish between general community exploration and updates from personal connections.
The profile view was expanded to help users monitor their progress, view answered questions, and revisit past entries. Together, these developments translated the conceptual vision into a more structured prototype providing a clearer framework for how the platform could function and evolve through future iterations.
Results
Visual and Functional Realization of a Behavior-Centric Platform
In the final phase, guided by feedback from the latest prototype, I refined the visual design and improved the overall user experience. The brand identity was updated to feel friendlier and clearer, better aligning with user expectations. To simplify and clarify user interactions, I improved the recording process by allowing users to pause recordings, remove sections they didn't like, and continue recording until fully satisfied. Recordings could also be saved privately as drafts, supporting more thoughtful participation.
New Social Media Model
Comments were intentionally excluded to maintain a space for personal reflection rather than public conversation. Instead, interaction was centralized through user responses, encouraging thoughtful engagement directly within the platform. Users interested in additional connection could do so through their linked social media profiles. Basic moderation tools like blocking and reporting were included to ensure a safe and comfortable user experience.
Several new features further enhanced interaction and personalization. Videos now autoplay in the feed for easier access. Users could privately express appreciation through “likes” or “loves” and bookmark videos to revisit later. The number of likes and loves received was visible only to the content creator, ensuring interactions remained personal rather than competitive. Notifications were organized into a dedicated area, and users had the option to connect external social media profiles for further interactions beyond the platform.
The final result clearly translates the emotional and behavioral goals of the original concept into a fully developed product vision, ready to guide future design and development.
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UX Design · Design Systems · UI Design · Accessibility · Brand Identity
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