Yaqi Liu’s Media Design Portfolio

  1. Design Challenges
  2. Radar
  3. Community Stakeholder Portfolio
  4. Mood Board
  5. User Personas
  6. Empathy
Map
  7. User Journey
Map
  8. Wireframe
  9. Low-Fidelity Prototype
  10. Final Video Effects

About & Contact

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Community Stakeholder PortfolioWed Feb 28 2024
This section provides a overview of some related organizations that are engaged in my work. 

* Click on pictures to access their official websites.




Introduction

I Weigh was initially established as an online community on Instagram with the goal of sharing perspectives and stories to inspire activism. Over time, I Weigh has expanded beyond its original Instagram community to a broader website platform that publishes original content on social issues ranging from mental health to climate change, and the representation of marginalized groups. Through this platform, I Weigh is committed to challenging stereotypes around the world; it encourages individuals to focus on social justice and to create real change in our communities and globally through personal and collective efforts. In this way, I Weigh has enhanced awareness and action on social issues worldwide and has made tangible impacts. One example highly relevant to my project is how I Weigh helped change global policies at Facebook and Instagram regarding the display of diet and detox products to minors, and is currently lobbying for the passage of two bills in the Senate.


Insights 

The work of I Weigh is highly relevant to my project. My research question aims to explore appearance anxiety and body image issues exacerbated by social media metrics and its current functions. Therefore, my prototype is designed to enhance the personalized customization and browsing experience on Instagram, namely, by hiding "likes and followers" counts, redesigning time reminders, and improving the Instagram algorithm. I Weigh mainly recognizes the connection between social media platform policies and the audience's dietary habits and aesthetic preferences. Thus, I Weigh is committed to changing social media policies, especially on Instagram and Facebook, regarding the display of diet and detox products to minors. It provides a valuable blueprint for how grassroots movements can influence corporate policies and informs my approach to advocating for the broader adoption of my prototype's features by Instagram and other platforms. So, all in all, we share not exactly the same but a highly similar goal, which is to create a healthier, more supportive online environment, whether from the perspective of platform policies or platform functionalities.



Introduction

The SeekHer Foundation's work on body image is deeply rooted in the widespread issue of appearance anxiety and body acceptance, especially among women and girls, and its connection to mental health. Their approach is multifaceted, including hosting "Our Bodies Belong" events within communities and providing financial support through fundraising activities for schools committed to creating "Our Bodies Belong" programs. This aims to foster a more inclusive and positive understanding of the body and beauty among an increasing number of people, and make it around all races and all ages.


Insights

We share a similar target audience, namely young females. This means that exploring in-depth with this organization will benefit the development of a more detailed and in-depth user persona for my target audience. At the same time, the SeekHer Foundation has successfully established a supportive online community around body image and mental health. This also inspires me that my project could, in the future, draw on this by creating or promoting similar communities through social media platforms. This would provide a space for Instagram users under "beauty pressure" to share, making the innovation of features on Instagram for alleviating "beauty pressure" more systematic. Specifically, if we draw from the SeekHer Foundation's experience in creating online communities, besides my current prototype, this space could also, in the future, collect more opinions or suggestions for feature innovations on Instagram from those Instagram users feeling "beauty pressure" and ordinary Instagram users interested in related topics.




Introduction

Just as the organization's name is straightforward, The Body Positive is a long-standing organization committed to ending the harmful consequences of negative body image. This includes eating disorders, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other mental health issues. One of their most typical and widespread solutions is called the Be Body Positive Model. If I were to describe the Body Positive Organization with two keywords, it would be "academic and educational." If you visit their website, you'll be immediately impressed by the vast amount of research data and case studies they offer. They base their methods on scientific evidence verified by Stanford, Cornell, and Pennsylvania University, ensuring that their Be Body Positive Model is not only influential but also brings long-term benefits to individuals struggling with body image issues. On this foundation, they further created a series of practical approaches with the aim of "spreading and educating." This includes Curriculum and Training for Schools, Professional Training for healthcare providers, and also Courses for independent individuals. Therefore, for now, they have achieved many amazing accomplishments. Their work has reached over 1.1 million people in 34 countries and 45 U.S. states, with 9600 educational videos distributed and 2755 healthcare providers and 213 schools trained to use the Be Body Positive curriculum.


Insights

For me, the Body Positive Organization serves not only as a source of practical experience but also more as a digital resource library, including data and academic research. It can be easily seen that the wide scope of the Body Positive Organization's involvement, the numerous countries it reaches, and the large audience it engages, can provide me with a more comprehensive perspective and deeper understanding of how people from different cultural backgrounds view body image, as well as the similarities and differences in the practice of body positivity globally. This helps me to make my prototype more inclusive and to enhance its design to meet a broader range of user needs more effectively.


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