JG
Spot the Bot
Turning Uncertainty into Insight, One Image at a Time
When Seeing Isn't Believing
AI-generated images are becoming harder to distinguish from real photography, blending seamlessly into the content we scroll past every day. Spot the Bot is a mobile app designed for this new reality. It helps users sharpen their ability to identify AI-generated images through interactive challenges, educational resources, and gamified progression. Whether someone is curious about how generative AI works, concerned about misinformation, or simply wants to test their instincts, the app offers an engaging way to build visual literacy in an increasingly synthetic digital world.
The Mission
Spot the Bot sets out to put users in the driver’s seat of learning how to spot AI-generated images. Through interactive challenges, users will swipe or tap to decide if an image is real or AI-made, receiving instant feedback and explanations that reveal the subtle visual clues behind each decision. Alongside these hands-on exercises, curated videos and articles provide extra context and skill-building, making the experience feel both playful and purposeful. The goal is to guide users through a journey of discovery, where learning is woven directly into the interactions and every swipe brings them closer to mastering the art of spotting the bot.
Following the Clues
Competitor Analysis: I reviewed existing AI detection tools to understand what worked and where they fell short. Many platforms focused heavily on technical detection without educating or engaging users. Interactivity was limited, feedback on incorrect guesses was minimal, and gamification was often absent, leading to low retention. These insights guided the decision to prioritize a user-centered, educational, and rewarding experience in Spot the Bot.
User Interviews: I conducted interviews to explore how people approached identifying AI-generated images. Participants frequently expressed uncertainty when making guesses and wanted immediate feedback and actionable tips. Many described existing tools as too technical or uninspiring. These findings shaped core app features, including an intuitive guessing interface, an educational feedback system, and gamification elements to motivate continued engagement.
Accessibility: Research on accessibility focused on ensuring the app could serve users with diverse abilities. I identified common barriers in similar digital products and combined insights from interviews, usability testing, and accessibility guidelines. This informed design decisions that improve usability and make Spot the Bot welcoming, inclusive, and functional for all users.
Plotting the Detection
The design process began with hand-drawn sketches which served as the blueprint for Spot the Bot’s key screens. These early visuals focused on the app’s most important, high-traffic pages, providing a clear foundation for the next stages of design. Insights from competitor analysis and user interviews directly influenced these sketches, ensuring that they addressed real user needs and pain points. Throughout the project, the sketches remained a constant reference point helping keep the final design aligned with both user expectations and the overall goals of the app.
Image Test
Videos
Articles
Leaderboard
Building the Bot Blueprint
Using Figma, I transformed the hand-drawn sketches into low-fidelity wireframes to start visualizing Spot the Bot’s structure and user flow. These wireframes emphasized layout, navigation, and core functionality without detailed visual design, allowing for quick iteration and adjustments based on early feedback. They became the foundation for two rounds of user testing, providing insights on usability and the overall experience. Feedback from these sessions guided refinements that were carried forward into high-fidelity mockups where polished visual design and interactive elements brought the app to life.
Bringing the Bots to Life
The low-fidelity wireframes were refined into high-fidelity mockups in Figma introducing detailed visual elements like color, typography, and polished layouts to create a realistic and engaging user experience. User testing during this phase revealed opportunities for improvement, such as simplifying the leaderboard layout to make progress and achievements clearer. Feedback from these sessions informed updates that enhanced both usability and visual appeal. After finalizing the high-fidelity designs, two additional rounds of usability testing ensured the app was intuitive, engaging, and ready for users to confidently apply their skills in spotting AI-generated images.
Trial by Interaction
After completing the high-fidelity mockups I conducted additional usability testing to evaluate how effectively users could interact with Spot the Bot and apply their AI-spotting skills. The first round, conducted over two days with two participants, combined observation and follow-up questions to uncover pain points and opportunities for improvement. Insights from this session informed targeted refinements, which were then tested in a second round with two additional users to confirm that issues had been addressed and that the app experience was intuitive and user-friendly.
Issue: Pop-up and Page Boundary Confusion
Findings: During testing, users struggled to distinguish pop-ups from the main page. Both participants in the first round attempted to interact with background elements, mistaking them for part of the pop-up. This ambiguity disrupted the flow and caused frustration, highlighting the need for clearer visual separation between interface layers.
Solution: To resolve this, the pop-up design was updated in two ways: increasing the border thickness and applying a background blur to de-emphasize underlying content. When tested in the second round, users could easily identify the pop-up boundaries, restoring a smooth, intuitive interaction and eliminating confusion.
The boundary of the pop-up was unclear, making it difficult to distinguish where it ended
Participants believed that this button was a part of the pop-up
The pop-up's border thickness was increased to clearly define its boundaries and improve the visual separation from the background
A background blur was applied to distinguish on-screen elements and clearly indicate which content was not a part of the pop-up
Lessons from the Hunt
Working on Spot the Bot offered hands-on experience with the full UX design process, from research to high-fidelity prototypes. Iterative testing reinforced the importance of understanding real user needs and uncovering pain points early. Creating wireframes and interactive prototypes helped translate concepts into tangible designs, allowing for informed adjustments based on feedback at every stage.
The project also strengthened my ability to communicate design decisions clearly and integrate user insights thoughtfully into each iteration. Beyond refining my design skills, Spot the Bot highlighted how intentional, user-centered choices can transform an app from functional to genuinely engaging, ensuring that users can confidently apply the skills they’ve learned.
The Next Challenge
Design is never truly finished, especially in a world where AI and user expectations evolve rapidly. Once Spot the Bot launches ongoing feedback will be key to shaping future improvements and keeping the experience engaging.
Potential enhancements include allowing users to select topics of interest, such as photography or digital art to personalize the learning experience and encourage deeper exploration of educational content. Participants in user interviews also suggested adding short tips or “Did You Know?” facts after each decision to reinforce learning. While these features weren’t included in the initial release due to time constraints, they represent exciting opportunities to support continued skill development, engagement, and retention as the app grows.