A Special Dedication to my Mom
SYNAPSES
SHINE YOUR WAY
Inspired by an idea 💡
On my last trip to Japan, I asked my husband to take a picture of me in a Kimono. I was so sad when I found out he took a video instead. So, how do I get that photo with the highest quality possible ?
Video
Screen Shot
Photo Extracted
Let’s Zoom in a bit
Which is better?
Extracted image
Screen shot
Metrics
| Screen Shot | Video | Extracted Images | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension | 960 × 2142 | 2160 × 3840 (4k) | 2160 × 3840 |
| DPI | 72 pixels/inch | - | 72 pixels/inch |
| File Size | 3.3 MB | 118.9 MB | 2.5 MB |
The screenshot image is limited by the dimensions of the devices and its resolution.
While extracted images from Python can get the best resolution from the video with less storage
Can I make this into an app for people who want high quality candid photos?
Research Stage
Market Feasibility Study
Define Stage
Users want the ability to
1 - Extract photos from their video however they want
2 - Capture natural, candid, and even motion photos
3 - Select the photo(s) they want to download
4 - Clear up storage space automatically
& Affordability
The User Persona
-
Lila Nguyen, 29
FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR & CONTENT CREATOR
Portland, ORTech Comfort: High
Devices: iPhone 14, iPad Pro
Primary Goal: Capture inspiration from everyday moments
Frustration: Most video editing apps are too “corporate” or cluttered with templates and trends.“I just want to quietly extract beauty from a moment and keep it in a way that feels personal and timeless.”
📈 Goals:
- Use short videos to find unique image references for her art
- Curate moodboards of still frames
- Export clean, high-quality images with minimal editing🧭 Behaviors:
- Uses apps like Huji Cam and VSCO for their aesthetic appeal
- Shares inspiration via private folders, not public platforms
- Prefers offline access during outdoor sketching trips -
Jordan Silva, 42
BIOLOGY TEACHER & NATURE DOCUMENTARIAN
Santa Fe, NMTech Comfort: Moderate
Devices: Android tablet, Samsung Galaxy S21
Primary Goal: Use stills from wildlife or plant videos for lectures
Frustration: Pausing videos and manually screenshotting is slow and inaccurate.“If I could extract images from my hike videos, I’d have a visual database of learning moments.”
📈 Goals:
- Automatically extract frames from hiking or field trip footage
- Keep files offline for classroom use
- Select the best frames to print or add to student slides🧭 Behaviors:
- Takes lots of nature footage during hikes
- Avoids cloud tools due to poor rural internet.
- Doesn’t care about filters or flashy editing -
Emilio Reyes, 17
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, ASPIRING FILMMAKER
San Diego, CATech Comfort: High
Devices: iPhone SE, Chromebook
Primary Goal: Turn short skits into frame-by-frame stories
Frustration: Most apps force social sharing or subscriptions to export media.“I want to capture a vibe, not go viral. Just let me make cool stuff and download it.”
📈 Goals:
- Make short retro-style GIFs from funny moments with friends
- Use the camera app to film, edit, and store clips locally
- Avoid in-app purchases or signups🧭 Behaviors:
- Experiments with aesthetics (dark mode, VHS-style overlays)
- Deletes and re-installs apps frequently
- Highly visual, less verbal — UI needs strong iconography
Synapses empowers users to transform moments in motion into curated photo collections, GIFs, or exportable media, stored locally for privacy and creative freedom. With an intuitive layout, filmstrip-styled project cards, and customizable settings, it appeals to both casual creators and visual storytellers.
Ideate Stage
App Guideline & User Flow
Prototype
User Journey Prototype
UI components
Mock-ups
Key Takeaways
Full-Stack UX Process
I led the entire UX pipeline from competitive analysis and user interviews to wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing. In addition, I collaborated with users to co-design emotionally resonant features, showcasing my ability to translate user needs into design decisions.
Who are the persona users of this application?
Average users of photo apps are women within the age range of 18-35 who enjoy taking photos to share their daily lives on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc. Other users are photo fanatics who love capturing motions and candids and can benefit from an extrapolated photo app that can use their phone camera function.
What do you plan to do with this in the future?
The ideation and progression of this project led me to start developing the app in real life through AI usage, such as Cursor, Claude.ai, and Windsurf, with the React platform using Expo for a cross-platform mobile application. The project is currently underway with the aim to finish and deploy by end-of-year.
How did you conduct UX research?
I sourced the Reddit social media platform that depicts current photography trends and the problem that arises that would inconvenience the user. In addition, I search for similar applications that resemble the product I’m trying to build and identify the benefits and the flaws through application review.
How is Synapses different than other photo applications?
Other photo applications utilize filters or photo editing that highlight features of the photo. Synapses utilizes the mobile camera application to capture high-quality video that can be converted to images to capture motion or candid moments that users normally would have to hold and press the shutter button to accomplish. In addition, the users can pick and download their favorite photos and leave the rest behind to be automatically deleted after 30 days. This results in freeing up the memory storage of the devices while allowing users to only save the photo(s) that they feel most confident in.
Likewise, other photo extraction apps only allow the upload of video to be extrapolated and downloaded in bulk, which, while minimal, does result in users with a load of storage memory usage that has to be manually deleted. Thus, Synapses tailors the user experience to bypass these hindrances and automatically capture the moment while processing and deleting photos in the background.
