With the development of technology during the past decades, the digital creative space has become a massive community. Despite the growth in digital creators, there is still insufficient protection and awareness for copyright infringements and plagiarism that occurs in online communities.
Digital creators may find their creative works are stolen or monetized without their knowledge and the platform they utilize may not protect their work. By examining these scenarios, this thesis proposes a solution for creatives to take agency over their digital work and pave the way for future digital plagiarism prevention.
My Role
Product Designer
UX Researcher
Year
2022
Scope
5-Weeks
Individual
UI/UX Design
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
Problem
Solution
How might we deliver a reliable and accessible method of detecting stolen art to give agency to the creator?
Develop a platform that aids in identifying potential art infringements on other platforms by utilizing image recognition software and assisting with taking down plagiarized works.
Questions
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What systems currently exist to protect creator’s work from plagiarism and misuse?
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What are the procedures and main pain points for creators that come across plagiarized work?
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What methods do creators use to protect their digital work?
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What platforms are most utilized for sharing work?
Research
Based on the initial questions, I researched and compiled the information regarding digital art copyrights into a few main topics.
Visual Art Copyrights
You have a copyright in your artwork as soon as it has been created and fixed in a tangible object. Digital art is automatically copyrighted.
Proof of Ownership
Preventative Methods
If someone copies your digital art and tries to use it for commercial purposes, you will need to prove that the digital art belongs to you which can be challenging if you don’t have a copyright registration.
The most recommended methods to prevent and protect your creative work are watermarking, signing your work, uploading in lower resolution, and keeping records of your work.
Insights
After the initial research phase, user interviews were conducted with creatives regarding the subject matter.
The main points were synthesized into the chart below.
Information
Procedure
Prevention
Tech
Utility
Key Findings
1
Creators are generally unaware of visual art copyrights and preventative methods to protect their work.
2
When creators face a potential copyright infringement, they do not know how to take down the plagiarized work.
3
Creators emphasize the need for education and support with removing plagiarized work, how to prevent it, and what rights they have as a creator.
Persona
After the user interviews, I created personas based on the user needs and motivations that were observed.
Sitemap
Wireframes
For the platform interface, I created wireframes to explore the user flow and layout of the features.
Usability Testing
A prototype of the app was tested with a few users and some elements of the flagging system and filters were revised based on the feedback.
Branding
A platform for creatives to take
agency over their work.
Dashboard
The minimalistic dashboard allows users to easily upload their work and integrate with other social platforms.
Light and Dark Theme
Plagiarism Detection
In this section, the user can view and report similar works that have been flagged as potential plagiarized works.
Promotional Page
As part of the final output, I created a promotional page for users to learn about the app and its benefits.
