Designing With Depth

Designing with Depth: The Ocean as a Primal Guide

I love the ocean. It inspires me in profound ways. Metaphorically, I know that it informs the larger body of my design work, but in this thesis, it is guiding me as I strive to build a learning system based on perspective and ability to focus.

About Depth

This thesis speaks directly to graphic designers and educators building tools for learning. It makes three core arguments:

Both cognitive science and deep-ocean systems show that clarity emerges when information is reduced, paced, and revealed gradually.
The way the deep-sea operates can offer structural models for regulating attention.
The design of the system should function like deep-sea pressure: shaping what is accessible, what is withheld, and how information becomes reachable over time.

This work is especially relevant now, as learners face chronic distraction and constant interruption. The deep sea teaches you that fear shrinks when you learn where to look, and the ocean offers a model for managing complexity.

I translate deep-ocean logic into an actionable design methodology for learning environments. My approach draws on perception, attention research, and environmental patterning.

The most immediate outcome might be a learning methodology that can help students reach clarity on their own terms, but the larger hope is to translate this project into a fully developed educational platform.

Home Page + Reading Module

Most learning platforms optimize for speed and volume: presenting more content, faster. This project explores an alternative:
What if an interface could regulate attention instead?

DEPTH is a visibility-responsive learning system that adapts how information is revealed, helping users focus, interpret, and retain content more effectively.

Designed for dense passages, the reading experience prioritizes structure over speed.

Content is staged instead of fully revealed
Prompts guide users toward main ideas and key signals
Interaction encourages intentional reading rather than scanning

Vocabulary Module

Vocabulary is learned through context, not memorization.

Definitions are delayed
Words are introduced through usage first
Meaning is constructed before being confirmed

This encourages deeper processing and retention.

Attention States

The interface operates in two modes: Focused and Overstimulated.

When overstimulation is detected, the system:

Reduces contrast and color intensity
Fades non-essential UI elements
Slows motion and interaction pacing
Compresses content to essentials

This creates a controlled environment where users can re-engage with core information.

Motivation

Progress is represented through environmental feedback rather than traditional rewards.

Advancement is mapped to depth levels
Progress accumulates visually over time
Milestones are discovered, not announced

This creates a continuous sense of progression without interrupting focus.

How Design Intelligence Directed AI
Tooling Throughout The Process

4 of 5 stages were defined and executed by the designer, establishing the conceptual, structural, and interaction logic of the system.

AI was introduced only at the implementation stage, where it functioned as a production tool—supporting code generation, prototyping, and technical execution within a framework that had already been clearly defined.

This ensured that all decisions related to behavior, pacing, and user experience remained designer-led, with AI operating as an extension of execution rather than a driver of direction.

Design Judgment in Practice

AI produced the initial implementation. The designer directed every refinement.

Iterative Design Dialog

Each design decision was articulated by the designer and translated by the AI tool. These examples represent a fraction of the directives issued throughout development. Every interaction, animation timing, color value, and layout decision was evaluated and refined by the designer.

A series of large-scale prints capturing the ethereal movement and vibrant energy of the Prism Collection.

Inital Process + Research

The project began with studying how communication functions in constrained environments. These observations were translated into interaction principles:

Limit visibility to reduce overload
Stage information to guide focus
Use signals sparingly and intentionally