Photo Secretary
@ The Getty Center
Project Type
Interactive
Date
December 2024
Role
Interactive Designer
Photo Secretary is a prototype I made for taking pictures at The Getty Center. As someone who travels alone a lot, I have to ask strangers to help taking a photo of me. Sometimes if lucky I'd get good ones, but sometimes not. How can we capture the best moments without connection? Photo Secretary will step in with fun and eliminate the awkwardness!
How To Use
Beginning of the project...
Asking strangers to take pics of me-- What happened?
At early exploration I always get pictures of myself in weird poses/face. That’s when I realised snap moments need to be clearly defined.
Key moments of the process and --
How can I intervene? (Crazy Version)
How can I intervene? (Realistic Version)
My Final Decision--
Early Design of the countdown/instructor
Low-fidelity Prototype
Final Design of the Prototype-- Toy-like, why?
Because my research field is a public space, I would not want to make the prototype too "industrial" or dangerous-looking. I hope it's a delightful product, not something that could make people uncomfortable. I bought a cashier toy and redesigned it into a lunch/snackbox.
Insights:
What did I learn from the deployment?
​​
-
Third-Party Intervention
The prototype reduces awkwardness by acting as a third-party mediator. It shifts responsibility for giving instructions to photographers and suggesting poses to models, easing pressure on both sides. Models can perform quirky poses without feeling self-conscious since the prompts come from the device, not a person, creating a more relaxed experience.
-
Relevance to participants
Participant 1 showed more curiosity and engagement, especially after learning the device was inspired by Getty’s collections. This suggests that connecting the device to something participants could relate to (experience) can increase their willingness to interact.
-
Location & Expectation
Getty’s setting, where many visitors are already taking photos, made people more willing to help with photo-taking. This suggests that the context and social expectations of a location can significantly influence people’s willingness to engage.
-
More meaningful rewards
The "thank-you receipt" had limited appeal. Some people accepted it out of politeness or curiosity, but its practical or emotional value wasn’t clear. This shows that feedback or rewards need to feel more meaningful or useful to participants.