Design & Research | Master Thesis Log 09
In my last post, I told you I was going to spend some time experimenting with my smartphone camera—really pushing the AI settings to see what they could do. I wanted to see if I could find a way to love the automation.
Well, I tried. And I found something interesting: I hated it.
The Experiment I went out with just my phone. No heavy gear, no lenses, just the device in my pocket. I took pictures of architecture, people, and shadows.
Technically? The photos were incredible. The AI balanced the highlights perfectly. The “Night Mode” saw things my eyes couldn’t even see. The colors were vibrant and sharp. I didn’t have to think about shutter speed or ISO. I just tapped the screen.
It was effortless. It was perfect.
And that is exactly the problem.
The Missing Ingredient I realized that when the camera does everything, the satisfaction disappears.
When I use my manual camera, I am constantly solving problems. Is the light too harsh? Do I need to lower the shutter speed? Is the focus right? When I finally get the shot, I feel a rush of dopamine because I solved the puzzle.
With the AI phone camera, there was no puzzle. It was just… consumption. I wasn’t making an image; I was just collecting one.
The “Happy Accident” I also realized that automation kills the “happy accident.”
Some of my best photos happened because I made a mistake. Maybe the shutter was too slow and created a beautiful blur. Maybe the exposure was dark and created a moody silhouette.
My phone refused to let me make those mistakes. It “fixed” everything instantly. It sanitized the creativity right out of the process.
The Realization This experiment taught me more than any interview could. It taught me that friction is necessary for art.
We don’t play video games that are impossible to lose. We don’t watch movies where everything goes perfectly for the hero. We need the struggle.
So, as I move toward my final design concept, I know one thing for sure: My solution cannot just be “easier.” It has to be “harder” in the right way. We need to bring the struggle back.
