Design & Technology · interface project
PicThread
An iOS app for conversations made through shared image threads.
Explore the Work
Make an image together
PicThread’s recovered mockup presents a collaborative collage interface. The annotated design board follows a participant from starting a thread and inviting members through taking a photo, scaling and rotating it, and posting the result. Other screens explore profiles, groups, chat and discovery.
The central idea is shared authorship: one person starts an image thread and others extend it with their own contributions. The interface makes choosing, transforming and posting an image part of a conversation. Steven’s project materials document the design and a working interface demonstration.
The interface in use
A short archival film shows a white phone moving through the PicThread interface. The phone imagery is also shown on a TV display in the recording. Play the demonstration with the controls below.
Open the original video file if playback is unavailable in this browser.
Design board
The full layout board preserves 29 annotated screens and states, including image editing, social features and exploring other threads. Select the board to inspect the original high-resolution file.
Open the full-resolution PicThread design boardThe tutorial
A visual walkthrough of starting a thread, inviting friends and combining images. Scroll the strip to follow the sequence.
Open the complete tutorial
Design, development and iteration
Developed through Bit Lab, Pic Thread let people start and contribute to shared sequences of pictures. Steven’s March 2016 portfolio documents his design and development work, followed by maintenance and iteration in response to users. His project account names Ryan as a collaborator.
The annotated screens show account creation, profiles, thread discovery, invitations and image editing. Behind the interface, the recovered software preserves thread membership, posts, stars, friends and join requests. The design board, tutorial and filmed demonstration show the project across interface design, software and collaborative image-making.