Unison

Interface and experience design for a co-created empathy-building app.

Before there was BeReal, there was Unison—an app concept I designed as a student that connects people all over the world through time. Users everywhere, at a common time, post a single photo of their surroundings with a short description, giving them the opportunity to see the differences and commonalities of other people’s experiences in a concrete way.

Unique from traditional photo sharing apps, Unison's concept revolves around the importance of time and highlights the variety of human experience, encouraging users to step into the shoes of another rather than simply observing.

Concept and design development

Before designing the app, I defined a concept outlining the app’s purpose and functions. Through research and refinement, I created basic wireframes and brand elements that aligned with the app's concept and strategy.

Onboarding

When users first open Unison, they are shown a short overview of the app’s main features and are paired with content from locations of their interest.

Explore

The main section of the app—the Explore section—is where users can browse photos. It is organized into two tabs: Following and Global. The Following tab is a feed of photos from the user's following list, while the Global tab highlights locations, times, and users around the world. Both tabs feature small previews of content from the opposite tabs, encouraging users to navigate throughout the app.

Camera

In 10-minute windows, users can post a photo of their surroundings. When posting a new photo, users include their location and a short description that answers the question, "What are you doing right now?" After users post their photo, they are prompted to explore other recently uploaded photos from around the world.