Markings

Description
An interactive, augmented reality iOS app that helps defy stereotypes and assists in self reflection and expressing one's true self.

Role
UI/UX Design

App Demo
View App in Action

    • Concept

      The name 'Markings' came out of the idea that society labels or marks people based off of their outward appearances. Tattoos are physical marks on the body, so I pitched the idea to make it digital by creatng an app that put words on the body that looked like tattoos. These words defines and defy assumptions and stereotypes made upon first impressions, transforming from stereotypes to how those stereotypes affected each individual, with the opportunity to define and express their true self. Our app encourages user's to participate in performance art through a simple UI that is accessible and available to everyone. The app takes a user's input and creates a performance based off of what the user typed in each section of the form. The words input by the user will then get turned into tattoos, or markings, on their body, transforming stereotypes into positive, affirmative words that truly describe them.

    • What Is Out There?

      When Markings was originally pitched, it was a tattoo app where users could preview a tattoo design on their body using AR. The user would be able to change the colors of their tattoo, and there would be a pain tolerance meter. While researching, I found there was already an app like this on the market, so our team chose to transform the idea into something more artistic and socially engaged.

    • Design Process

      As head designer, I chose to combine the aesthetics of performance art and tattoos through the font choices, animations, and colors of our app. The ending part of a performance while using our app includes animated brush strokes that surround the performer, revealing and celebrating their true self. These movements of brush strokes mimic the movement of performance art.

      Our team went through several iteration phases to create a user interaface that was easy to use and not too overwhelming. We concidered how user's might feel if they had to fill out one long form to then get to the AR experience. We decided to breakdown the form into three smaller sections, along with a progress bar at the top of the screen to let users know how much progress they had made and how much they had to go.


    • Reflection

      Overall, our team was able to create an app that demonstrated our concept effectively. In our ideal app, each section of the performance would utilize different fonts, in order to emphasize the transition between each phase. If we had more time I believe our team would be able to accomplish this goal. This project allowed me to work with a larger group than I was use to, giving me experience in co-designing with my team to execute our team vision effictively.