Vile of Ugly Feelings

Case Study

Veil of Ugly Feelings

Graduate Thesis/ Selected Group Exhibition Project

Overview

Veil of Ugly Feelings is my thesis research project. This project uses machine language to communicate facial expressions that are produced by complex negative emotions. It prompts the conversation around how today’s technology can be used as a cyborg human extension to complete indirect communication and breaks social taboo.

2021-2022

My Role

Design research, Concept Ideation, AR/VR Prototype, Motion Graphics and Animation

Personal Project

Problem

How to use machine language to communicate facial expressions that are produced by complex negative emotions ?

Solutions

Veil of Ugly Feeling is a facial expression tool, it uses machine language to communicate facial expressions that are produced by complex negative emotions.

Background

While how people express their negative emotions are different from culture to culture. Different from Western or individualism, in Eastern or collectivist culture, where see harmonious and inclusive as their main value system, people seldom show their negative emotions or say, ugly feelings, in order to maintain a minimum level of effective social functioning, such social environment serve as triggers to depressive episodes for vulnerable individuals.

Furthermore, mental health crisis is sweeping the globe, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, people are experiencing more challenges than usual. Thus, it is imperative to conceive a new negative emotion expression system.

I made an anonymous semi-open questionnaire consisting of questions about scenarios that triggers negative emotions and how participants would react. 80 percent participants has a collectivist culture background. Below are some noticeable quotes.

"Someone I'm not that familiar with try to sit at my front seat makes me anxious. It's just too close, I have a huge pressure when I'm driving. I’ll stop talking and my brow furrowed. I’m afraid other would tell but wish they can tell immediately."
— Candidate 1

"When my family try to hug me randomly, I tense up. I hope I don’t show awkward on my face. I don't feel comfortable with random hugs. Family usually feels like it is okay since they are "family".
— Candidate 2.

“People who come and sit down beside me on the piano bench while I'm playing bother me a lot. I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it does. It would be a big relief to me if I could get them to move in a nice inoffensive way…"
— Candidate 3

Research

This diagram shows the reasons why negative emotions are triggered. It depicts the complexity and uniqueness of negative emotions by drawing different contours under different scenarios. Due to this intricacy, it is vital for people to choose an appropriate negative expression.

So, What does people from collectivist culture might want when they have negative emotions?

Indirect communication — Easy to reach out the activity no matter where one’s location is; provides opportunities for people to interact with others.

Amplifier — Anyone can have their own pace to enjoy the activity and create personalized memories.

Agent — Utilizing Salesforce’s unique visual language to emphasize brand value.
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Veil of Ugly Feelings combines a collection of negative emotion AR masks and a supportive app. All masks can be found in Veil of Ugly Feelings Database app(the database is continuing update). Be inspired by traditional Chinese opera makeup, these masks are using a style that is full of dramatic conflict to express the complex nature of negative emotions.

Veil of Ugly Feelings Mask Selection

Neutral

Opera Visage without any emotion.

Irritation

Irritation is an unambiguously mental stimulus, suggests a kind of hyper responsiveness to the subject’s external surroundings.

Anxiety

Anxiety is used particularly when the threat is not immediate or is unclear, it is another central component that causes the suffering -- Fear.

Envy

A concealed admiration, always company with appreciate and jealous.

Depression

Depression always involved a deep and ineradicable conviction that someone was literally good for nothing.

Helpless

Helplessness can be fueled by trauma, grief, stress, mental health conditions, isolation, and numerous other factors

Veil of Ugly Feelings Mask with APP

Veil of Ugly Feelings works in a very simple and convenient way. When users feel an emotion, they can start to review Veil of Ugly Feelings database recognizing which negative emotion they are holding or just simply type a sentence that describes their feeling. Then, users decide whether to amplify or hide or camouflage that negative emotion with their facial expressions. By choosing the right Ugly Feelings mask they prefer to put on their face, they're free to express any negative emotion to others or even to themselves.

Main page is to introduce user's using hobbits and some popular masks.

Interacting with Vile of Ugly Feelings

Opera Visage works in a very simple and convenient way. When users feel an emotion, they can start to review Opera Visage database recognizing which negative emotion they are holding or just simply type a sentence that describes their feeling. Then, users decide whether to amplify or hide or camouflage that negative emotion with their facial expressions. By choosing the right Opera Visage mask they prefer to put on their face, they're free to express any negative emotion to others or even to themselves.

Vile of Ugly Feelings Mask Selection

Neutral

Outcome and Learnings

The core of this project is it provides people a way to express emotions that actually can't be expressed through a person's biological face. I've struggled with negative emotions for years and years. I know those feelings even than understanding myself. Some of them go beyond language, they are more complicated than the kind of time or level that we can read. And I know I'm not the only one, so I've always wanted to arouse this social question to public. I'm so grateful that my thesis advisor Elise Co encourage me to pursue the topic I'm truly interested in instead of doing a thesis project that "looks great". This is the most meaningful year in my life.
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Back to the project. Combining traditional user experience design with speculative design is a huge challenge for me. But I think there is huge potential in there. At the time of me doing my thesis, MOJO VISION has already published their first version of AR contact lens, that's wonderful news for me. Since I imagine Opera Visage could use AR technology as back stone, as the invisible computing comes true, all using scenario I prototyped makes sense then. Even this is the end of my thesis year, this thesis project hasn't ended, I still have a lot of thoughts that need me to develop, and welcome anyone who has any ideas to discuss.