Glimpse Photobooth
Interactive Photobooth Teaching Gen Z About Data Collection.
Year:
2025
Timeframe:
10 weeks
Tools:
Framer, Figma
Category:
Speculative Design
01 / OVERVIEW
Understanding how your data is being used.
The Glimpse Photobooth is a speculative design installation exploring how AI and social platforms interpret and commodify personal data. It invites Gen Z users to question how digital consent actually works, who benefits from their data, and how their identity is shaped by technology — turning passive data collection into an active, reflective experience, without ever collecting any real data.
02 / PROBLEM
Gen Z aren't informed about what they're actually consenting to
In today's hyperconnected world, people, mostly Gen Z, are constantly sharing data online, often without fully understanding the implications. While platforms present terms of service and consent pop-ups, the reality is that consent is usually passive, uninformed, and disconnected from users’ lived experiences. This creates a gap between what users think they're sharing and what systems infer about them.
03 / SOLUTION
An AI chatbot that shows Gen Z their own data shadow
I designed the interactive photobooth experience to educate Gen Z on digital privacy and consent, leading the user research that mapped the emotional journey from awareness to action. I prototyped a chatbot and visual word cloud to simulate real-time data collection in a way that felt tangible rather than abstract, applying speculative design principles to keep the experience ethical and immersive without ever collecting real data. As a team, we mapped out each interaction point to shape the final flow: a poster draws the user in, they enter the booth and chat with the AI, learn how a platform like Instagram collects and uses their data, receive a personalized "digital shadow" Polaroid, and scan a QR code to learn how to actually take control of their own data.
04 / OUTCOME
A validated concept, with a clear next step
This was a concept-stage prototype that we tested for user feedback during the design stage. Our critique surfaced real limitations worth naming — the AI simulation may oversimplify how invasive actual data collection feels, and a poster alone may not be enough to consistently draw people in. Following that exploratory research, the next stage of this project would be building a low-fidelity physical prototype and testing it further, to see whether the experience actually shifts privacy awareness, not just curiosity.