2023 Lovie Gold Award Winner

Iran Prison Project

Translated first-hand testimonies from Iranian political prisoners into an award-winning immersive experience.

Role: UX Research & Product Design

Timeline: 3 Months

Team: Cross-functional globally distributed team

2023 Webby Award Honoree

2024 Creative Review Awards Honorable Mention

Overview

My role was to make hidden human suffering legible through design. I immersed myself in dozens of first-hand testimonies from Iranian political prisoners. I read accounts of torture, isolation, and psychological abuse. I extracted sensory details survivors described: the dimensions of cells, the quality of light, the sounds or lack thereof and any other details that would inform the look and feel of the project.

Problem

Human rights violations are well-documented and largely ignored. Reports get written, articles get published, and the people most affected remain invisible to the audiences with the power to act. The challenge wasn't more information it was making existing information impossible to look away from.

Research & Insights

  • Even firsthand accounts of profound suffering failed to reach broader audiences when buried in dense reports with formats obscuring the story.

  • Emotional overload reduces comprehension

  • Structured storytelling improves understanding and retention

  • Users engage more with interactive content

Process

Design Strategy

  • Break large first person narratives into digestible moments

  • Use interaction to guide attention and pacing

  • Translate research into spatial, immersive storytelling

  • Balance emotional weight with clarity and usability

  • Leverage AI to craft a unique experience

  • Engage a project sponsor that will support and appreciate the efforts and impact of the project.

I crafted over a dozen empathy maps, tracking what survivors saw, heard, felt, and feared. Recurring descriptions like: narrow corridors, blinding light, enforced silence, and isolation directly informed the 3D environment design.

The visual language of the experience wasn’t invented; it was documented.

I gave input and updates during global standups to inform the other teams on research progress, content sensitivity, and design feedback.

I also researched and narrowed a list of potential sponsors and advocated for the Iran Diaspora Collective as an ideal choice to sponsor the project.

Solution

The solution was an interactive, immersive web experience that allows users to explore a digital prison environment. Stories and testimonies are embedded within the space, allowing users to engage with content at their own pace while maintaining emotional impact.

Impact

  • Widespread Impact: Over 158 million PR impressions overnight upon launch.

  • Testimony Collection: Thousands of testimonies collected in the first week, with ongoing efforts to add more.

  • Hope and Justice: The Iran Diaspora Collective described the platform as a meaningful act of witness for survivors.

Reflection

The final challenge of this project was the quiet afterwards. I truly felt the urgency to do more and more while working on this project. The more I researched, the more I had a growing sense that this was possibly the most important work I’ve ever been involved in, and I still feel that way today.

That urgency and commitment to the project was felt by everyone involved. That shared commitment was recognized across three international competitions including the Lovie Awards, Webby Awards, and Creative Review. However, more than the recognition, it changed the way I think about research. I no longer view it as a process, but as an act of witnessing.