PROCESS
BACKGROUND
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
"BELLY FAT", 2016 GRAPHITE AND COLORED PENCIL ON PAPER 18IN X 20IN
I drew this self-portrait in high school as a means of expressing my frustration with the way women's bodies are falsely idealized in mainstream media. These feelings of body-dysmorphia and dissonance were echoed at my Chinese-American dinner table when I'd be lovingly fed to the gills, yet blamed for being my size. What I wasn't allowed to say at dinner was stated in this piece, which eventually led to my enrollment at USC. Four years later upon my near graduation from college, this cultural problem that many first-generation women of color and I experience has presented a design opportunity of creating a safe space for marginalized individuals to share their stories with one another without being shamed or ashamed.
QUESTIONS
WHAT AREAS OF INQUIRY AM I ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE IN MY RESEARCH?
CENTRAL QUESTION:
How have different sociocultural systems of power shaped and continue to shape the shared perception and objectification of Asian American bodies?
SUBQUESTIONS:
ONE:
What sociocultural power systems are at play at a multi-ethnic and multi-generational dinner table?
TWO:
What sociocultural power systems are at play at a multi-ethnic and multi-generational dinner table?
THREE:
How do these sociocultural power systems clash and intersect?
FOUR:
How does one identify and dismantle these systems of power?
FIVE:
How does objectification impact the psyche of women of color?
USER RESEARCH
WHO NEEDS PASS THE SALT AND WHY?
Unconventional to the typical UI/UX design process, I conducted my user research through the making of this prototype when I asked ten of my Chinese-American friends if they would send me a quick snapshot of their dinner and accompanied by a caption for a school project. In that sense, my user interviews were these anonymous diary entries. Though haphazardly and hesitantly crafted like private after thoughts, they contained little hidden narratives of the immigrant experience, of bodily discomfort, of parental pressures, and ultimately suppressed expressions of cultural dissonance that informed the need for Pass the Salt.
"potluck", 2020 interactive HTML web application
I presented this piece in front of a class for review and a peer of mine urged that I make a project like this that catered to an audience beyond first-generation Chinese-Americans. Growing up in a Latinx-American household, she also experienced forms of cultural dissonance at the dinner table and sought ways to express these frustrations as well. Her input, as well as the input of my friends who contributed to "potluck," allowed me to create three user personas who embody the app's target audience.
These three personas are archetypical users whose characteristics represent the larger needs of those who might use Pass the Salt. From getting a better sense of the project's target audience using "potluck" and this user persona exercise, I have identified two user outcries that call for design solutions.
USER OUTCRIES
WHAT DO USERS NEED FROM PASS THE SALT?
VISIBILITY
A means of bodily and narrative-driven expression that can be seen beyond the physical and cultural confines of one's own dinner table.
VALIDATION
An unwavering sense of confidence in one's own personal narrative that is unhindered by cultural dissonance.
SKETCHES
WHAT ARE THE DESIGN SOLUTIONS?
1
Interactive map that visualizes the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate cultures
2
Submission via pinning a personal photo and caption to a location on the map to craft their own narrative
3
Safety measures that protect the user's integrity and identity
These three personas are archetypical users whose characteristics represent the larger needs of those who might use Pass the Salt. From getting a better sense of the project's target audience using "potluck" and this user persona exercise, I have identified two user outcries that call for design solutions.
These three personas are archetypical users whose characteristics represent the larger needs of those who might use Pass the Salt. From getting a better sense of the project's target audience using "potluck" and this user persona exercise, I have identified two user outcries that call for design solutions.
IDEATION
WHAT IDEAS BRING pass the salt to life?
Idea 1
ONBOARDING
I designed a series of welcome screens featuring food-themed copy that explains how to use the app while familiarizing the user with the subject matter of Pass the Salt in order to earn their trust.
Idea 2
TAGGING + LANDMARKS
Submissions to Pass the Salt are not only organized by location, but also by tags. Tagging allows users to add more depth to their personal stories by integrating one-word descriptors to their posts. Users can enter locations, landmarks, and even tags into Google Maps' "Place Search" field to draw cultural connections in even more ways.
Or, if they're feeling lucky, they can press the "I'm Feeling (Pot) Lucky!" button to be redirected to a random submission on the app.
Idea 3
PLACEHOLDER COPY
What message do you want to pass on? Find a new flavor.
Placeholder copy presents an opportunity to position Pass the Salt as not just a generic app, but a food-lover's trustworthy tool for storytelling and storyfinding.
WIREFRAMES
WHAT IS THE FORM AND FUNCTION?
Above are high-fidelity wireframes of Pass the Salt I designed using the UX/UI prototyping tool Figma. The simplicity and lack of a superfluous amount of screens balances the complexity of the map, allowing for an easy experience when navigating something as information dense as personal anecdotes from around the world. Each display has no more than three key buttons that the user needs to interact with in order to get around the app, allowing the user to achieve the value of the Pass the Salt as quickly as possible without being fatigued with a ton of options.
BRAND GUIDELINES
WHAT IS THE VISUAL CULTURE?
Ever wonder why fast food logos tend to be red? Color psychology argues that the color red is stimulating, exciting, and associated with activity which increases an onlooker's heart rate, consequently jump-starting our hunger. This terracotta color palette coupled with a bold typeface of charmingly unconventional proportions pays homage to my Chinese-American heritage while stirring the user's appetite.
After several rounds of iterative sketching using Procreate and Figma, I have identified two themes, personal contribution and powerful technology, that I wanted to visualize in my logo. The Pass the Salt brandmark emblifies the melding of two these themes through its handwritten typeface yet modular form factor of the salt shaker icon.
