Case Study - Emotional Controller

CASE STUDY - "EMOTIONAL CONTROLLER", INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE

An abstract, tactile interface for creative minds — controlling emotion through subtle motion and depth.

Project Details:

Type: Own Project / UX & Interaction Design
Estimated Time: 2 Days — 2025
Tools: Sketching, Wireframing, Prototyping, Figma

Assignment: For this personal assignment I wanted to explore how subtle interaction and motion could evoke emotion in a digital interface. I wanted to test Figma’s prototyping features while also experimenting with visual hierarchy, depth, and sensory feedback. The goal was to create an interface that feels calm, reflective, and responsive.

BACKGROUND

“Emotional Controller” explores how subtle movement, light, and transparency can evoke emotion in digital interfaces.

CONCEPT

I wanted to create an interactive experience for creative users — artists, designers, and visual thinkers — that feels calm, tactile, and immersive, almost like controlling an emotion through movement and depth. The interface is visually abstract, minimal, and captivating, designed to create an instant sensory impact without relying on busy colors or imagery.

“Emotional Controller” is an interactive exploration of how subtle motion, transparency, and layering can influence emotion in a digital interface.

The project investigates how minimal input — such as clicking, hovering or slow scrolling — can create a sense of calm, depth, and emotional engagement, while appealing to an audience attuned to visual nuance and abstraction.

RESEARCH / QUALITATIVE INSIGHTS

To explore emotional impact, I created a small survey (6 participants) about how people describe calmness in digital interfaces. My focus was on creative users — artists, designers, and visual thinkers — who are drawn to subtle, captivating interfaces.

Most existing sites in this space lean heavily on nature imagery and saturated colors. I wanted to create something more abstract, calm, and visually striking, with instant impact.

Common associations included:
• soft motion
• transparency
• neutral/dark colors
• subtle depth

I also analyzed calm-focused apps such as “Calm”, “Inside Timer”, and “Everyday Headspace” to understand how minimal motion and blur influence user perception.

UX GOALS & DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Based on the insights, I defined four UX principles:

Slow rhythm — motion should follow the pace of breathing, not swiping.
Emotional depth — use parallax and layering to suggest space and calm.
Transparency — visual honesty that reflects emotional clarity.
Colors — use darker colors for calmness, such as black, dark red and grey.

These principles guided every design and motion choice in the prototype.

Target audience:
The interface is designed for a creative audience — artists, designers, and visual thinkers — who appreciate subtle interaction, layered visuals, and emotional depth.
Every motion, reflection, and hover effect was considered with this audience in mind, to create a calm, immersive experience that resonates with their visual sensibilities.

WIREFRAMES & INTERACTIVE FLOW

Planning the emotional journey.

Before focusing on visuals, I sketched a simple interaction flow — how a user might “control” emotion by hovering or scrolling.
The core UX idea was that minimal input should produce maximum emotional response.

PROTOTYPE & USER FEEDBACK

Three iterations to shape the experience.

I tested the interactive prototypes with three users and asked how the motion made them feel.

Findings:
• “It feels relaxing, like something alive.”
• “The blur and slowness make it feel expensive.”
• “It’s simple, but it draws me in.”

These responses validated my goal — to evoke emotion through subtle interaction.

OUTCOME & REFLECTION

Insights from iteration and observation.

THE FINAL PROTOTYPES

The final prototype/design is an exploration of emotion through UX — not through content, but through pacing and sensory design.
By combining motion, blur and transparency, “Emotional Controller” demonstrates how interaction itself can create feeling.

THE ARTEFACT

This artefact is designed to pulse gently, representing the user’s emotional state. The glow, size shifts, and color changes reflect different emotions, while subtle guidance helps the user navigate their feelings if they struggle to shift their state.