From your hand to the world: revealing the invisible costs of the technology we depend on.

From your hand to the world: revealing the invisible costs of the technology we depend on.

Overview

We explore the hidden impacts of smartphone use through The LAST Phone, an interactive experience that reveals the real-time ecological and human costs behind our devices. Using machine learning and projection, the project makes invisible systems visible—tracing how everyday phone interactions connect to global networks of mineral extraction, labor, and environmental impact. Expanding on this, the project highlights how expansive systems of exploitation underpin the mobile devices we use every day. While focusing on the extraction and impact of four critical minerals, it also points to the broader network of human and natural resources involved. Each smartphone becomes a lens into a complex, often invisible chain of mining, manufacturing, and distribution that shapes our relationship with technology.

Role

LED GRAPHIC DESIGN UX RESEARCH

Year

2024 6 WEEKS

Client

The Frank-Ratchye Studio

Tool

ADOBE SUITES FIGMA RASPBERRY PI GOOGLE COLAB STABLE DIFFUSION

COLLABORATORS

1 UX Researcher 1 Machine Learning Engineer

Solution Impact
Solution Impact
Research Overview

Its impact can be projected through engagement metrics, and insights from comparable interactive experiences.

60%

Participants
Awareness

20%

Behavioral Reflection

Scalable Data Visualization

Research Overview
Research Overview

Our research aimed to understand both the human and ecological impact of smartphones, as well as how to communicate these complex systems effectively through interactive design. We combined extensive literature review, comparative analysis, technical exploration, and user testing to identify the most impactful approach.

Datas
Datas
25+

Literature
Review

15+

Comparative Analysis

8+

User Testing
Sessions

Reflection
Reflection

This project explores AI’s role in interaction design as a tool for creativity, not replacement. Using tools like ChatGPT, Runway ML, and Teachable Machine, we rapidly ideated, prototyped, and iterated—from an image recognition model to a real-time interactive experience. It also revealed the hidden systems behind technology, challenging the idea of tech as intangible. From resource extraction in the Democratic Republic of Congo to global production and distribution, the project highlights the material and environmental impact embedded in every digital interaction.