Dani La O’
Janna Marie La O’, known as Dani, is a Filipino-Chinese graphic and brand designer from Manila, Philippines, currently based in San Francisco. Growing up in the Philippines, she was immersed in a culture shaped by strong community ties, emotional expressiveness, and an early, rapid integration of digital technology into everyday life. These experiences inform her design practice, which explores the intersection of digital culture, identity, and user experience. Dani is particularly interested in how design can influence emotional and psychological responses, using visual and interactive media as a way to both connect with and challenge audiences. She began her creative journey designing publication materials for school organizations, which sparked her passion for storytelling through design. Since then, she has expanded her practice across branding, digital design, and interactive media, working with tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and Webflow. Dani aims to create work that resonates on a human level, evoking emotion, discomfort, or reflection while encouraging viewers to reconsider their relationship with the digital systems that shape their daily lives.
Digital Anxiety Simulation
This thesis project, Digital Anxiety Simulation, is an interactive web-based experience that explores the psychological effects of constant digital engagement. Drawing from familiar elements such as notifications, infinite scrolling, pop-ups, and algorithm-driven content, the project recreates a heightened version of everyday online environments. By exaggerating these interactions, the website immerses users in a space that reflects the overstimulation, urgency, and lack of control often experienced in digital spaces.
Through this simulation, the project aims to make digital anxiety both visible and felt. Rather than simply representing these experiences, the work seeks to evoke emotional responses such as stress, discomfort, or unease, mirroring the impact of prolonged exposure to digital systems. By engaging users in an immersive and reactive environment, the project encourages reflection on their relationship with technology. Ultimately, it positions design as both an expressive and critical medium, capable of fostering connection while questioning the structures that shape user behavior.