OUTCOME
Reflection
Designing PinkyPromise taught me that empathy can truly live inside of our digital interfaces.
It’s not about preventing ghosting or enforcing behavior, it’s about giving form to the feelings technology often erases.
In a sea of disposable connections, this small AR gesture asks for sincerity, even if it’s fleeting.
To me, it became less about dating, and more about what it means to disappear kindly.
Results
Used and shared by over 1000 different TikTok users.
Sparked discussions on emotional UX and the ethics of interaction design.
Received recognition for reimagining AR as an emotional medium rather than a visual one.
Ultimately, PinkyPromise is a reminder that technology doesn’t have to numb feeling. It can hold it, reflect it, and maybe even heal it.
RESPONSE
Pitch Ad
Social proof with, self-expression.
Approach
Turn ghosting into a moment of reflection.
The filter uses AR not as decoration, but as an emotional interface. Blending Hinge’s sincerity with a touch of surreal intimacy. Through a simple gesture, it transforms absence into presence, and accountability into empathy.
My Role
Led the concept direction, visual design, video pitch, and interaction narrative, from early sketches all the way to final motion studies.
My process blended:
Research into dating behaviors and emotional avoidance online
Mocking up gesture-based AR interactions
Visual storytelling through subtle symbolism and motion
Brand alignment with Hinge’s tone of “intentional connection”
This was both a speculative design and an emotional experiment, about what responsibility might look like in digital intimacy.
Insights
AR not to decorate emotion, but to make it visible.
Together, these insights reveal that technology doesn’t need to erase emotion, it can give it form. By translating distance, and care into subtle visual gestures, PinkyPromise turns digital disconnection into a chance for empathy.
PinkyPromise
A touch of sincerity, in the form of AR.
CONTEXT
Overview
PinkyPromise is an AR filter concept for Hinge that turns the act of ghosting into a moment of reflection.
Instead of letting conversations fade into silence, it invites users to make a small, visual promise. A "pinky swear" a gesture that says: I see you. And I won’t disappear without a trace.
A poetic use of AR to bring accountability, emotion, and a touch of sincerity back into digital connection.
Team
PM, CD, Designer
Role
CD, Designer
Tools
Figma, TikTok Effect House,
Maya, Adobe Suite
Backstory
Dating apps are built on endless choice. Swiping, then matching, then disappearing. On repeat.
Ghosting has become its own quiet language, an easy escape from vulnerability. But behind every unread message is someone wondering why.
I began to ask: what if technology made it harder to disappear — what if we could visualize the invisible trace of leaving someone behind?
Challenge
How do you create something that doesn’t lecture people, but actually makes them feel something?
How do you use AR, a medium built for illusion and filters, to reveal something more honest? The challenge was to design a filter that holds emotional weight while feeling natural within Hinge’s world of charm, humour, and lighthearted sincerity.
