Designed Self-Service Photography Kiosk
ROLE
Product Designer
UX Researcher
TIMELINE
May - June 2026
TEAM
2 UX Designers
SKILLS
0 → 1 Product Design
Laser Cutting
Making professional graduation photography more accessible for every student.
A service design concept that combines a campus kiosk with digital booking to connect graduating seniors with trusted student photographers.
OVERVIEW
Design Question
How might we help graduating students find trusted, affordable photographers while creating opportunities for student photographers to build their portfolios?
The Challenge
Graduation portraits are an important milestone, but many students struggle to find photographers they trust or justify the cost alongside other graduation expenses. At the same time, student photographers often rely on social media to market themselves, making them difficult to discover.
Design Goals
Remove financial barriers
Simplify photographer discovery
Support student creatives
Create a seamless booking experience
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
Field Observations
We observed graduating students taking photos at popular campus landmarks including Geisel Library, Snake Path, and Fallen Star. Most relied on friends or family members, while professional photographers were difficult to distinguish or discover.
Survey Findings
78%
Relied on friends instead of hiring a photographer.
“I would pay $40-70, It’s the highest amount of money I would ever pay for a photography service, anything above that and I would not get professional pictures done”
“I already spent a lot on graduation things, and professional photos are less important to me because I can take photos for free”
14.3%
Hired a professional photographer.
$40-70
Average amount students were willing to pay
“My friend didn’t charge us because he is nice.”
Market Research
Existing Solution
Media Teaching Lab
Social Media
Photo Booths
Grad Fairs
Limitation
Limited awareness outside photography courses
Difficult to discover and compare photographers
Doesn't connect students with photographers
Temporary event with limited availability
Insights
Cost outweighs demand
Students value graduation photos but often cannot justify professional pricing alongside other graduation expenses.
Trust drives decisions
Students preferred photographers they already knew or who came recommended.
Discovery is fragmented
Students lacked a centralized place to compare photographers, portfolios, and pricing.
Meet Mark
Goals:
Find an affordable photographer
Capture memorable graduation photos
Book someone quickly
Pain Points:
Not great at searching on social media
Doesn’t have much money to pay a photographer
Doesn’t have any friends that can take nice photos
Name: Mark
Age: 22 years old
Major: Gen Bio at UCSD
Motivation:
Wants high-quality memories
Wants photos family will cherish
Design Opportunities
Make photographers easier to discover.
Reduce financial barriers.
Build trust through portfolios.
Create a permanent campus resource.
PROCESS
Story Boards
User Flow
Paper Wireframes
Lo-fi
Hi-fi
Physical Prototype
Lo-fi physical
Hi-fi physical
My Process
My role focused on conducting research, designing the kiosk interface, and iterating on both the digital and physical experiences alongside my teammates.
FINAL SOLUTION
Digital Experience
Students can browse photographers, compare portfolios, check availability, and book sessions through an intuitive kiosk interface.
Physical Kiosk
Touchscreen browsing
QR code to portfolio
Campus photographer directory
Accessible kiosk interface
Interactive Prototype
Key Design Decisions
Affordable by Design
Partnering with UCSD could subsidize photography sessions, making professional portraits accessible regardless of income.
Building Trust
Photographer portfolios, reviews, and profiles help students feel confident before booking.
Campus Presence
Unlike social media or Grad Fair, the kiosk provides a permanent place students can return to.
Supporting Student Creatives
The service benefits both graduating seniors and freelance photographers by creating paid opportunities on campus.
OUTCOME & REFLECTION
Outcome
Completed a full end-to-end service design concept
Built interactive digital and physical prototypes
Presented the concept to instructors and classmates
Applied UX research to inform every design decision
Reflection
This project introduced me to service design by expanding my thinking beyond individual screens. Designing the experience required considering every touchpoint—from discovering photographers to building trust and completing a booking.
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