Emotions Compiler

TLDR

Built a playful terminal style emotion compiler during a creative coding workshop that accepts emotional inputs and returns intentionally terrible advice, exploring the contrast between logic and feeling through interface design.

Context

I built the Emotions Compiler during a workshop hosted by The Tech Bros where participants were challenged to "vibe code" a tool that nobody had asked for. The exercise encouraged creative experimentation rather than traditional product thinking.

Logic and emotion often feel like opposites to me, so I leaned into that contrast by designing an emotion compiler that mimics the experience of working in a developer terminal but responds to emotional inputs with intentionally terrible advice.

Process

I started from the premise that most developer tools are designed for efficiency and practicality, and asked what a tool would look like if it did the opposite. I designed an interface that mimics the experience of a developer terminal but responds to emotional inputs with deliberately absurd and unhelpful outputs. The interaction is meant to be both funny and slightly unsettling.

Outcome

The Emotions Compiler was well received at the workshop and sparked interesting conversations about interface design and how people relate emotionally to technology. It was a reminder that creative constraints and unconventional prompts can push you toward ideas you would never arrive at through traditional product thinking.