Fall 2023
Role: UX/UI Designer
Skills: User Research, UX, Visual Design, Prototyping, User Testing, Programming (HTML/CSS, Javascript)
Problem
Online advertising is pervasive, opaque, and rooted in a surveillance-based model that lacks transparency, agency, and user consent. While ad blockers exist, they primarily focus on content removal and don’t address deeper user frustrations around ad context and targeting.
Solution
Admix is a browser extension and web platform that reimagines ad blocking through user-driven curation. Inspired by the mental model of music playlists, it allows users to collect, organize, and share advertisers via “mixes” — themed blocklists or allowlists — enabling more transparent, contextual, and collaborative interactions with ads.
Research & Insights
Research
The current online targeting advertising user experience lacks agency, transparency, and consent.
User Research
We interviewed internet users about their experience with ads and ad blockers:
1. Agency People want more nuanced agentic interactions with ads.
2. Curation It's confusing for ads to lack context.
3. Community Individualized targeting ignores collective knowledge.
Wireframes & Prototypes
Final Design
