This article was published on February 14, 2015

The genius of Timehop’s Valentine’s Day warning screen


The genius of Timehop’s Valentine’s Day warning screen

Over the years, services like Facebook have come under fire for the news feed’s algorithm and its cold brutality to human feelings.

You know exactly what I mean; after something distressing happens (maybe you broke up with a partner or someone passed away), Facebook seems to endlessly show you the exact person you don’t want to see.

Screen Shot 2015-02-15 at 7.10.20 amTimehop has found a simple solution for this Valentine’s day: a special page that warns of the perils of reminiscing on a day like today.

Not only does this graphic quickly remind you that you could be in for some “exes and feels,” it gives you the opportunity to walk away from Valentine’s memories completely if you’re not quite prepared this year.

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Instead of simply assuming that the harsh realities of the algorithm would be OK, Timehop gives you the power to not run into something that could be distressing to you personally, ultimately making you like the service that little bit more.

This simple page also mentally prepares you for what’s next. It’s been a few years since my last breakup, so I hit the OK button and knew exactly what I’d see in my Timehop; pictures of me and my ex. That was OK, because I knew it was coming.

Timehop has your back this year to avoid hurting your feels on Singles Awareness Day. This type of thoughtful design can speak much louder to users than writing out a long warning about how algorithms might bring up bad memories.

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