touch touch swipe

Social media platforms like Instagram have perfected the subversive art of keeping us engaged. Yet which kinds of cues most effectively capture our attention is something we rarely consciously reflect upon.

This project employs an experimental data collection approach that combines capturing sensor data with a reflexive interview. The resulting visualization depicts a session of browsing Instagram content as a scrollable timeline, making it possible to retrace a user’s touch interactions alongside synchronous interview excerpts.

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Collaborators

  • Anna Meide
  • Tim Hönig
  • Ta Doan Vi Quan

Tasks

  • Data Collection
  • Data Processing
  • Interaction Design
  • Frontend Development

Context

  • University of Applied Sciences Potsdam

Completion

  • 2021
The interactions of an Instagram user are visualized within a stylized smartphone frame.
The list on the right indicates the actions triggered by their most recent touches.
The passage of time can be manipulated by scrolling up and down the page. When an interview segment scrolls into view, the visualization pauses to highlight the moment being discussed.
Patterns of interaction vary between a rapid skipping of posts and extended periods of attention.
The interview investigates the decisions taken by the user during their Instagram session.