Process

My initial design focused on color rather than words. The earliest iteration proposed a small wooden machine with alphabet keys that uses ink to create blots in different colors based on which keys/letters/words are typed. This would all be registered on a sheet of notecard paper, creating a color collage, an immediate visual aid that could be associated with whichever name was used to type it into the machine.

The impracticality of this small, ink-filled machine led me to consider a digital version of this, where touches on a phone screen could create this collage in an app, retrievable later in association to the name stored with it. Color blots would vary in size and shape based on how hard your finger hit the screen.

My final iteration chose to allow the human attached to the device to do the visual work. By associating random words to each person they meet, they create a unique mental picture for each person they meet. Words such as "aloe emoji foot" creates a distinct image that can easily be related back to the knew acquaintance, especially if these words applied directly to the situation in which this person was met. The user types in related nouns to use as future reference in white on a black background in order to ensure that there is no distraction and that no words associated with the background will be typed in.