While exploring the different effects of Photoshop, I discovered how fun a visual collage can be. The best part? Your drawing skills don't factor in, allowing you to express freely using existing elements! One instance that truly exemplified the power of this medium was during my "Design for Emotion" course at school. We were challenged by our lecturer to create an emotive collage in just 15 minutes. Want to take a wild guess at the emotion encapsulated in my collage? Check out the project to find out the answer!

Visual collages, I've found, offer a fascinating window into a person's thoughts and emotions. Recognizing this, I started employing it as a research methodology to better understand my users. In fact, one of my projects, "Klik", benefitted tremendously from this approach.

Klik is an online platform aimed at high school students, enabling them to cultivate their local network within and beyond their schools. However, it faced challenges, especially with students providing incomplete or inaccurate information in their profiles.

To gain a deeper understanding of my user base and decipher their motivations, I set up an online workshop on Miro, complete with curated visual materials. I also offered assistance like removing backgrounds or unwanted objects. The outcomes were more insightful than I anticipated. Users felt more at ease sharing their narratives through their collages, and the session granted me invaluable personal insights into their lives.

The workshop, combined with user interviews, led to a surprising revelation: many high school students grapple with self-identity and uncertainties about their future aspirations and capabilities. I realized that this concern persists beyond high school, influencing college students and professionals alike, as our perspectives and goals evolve over time.

Given this understanding, it became evident that the platform had to be more than a networking tool. It needed to be a space for students to explore, develop, and express their identities confidently. This epiphany shaped my design direction: "How might we create an online community platform that enables students to articulate their identities using visual tools?" This is a prototype demonstration of my proposed solution:

In summary, I am continually amazed by the potential of visual collages. They serve as unique storytelling platforms, ignite imagination, and often, bring smiles to faces. Speaking of smiles, here's a fun anecdote unrelated to research but deeply intertwined with the joy of collages:

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Once, my boyfriend and I were invited to a festival titled "Lockdown the Rabbit Hole," organized by a friend of his. Inspired by the festival's creative vibe, we decided to create themed merchandise using, you guessed it - collages! We printed our designs on T-shirts and drink labels, adding a unique touch to the festivities.

I hope you relished this tale of my adventures with visual collages, both in the realms of research and my personal life!