Aurora: Ethical Social Media (Capstone)

Designed mindful features to support user autonomy and authentic connection.

In 2021, I led the design of Aurora, my final and most ambitious project at Georgia Tech’s UX/UI Bootcamp. Co-created in just three weeks, Aurora reimagines social media through an ethical lens, giving users more control over their feeds and mental space. Built around real user insights, we introduced features like topical feeds, interest toggles, and private filtering to reduce overstimulation and boost intentional engagement.

Aurora was well-received during demo day and solidified my belief that ethical design can drive both innovation and impact.

Introduction & Product Context

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Aurora was born out of a question that’s increasingly hard to ignore: Can we design a social platform that prioritizes well-being without sacrificing business viability? During Georgia Tech’s UX/UI Bootcamp, Kayla (fellow UX designer) and I set out to build a concept that would address growing concerns about the ethical impact of social media.

Unlike typical platforms that flood users with algorithm-driven content, Aurora aims to give people more control over what they see—and when. Through content curation, smart filtering, and a calming aesthetic, Aurora offers a space that reconnects users to the parts of social media they enjoy.

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Problem Space

🎯  Design Goals

  • Reduce overstimulation and fatigue caused by algorithmic feeds

  • Help users build meaningful connections without endless scrolling

  • Offer intuitive tools for content control and self-regulation

📈 Research & Key Insights

We surveyed 85 participants and interviewed 7 users to understand what drives their social media use—and what makes them disengage.

Key Findings:

  • People want to stay connected and entertained—but on their terms

  • Many self-impose boundaries (e.g., deleting apps, muting people) but feel limited by platform controls

  • Overexposure to unwanted content directly impacts mental well-being

These insights shaped Aurora’s core value: put users in charge of their feed experience.

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Solution Space

Aurora’s Value Proposition

Empower users to shape their own experience—without abandoning connection or discovery.

Key Features

  1. Topical Feeds: Create and switch between feeds like “News” and “Humor” to reduce cognitive overload

  2. Dislike Button: Quietly train the algorithm by removing unwanted posts and ads (privately)

  3. Interest Toggles: Quick on/off switches for content themes to simplify discovery

  4. Smart Suggestions: AI-based feed recommendations based on user-defined interests

Research + Strategy

We analyzed Instagram, Reddit, and Pinterest to identify what’s working and what’s not. Most lacked true user control over feed content. That became our north star.

Design Process

Sketching & Ideation

We quickly visualized core mechanics like feed creation, toggling, and onboarding transparency.

Low-Fidelity Prototypes (Figure 1)

We tested core flows such as account creation, feed switching, and personalization.

  • Feedback confirmed high support for customizable feeds and content filtering.

Brand & UI Design (Figure 2)

  • Color palette: Calming, nature-inspired tones to reduce digital fatigue

  • Typography: Simple, legible, and soothing

High-Fidelity Prototype (Figure 3)

  • Emphasized onboarding transparency (e.g., data use, ad visibility)

  • Clean navigation between multiple curated feeds

  • Subtle interface designed to soothe, not stimulate

Figure 1: Lofi Wires

Figure 2: Style Guide

Figure 3: Onboarding Screens

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Outcome & Impact

🧪 Prototype Validation

Created a functional prototype, tested with users, and was well-received during demo day.

🧠 Proved Customization as a Differentiator

Validated the concept of content customization as a core value proposition.

🧭 Advanced Ethical UX Awareness

Helped deepen stakeholder understanding of ethical UX principles in practice.

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Future Roadmap

🧑‍🦽 Expand accessibility features (text scaling, zoom options)

🧠 Verification tools to help users assess content reliability

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Group feeds for friend circles and communities

🔔 Boundary-setting tools to promote healthy engagement habits

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Reflections & Learnings

This project pushed me to navigate the tension between user well-being and business needs—a common challenge in social design. Here’s what stuck with me:

  • Testing context matters: The order of tasks impacted user responses significantly

  • Data synthesis fuels clarity: Affinity mapping helped us turn scattered insights into clear design decisions

  • Ethics can drive innovation: Designing for well-being led us to new, user-driven feature ideas

Aurora reaffirmed that social media doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right design decisions, it can be intentional, empowering, and still engaging.

Experience the prototype: Try the Aurora demo here