Interaction - Bachelor

LUMŌJI

The LUMŌJI project transforms the Memorial Orb into a digital companion and emotional portal. It uses simple, cute, and approachable emoji characters as emotional cues, which react to the sphere's touch sensors and user input. This setup positions the Orb as an intuitive interface to a larger digital world, enhancing its accessibility and engagement.

Chaehwan Lim

“WHERE DOES THE LIGHT OF YOUR EMOTION RESIDE?”

We live in the modern paradox of being “connected yet feeling disconnected.” In this environment, we crave emotional connections that truly resonate and comfort. The LUMŌJI project stems from this innate human need. Our core goal is to design a new emotional portal for the digital age, one that goes beyond mere technological devices and harmoniously converges user experience and emotional experience.

An infographic diagram explaining Lumoji's design philosophy. It shows how the name "lumoji" is formed by combining "Light" (a light bulb icon) and "Emoji" (an emoticon icon). Below, it shows the flow of design principles from "TOUCH" to "SIMPLIFIED EMOJI" to the final design principle of "INTUITION."

Core Philosophy

The name LUMŌJI is a portmanteau of “light” and “emoji,” embodying the philosophy of illuminating emotions with light. This philosophy extends to our design principles. We prioritised intuitiveness, expressing emotions through touch and extremely simplified emojis as our top priority.
Key image collage of design process

Technology Stack: Integration of Arduino and TouchDesigner

LUMŌJII’s intuitive interaction is made possible by sophisticated technology integration. The physical touch interface is connected to an Adafruit MPR121 capacitive touch sensor via an Arduino Uno, accurately detecting the user’s touch events (0/1 signals) and converting them into structured serial data. This data is then transmitted in real time to TouchDesigner, the heart of the system. Beyond simply rendering the visuals, TouchDesigner serves as the core processor of the data logic. Here, serial data received from the Arduino processes gesture logic, fuses audio input, and ultimately determines the visual form of the emoji animation and Aura effects.
User Testing & Validating the Experience

User Testing & Validating the Experience

The most crucial step in the design process was verifying whether LUMŌJI’s emotional intuition truly conveyed itself to users. We conducted repeated user tests to ensure that LUMŌJI’s core philosophy of “simplicity” did not hinder emotional connection. The results showed that users tended to easily project their emotional states through touch and emoticons, without complex menus or text input. In particular, the approachable and cute emoticons lowered users’ psychological barriers, serving as key elements in increasing the frequency of interaction with Orb and emotional attachment. This proves that LUMŌJI successfully bridges the gap between technology and human emotions, as aimed at affective computing.
Aerial shot mockup of LUMŌJI stickers randomly stacked on a black table.

Extended Experience & Branding

LUMŌJI’s design philosophy extends beyond the digital interface. This character branding extends to all offline touchpoints, including stickers and packaging, functioning as a spatial medium that conveys LUMŌJI’s consistent emotional storytelling. Users naturally recognise LUMŌJI’s characters and brand within the physical space, a key element that deepens their emotional attachment to the product.

Chaehwan Lim

As a final-year Interaction Design student, Chaehwan is dedicated to designing what is truly essential for people. Their work is a blend of strategic branding and empathetic storytelling, informed by HCI principles. Currently exploring how to translate digital identity into functional, resonant physical spaces, preparing to deliver meaningful design solutions in the professional world.