JUMPTAG App (Prototype)

*Disclaimer: This is part of an active and ongoing venture, so limited details will be shared regarding overall strategy and kept within the scope of this particular prototype system.

Overview: JUMPTAG Club represents the future of personal interaction in a physical-digital (PHYGITAL) world blending technology and style seamlessly. It reimagines how people connect and share their digital presence by offering personalized, scannable QR codes integrated into fashion-forward accessories controlled through the JUMPTAG App. With one simple scan, users can instantly share social media profiles, payment links, or any digital touchpoint. Jumptag Club envisions a world where physical and digital identities merge effortlessly, empowering individuals to control and personalize their connections with flexibility and flair.

A man holding his QR jumptag necklace while shaking hands with a woman scanning his necklace with her smartphone

The prototype system is a simple triarchy involving (1) a wearable QR-engraved accessory (in this case a golden dog tag), (2) our web app or downloadable mobile app (available on Android only, iOS coming soon) and (3) another smartphone device with a functioning camera and internet access.

In bringing the notion of a "dynamic QR" code into casual usage, each QR code on the golden dog tag is embedded with a unique URL called a "jumplink" because it is a link that JUMPS to other links. Once the jumplink is registered to a user's account, that user can set a list of different links that it will JUMP / redirect to, one at a time, when entered into an internet browser or when scanned inside a QR code (as in the golden dog tag accessory). The user can change which link is active for when the QR code is scanned; the versatility is intended to allow the user to adjust the same accessory to different use cases and audiences without needing to change the accessory itself. One Jump, Many Destinations.

Powering a Fashion Show

During September 2024's New York Fashion Week, the JUMPTAG App's web app and golden dog tag prototype were featured in a tech themed fashion show, DeMODE organized by Emily Burnette held at Mercedes-Benz Manhattan. Numerous high profile and well-reputed fashion designers showcased their collections including streetwear chic Romeo Hunte and celebrity dress designer Pamela Dennis. The jumptag prototype system was used both to power interactivity within the show's format and as a fashion accessory showcased directly within the show. Within each collection, models were adorned with the golden dog tag as a necklace or bracelet, and the QR's (set through the JUMPTAG App) lead audience members who scanned it to a webpage or social media profile of the respective fashion designer.

Romeo Hunte fixing up his male model who is wearing a golden jumptag QR dog tag

Romeo Hunte styling his model with the jumptag adorned and set to his collection's webpage

The system’s versatility is reflected in how the golden dog tag seamlessly adapts to various styles for each designer and look while retaining its core identity as a dog tag, complete with its unchanged QR code.

Images of different looks with the golden dog tag and jumptag system active (Romeo Hunte and Pamela Dennis' collections)

A group selfie of Rito on the left, Emily Burnette in the middle and Pamela Dennis on the right

Rito, Emily Burnette, Pamela Dennis

Check it out for yourself!

JUMPTAG Club

Knowledge Management System

Overview:

The personalized Knowledge Management System (KMS) known as "EDUCATE" is a product-concept prototype that Rito envisioned to address common cognitive challenges in learning, retaining, and applying knowledge from various media sources. Inspired by Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) used in social sciences, the KMS aims to allows users to create a personalized repository of knowledge that can be cross-referenced and revisited, providing a deeper understanding of what they know and why they believe it. The project empowers users to manage their knowledge in a structured yet flexible way, facilitating critical thinking and reflection.

Rito's Role:

Rito initially conceived and developed the core concept for the Personalized KMS before bringing together a team of designers to further develop and refine the idea. As both the visionary and design lead, Rito guided the design project from start to finish, identifying key pain points in traditional knowledge retention and proposing innovative solutions to extend users’ cognitive abilities. Collaborating closely with his team, they iterated through multiple design phases, ensuring that each step of the process aligned with the spirit and goals of the original concept, all while adhering to the technical requirements and constraints of the project.

"The medium is the message." -Marshall McLuhan's Understanding Media: Extensions of Man

An interface needs to be intuitive for it to effectively allow the user to track knowledge and extend cognition, otherwise a user may be overwhelmed with incomprehensible amounts of data and connections to navigate.

Inspired by the frustrations inherent in traditional research and learning processes, our concept revolutionizes knowledge acquisition by transforming personalized, annotated media into socially mediating tools. Leveraging Vygotsky's sociocultural development theory, we transcend conventional dialogues by using dynamic media as catalysts for cognitive growth, embedding cultural symbols directly into our cognition. By adapting principles from Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) like Atlas TI, MAXQDA, and Transana, we integrate diverse media sources into a unified repository. This approach enables personalized annotations, tailoring content to individual knowledge bases and acting as an extension of cognition itself. Our design reimagines learning as an experiential, interactive process, fostering deeper understanding and retention through a platform that seamlessly merges with daily thought.

People have difficulty and experience confusion in reconciling separate media sources that use the same (or similar) key words with different definitions & contexts that are not explicitly clear enough of the time for the user to keep track of. The process of sorting through and reviewing material is cumbersome, especially when cross-referencing across disparate content.People don't have perfect recollection of the knowledge they acquired from sources and may either forget or distort certain facts or details.

I had been ideating this product concept for some time on my own; when our team was established I proposed the idea, introduced the problem pain-points, insights on potential solutions as well as shared the vision overall for what it could amount to in a full-fledged system at scale. I then coordinated with my fellow designers to ensure our designs and iterations lived up to the spirit of the idea with some essential technical requirements to adhere to but all within the scope of a short-term and resource-limited endeavor.