technology supports conflict resolution
By facilitating users through emotionally charged conversations—whether in-person or online—Magic Conch provides a structured, empathetic framework that fosters understanding and effective resolution. With Magic Conch, users gain the tools and support needed to address conflicts constructively.
The overall user flow of the app is based on the three emotional design theorists below. The goal is to create an experience that addresses emotional tension by employing tactics that support people, rather than replacing human connection with technology.
Onboarding features explicitly acknowledge emotional strain and provide structured prompts that help users translate internal tension into communicable language.
“The problem comes when there’s a mismatch between the stated purpose of a design and the reality of who can use it.”
Kat Holmes
Have users name their emotional states and disrupt these emotionally “sticky” cycles and create space for clarity.
Emotions stick to objects, to people, and to ideas shaping how users’ emotions enter and exist within the conflict-resolution process.
Sara Ahmed
Supply conversation guides to define how to move forward. Post-conversation toolkits offer reflective tips without dictating user behavior.
Reflective processing enables individuals to pause, evaluate, and make meaning
Don Norman
Restorative justice connects those harmed with those responsible, fostering dialogue that allows everyone affected to contribute to repairing the harm and finding a constructive path forward. This process shifts punitive responses to healing and accountability (Restorative Justice Council).
Emotional Processing
Reflection
Safety
Conflict Resolution
Magic Conch emphasizes participant consent and guides users to focus on solutions rather than assigning blame. Through reflection, interactive activities, and structured sessions, it encourages users to look inward and discover answers for themselves, fostering thoughtful and constructive engagement.
A visual tool that maps possible situations to guide better decisions.
The first iteration focused on onboarding and emotional preparation. Eva completed a scenario-mapping exercise that simulated preparing for a difficult conversation, allowing us to assess how the onboarding flow supported her emotional state.
Insights showed that while Eva:
valued structure but thought too many early choices felt overwhelming
Redesigned the onboarding experience by emphasizing gradual disclosure and emotional pacing, prioritizing grounding and emotional validation before introducing guidance and options.
A one-page view of the feelings a person moves through from start to finish.
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It imagines a quieter, more restrained approach to AI—one that supports reflection, accountability, and restorative justice rather than replacing emotional labor. Through research, prototyping, and testing, the project evolved into a critique of emotional automation, suggesting that the most ethical technologies are those that know when to step back. Magic Conch doesn’t make conflict resolution easy, but aims to make it more humane, intentional, and grounded in care.