Designing for death of free will
Context
The concept of death is often associated with something very tangible, such as the death of a loved one or the extinction of a species. However, when the topic 'Designing for Death' was introduced during the course ‘Critical Design’, I decided to challenge this notion. What if we explored the death of something intangible? One such abstract concept that has always made me curious is the concept of free will.
In today's world, our choices are increasingly shaped by invisible systems. From personalized ads that nudge us into impulse purchases, to governments experimenting with social credit systems, algorithmic influence is no longer science fiction. It is the backdrop of our daily lives. What if the future we’re heading toward slowly erodes our capacity for autonomous decision-making? This led to imagining a world where algorithmic governance becomes so normalized that personal agency becomes obsolete.
My role
I led the end-to-end design for the product including research, world building, artifact design and interactive prototypes.
Impact
Raises ethical concerns about surveillance, autonomy, and algorithmic control.
Repositions design as a tool for provoking thought, not just solving problems.
Team
1 Product designer (Myself)
1 Sound designer
Timeline
2025
A corporate demo video of ExoWill
Trend analysis
I conducted a trend analysis of emerging strong and weak signals in the present day to imagine their potential implications in the future. One of the current strong signals is the increasing reliance on algorithms and data to determine shopping decisions. Personalized advertising influences consumers to make unplanned and impulsive purchases online (Dodoo & Wu, 2019). On the other hand, consumers are worried about privacy but often willingly trade their data for better personalized recommendations (Rhodes & Zhou, 2024).
China announced a social credit system (Creemers, 2023; Reuters, 2018) that could even include travel bans for citizens with low scores for up to a year. This system is an example of the state's usage of algorithms for governance.
These scenarios indicate a rise in digital surveillance as an acceptable norm in exchange for personalized experiences.
A historical parallel of these trends is the early 2000s, during the emergence of the internet, when people were hesitant to share personal information online. Today, people are more willing to share their data, feel connected on social media, and get better recommendations.
Future scenario
Based on these trends, we speculated a plausible future scenario in 2050 when everyone is under total surveillance—the lines between privacy, security, and personal autonomy blur in this world. Everyone is under complete surveillance, which helps them make data-driven decisions in every aspect of their lives. This surveillance helps to keep the individuals safe and avoid risks by choosing algorithm-driven decisions. This kind of surveillance causes an observer effect on the individuals. The observer effect refers to the phenomenon where observing or measuring a system alters its behavior or state. Every individual is assigned a government-monitored score based on their behavior. This score determines their access to a better quality of life and various benefits. Consequently, individuals will behave favorably based on algorithmic decisions to get a better score. Hence, in this world, free will is dead.
Marketing poster
The artifact - ExoWill
In this world, we introduced ExoWill: a wearable device that calculates users’ social scores in real time. It nudges them toward optimal decisions—avoiding risk, maximizing rewards, and aligning with government-defined values.
The name reflects the core idea:
Exo (external) + Will = Decisions are no longer your own.
The device uses gamification and a friendly, sleek design to encourage compliance. It displays scores, badges, and warnings in a visually engaging way, masking the dystopia under a polished product experience.
Letter from the government sent to every citizen along with the device
Key challenges
Designing for an abstract concept such as death
Visualizing the loss of free will required grounding the concept in everyday behaviors.Plausibility vs provocation
Balancing a believable future while still provoking reflection was key to keeping the project effective.Tone and delivery
Rather than instructing users on what to think, we designed the experience to invite interpretation and internal questioning.
Product decisions
Aesthetic direction
The device adopts a non-dystopian, aspirational look to create discomfort through familiarity, not alienation.
Gamification
ExoWill uses rewards and penalties to nudge users toward ideal behaviors.
Narrative framing
The project is presented as a corporate product demo to mirror how such systems could be normalized in real life.
Photograph of the artifact on display at The Cell Museum during the Designing for Death exhibition.
Reflection
ExoWill reframes design not as a solution, but as a provocation. It raises urgent questions:
Who defines ethical behavior in a surveillance-driven society?
Can optimization and personal freedom coexist?
Is it ever possible to opt out of algorithmic control?
This project expanded my perspective on design’s role - not just in shaping products, but in shaping critical thought. It emphasized design’s ability to engage with cultural, ethical, and technological contexts and to spark dialogue around futures we may be sleepwalking into.
References
Creemers, R. (2023, October 5). Is China’s social credit system as we know it dead? The China Story. https://www.thechinastory.org/is-chinas-social-credit-system-as-we-know-it-dead/
Dodoo, N. A., & Wu, L. (2019). Exploring the anteceding impact of personalised social media advertising on online impulse buying tendency. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 13(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJIMA.2019.10019167
Reuters. (2018, March 16). China to bar people with bad social credit from planes, trains. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/china-to-bar-people-with-bad-social-credit-from-planes-trains-idUSKCN1GS10Q/
Rhodes, A., & Zhou, J. (2024). Personalization and privacy choice. Toulouse School of Economics. https://www.tse-fr.eu/sites/default/files/TSE/documents/doc/wp/2024/wp_tse_1525.pdf