Expressive Messaging
A speculative interaction layer that replaces emoji selection with gesture-based expression. Pressing, holding, or shaking the device changes how a message is perceived — making emotion emerge from movement, not from a menu.
My role
Product Designer Interaction Design Motion Prototyping
Scope
Concept Exploration Motion Prototype
Domain
Digital Communication Emotional UX Interaction Design
Tools
Figma Protopie
Team
Luke Caporelli Jannes Daur Leon Burg
Year
2025
context
Project Frame
A speculative interaction study — built with Jannes Daur and Leon Burg — focused on gesture and motion rather than full product development.
Positioning
The project is not a complete messaging platform but a high-fidelity feature exploration. It demonstrates how subtle behavioral inputs can transform emotional communication without increasing interface complexity.
design preview
Core Challenges of Digital Communication
>50 %
MORE EMOTION PERCEIVED WITH EMOJIS VS TEXT ONLY
~18 %
MISCOMMUNICATIONS DUE TO TONE/HUMOR
MISINTERPRETATION
Discover
Gap in Digital Communication
Current messaging platforms rely heavily on emojis, reactions and text formatting. While versatile, these tools reduce emotional nuance to predefined symbols and often fail to communicate tone and intensity.
Loss of Physical Cues
In face-to-face interaction, emotion is conveyed through timing, gesture, touch and movement. These dimensions are largely absent in chat environments, leading to misunderstandings and emotional flattening.
define
Design Principle
Emotion should emerge from interaction rather than selection. Instead of choosing from a menu, users express feelings through duration, motion and physical engagement with the device.
Core Question
How can emotion in chat become clearer and tangible without adding visual clutter or new interface layers?
concept brainstorming
ideate
Emotion Mapping
A broad set of emotions was explored and filtered based on relevance for digital communication. The focus was on emotions that are frequently misunderstood or difficult to express in chat.
Interaction as Carrier
Early concepts tested visual overlays and typographic changes. The strongest direction emerged when emotion was embedded into existing behaviors such as sending, reacting or navigating. Gesture became the primary expressive medium.
prototype
Motion-Driven Validation
Prototype testing revealed that gesture sensitivity is the core design variable. Small thresholds produced ambiguous emotional reads; large ones felt performative. Calibrating to how bodies actually move under emotion was where the concept either worked or didn't.
Physical Interaction
Gestures that followed instinct felt immediate. Those that fought natural movement created friction and broke the emotional read.
prototyping in protopie
deliver
Romance
Romance is expressed through synchronized touch. When two users hold their finger on the screen simultaneously, their fingerprints merge and leave a shared trace inside the chat. Intimacy is created through coordinated action rather than symbolic imagery.
Anger
Anger is translated into kinetic disruption. By shaking the device, a message transforms into an angry bubble. The physical gesture releases tension and visually communicates emotional intensity.
Joy
Joy is expressed through intentional effort. Real-world objects are captured and transformed into collectible digital stickers that can be gifted. The emotional value lies in time and attention invested, not in instant reaction.
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is clarified through subtle transformation of the message bubble. A simple interaction alters its orientation or behavior to signal ironic intent, reducing the risk of misinterpretation.
Impact
Expressive Depth
The concept demonstrates how interaction design can extend emotional bandwidth in digital communication without expanding interface complexity.
chat bubbles
product shot
reflection
Key Learning
The most precise emotional signal came from threshold design — how sensitive each gesture was to pressure, duration, or speed. Getting that right required studying how bodies actually move under emotion, not just how interactions look on screen.
Next Step
User testing across different demographics could reveal how gesture sensitivity varies — and whether a personalized threshold layer would improve emotional clarity at scale.
A speculative interaction layer that replaces emoji selection with gesture-based expression. Pressing, holding, or shaking the device changes how a message is perceived — making emotion emerge from movement, not from a menu.
Expressive Messaging
context
Project Frame
A speculative interaction study — built with Jannes Daur and Leon Burg — focused on gesture and motion rather than full product development.
Positioning
The project is not a complete messaging platform but a high-fidelity feature exploration. It demonstrates how subtle behavioral inputs can transform emotional communication without increasing interface complexity.
design preview
Discover
Gap in Digital Communication
Current messaging platforms rely heavily on emojis, reactions and text formatting. While versatile, these tools reduce emotional nuance to predefined symbols and often fail to communicate tone and intensity.
Loss of Physical Cues
In face-to-face interaction, emotion is conveyed through timing, gesture, touch and movement. These dimensions are largely absent in chat environments, leading to misunderstandings and emotional flattening.
Core Challenges of Digital Communication
>50 %
MORE EMOTION PERCEIVED WITH EMOJIS VS TEXT ONLY
~18 %
MISCOMMUNICATIONS DUE TO TONE/HUMOR
MISINTERPRETATION
define
Design Principle
Emotion should emerge from interaction rather than selection. Instead of choosing from a menu, users express feelings through duration, motion and physical engagement with the device.
Core Question
How can emotion in chat become clearer and tangible without adding visual clutter or new interface layers?
ideate
Emotion Mapping
A broad set of emotions was explored and filtered based on relevance for digital communication. The focus was on emotions that are frequently misunderstood or difficult to express in chat.
Interaction as Carrier
Early concepts tested visual overlays and typographic changes. The strongest direction emerged when emotion was embedded into existing behaviors such as sending, reacting or navigating. Gesture became the primary expressive medium.
ideate
prototype
Motion-Driven Validation
A broad set of emotions was explored and filtered based on relevance for digital communication. The focus was on emotions that are frequently misunderstood or difficult to express in chat.
Physical Interaction
Gestures such as shaking, holding or synchronized touch were filmed in real-world scenarios. The emphasis was placed on clarity of interaction and emotional readability.
prototyping in protopie
deliver
Romance
Romance is expressed through synchronized touch. When two users hold their finger on the screen simultaneously, their fingerprints merge and leave a shared trace inside the chat. Intimacy is created through coordinated action rather than symbolic imagery.
deliver
Anger
Anger is translated into kinetic disruption. By shaking the device, a message transforms into an angry bubble. The physical gesture releases tension and visually communicates emotional intensity.
Joy
Joy is expressed through intentional effort. Real-world objects are captured and transformed into collectible digital stickers that can be gifted. The emotional value lies in time and attention invested, not in instant reaction.
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is clarified through subtle transformation of the message bubble. A simple interaction alters its orientation or behavior to signal ironic intent, reducing the risk of misinterpretation.
Impact
Expressive Depth
The concept demonstrates how interaction design can extend emotional bandwidth in digital communication without expanding interface complexity.
chat bubbles
reflection
Key Learning
Emotion in digital systems becomes credible when it is embodied in behavior rather than decoration. Interaction carries meaning more effectively than additional visual elements.
Next Step
With further development, the system could be user-tested to evaluate emotional clarity and long-term usability. A scalable interaction framework could allow integration into existing messaging platforms.
product shot