Playful Interfaces — Message Pocket

Overview

Message Pocket explores read receipts in Instagram DMs through a physical pulling interaction. A message card is gradually revealed as it is pulled from a pocket. Passing a contact point changes the computer display from “Unseen” to “Seen”; pushing it back restores “Unseen.” The prototype uses a simulated messaging display rather than a real Instagram connection.

01- Choose & Analyze a Digital Experience
I chose Instagram DMs because I have a complicated relationship with read receipts. Users tap to open conversations, read and scroll, type replies, and return to check whether their messages have been seen.

We Need to Talk
Dear Instagram read receipts,
I like knowing whether someone has read my message. It gives me some certainty while I wait.
But when I receive a message, I sometimes want to read without replying yet—or without announcing that I have read it. Once you say “Seen,” I worry that my silence looks rude.
The awkward part is that I still want to see other people’s read status while keeping mine private. I understand my own reasons for not replying, but I can only guess theirs.
For me, reading is only the beginning. Replying is what makes a message feel handled. I wish you left more room between looking and responding.
It’s complicated.
Nicole

Three tensions

Private attention & public acknowledgment: I want to read without automatically making my attention visible.
Reading & readiness to respond: Opening a message does not mean I am ready to answer.
Privacy & certainty: I want privacy for myself while still knowing whether others have read my messages.

Read receipts

As a sender, I like knowing that someone has read my message. As a recipient, I may want to read before deciding how to reply, but once “Seen” appears, I worry that not replying will seem rude.

Visibility controls

Turning off read receipts means neither person can see the other’s read status.
I want privacy when reading, but I still want to know whether my own messages
have been seen.

02 - Identify an Opportunity
I wanted to rethink the moment when reading becomes visible to someone else.
My first ideas were tapping and swiping, since these are the gestures I associate with screens. I then asked what I wanted the interaction to express: a sense of revealing something.
A pulling action allows the user to reveal the message gradually, pause, or push it back. This gives their willingness to engage a physical form.

03 - Three Interaction Concepts

Hide & Pull to Reveal
Hide the message card, represents reading a message is an intentional action. Pulling the card reveals the message.

Hold to Read

Take out and hold the message card to read. You can decide wether putting it back or not.

Reveal Together
Two people pull opposite ends of a folded object. Their cooperation reveals the digital message and triggers acknowledgment.

04 - Prototype & Test

I initially considered a small USB slider, but its short movement did not match the longer pulling action I wanted.

I then built a contact mechanism using two coins, a paper card, folded cardboard, and a paperclip. The card separates the coins. When it is pulled past the contact point, the coins touch and the Arduino detects the change.
I first tested the wire connection, then the coins, and finally the sliding card. The initial feedback was the Arduino’s built-in light. I later connected it to a browser display with large “Seen” and “Unseen” text, making the response easier to notice.

The demonstration confirms that pulling and reinserting the card changes the screen. Participant testing remains a next step: I
want to observe whether someone notices the change before finishing the message,
and whether they continue pulling or push it back.

05 - Reflection
What became possible?
Reading became a gradual action that can be paused or reversed. The boundary between private viewing and visible acknowledgment became something the user encounters through movement.

How did physical qualities shape the interaction?
The pocket hides content, friction affects the pulling movement, and contact pressure affects reliability. The card layout and contact position determine how much of the message is visible when “Seen” appears.

What surprised me?
During my own trials, “Seen” could appear while the lower message was still partly hidden. This made the mismatch between accessing content and acknowledging it noticeable. I still need participant testing to understand how others interpret it.

What would I change?
I would improve mechanical stability and compare earlier and later trigger positions. I would also test a version where “Seen” remains after the card is pushed back, to explore the difference between reversible and irreversible acknowledgment.