Internet Postcard — Aaron Boorstein

Internet Postcard

Challenge

In November 2024, my sister sent me a wooden postcard from upstate New York. It depicted two characters fishing in a pond, and somehow, it's become more significant to me than a year's worth of text messages. The tangible weight of it, the physical act of receiving something crafted by hand, brought my attentino to what we've lost through digital communication.

The numbers speak for themselves: while we exchange 23 billion texts [source] and 13.5 billion calls [source] each day, 57% of U.S. adults report that technology has increased their feelings of loneliness [source]. One potential explanation for this disconnect may lie in how we communicate: research shows physical mail creates stronger emotional responses and memory retention than digital messages [source]. Yet physical mail use has declined by almost 50% since 2010 [source].

This paradox leaves us with two imperfect choices: the convenience of digital messages that often feel transactional and forgettable, or the meaningful but cumbersome process of sending physical mail.

Action

Through a series of ethnographic interviews across three generations, a shared belief was reinforced: the act of choosing and writing a postcard creates a moment of mindful connection that's increasingly rare in digital communication.

I mapped the traditional postcard journey, identifying the emotional touchpoints that make the experience meaningful: discovering the perfect image in a shop's postcard rack, taking time to compose a thoughtful message, and the anticipation of delivery. These insights drove the development of hand-drawn prototypes, testing different approaches to recreating these moments in a digital space.

Early users struggled with cluttered interfaces that mimicked physical postcard racks. This led to a pivotal design decision; rather than replicate the physical browsing experience, I would reimagine it for digital natives while preserving its emotional core. The result was a minimalist three-step flow that guides users through discovery, composition, and sharing.

The visual system emerged from extensive experimentation with typography and spacing. I chose Tomarik as the primary typeface for its ability to evoke vintage and handwritten lettering while maintaining modern legibility. Each design decision was tested against the project's core mission of accessibility – could both a 10-year-old and their grandparent navigate the interface intuitively?

A key challenge emerged around image curation. While initial prototypes used purchased vintage postcards, user testing revealed that limited variety hindered engagement. This led to me scavenging public domain archives to create themed collections (cities, national parks, universities) that could scale with user demand.

The final design system balances nostalgia with usability through careful attention to detail:
- Generous white space that encourages contemplative composition
- Clear categorization hierarchy that helps users easily find and use the postcards they need
- Responsive design ensuring consistency across devices
- Real-time message preview that lets users see their words come to life on the postcard as they type

The project culminated in the launch of a free platform making meaningful connection accessible to all while offering an eco-conscious alternative to paper. To build awareness, I created two simple, physical flyers to display in San Francisco coffee shops.

Scroll to top

internetpostcard.com