PAUSE
A counter-recommendation system that makes algorithmic influence visible.
Concept, interaction design,
interface & visual identity
Interface prototype
Speculative design
2026
Concept prototype
Context
When the feed chooses for us.
PAUSE is a counter-recommendation app designed to make recommendation algorithms more visible rather than more effective. Instead of optimizing engagement, it asks people to reflect on how algorithms influence their attention, preferences, and online behavior.
It visualizes recommendation patterns and introduces unexpected content outside someone’s existing interests. The goal is not to tell people to stop using social media, but to help them recognize how recommendation systems shape what they see and choose.
The intervention
See the profile behind the feed.
Instead of promising a more efficient feed, PAUSE introduces friction. A session tracker shows the passage of time. Counter-recommendations introduce unfamiliar content. A speculative profile-dissolving mode makes the idea of being categorized visible.
The interface treats recommendation patterns as something a person can inspect and question. The profile-dissolving screen visualizes an imagined way to become less predictable to a platform.
Design decisions
Show time.
A session timer shows elapsed time alongside a chosen limit.
Break the pattern.
Counter-recommendations introduce unfamiliar content. The prototype offers a choice to accept or ignore them.
Expose the profile.
A changing percentage represents the imagined dissolution of an algorithmic profile.
Reflection & next questions
What remains to be tested.
PAUSE demonstrates the interface and its proposed interventions. It does not connect to a live recommendation engine or erase an actual platform profile.
A next step is to test whether people understand the profile view and find the interruptions useful. The prototype does not yet show whether these features change browsing behavior.