tAIrot

Concept

Virtual tarot card readings have been available in many various formats for some time now; such as online consultations, hard-coded card readings, and YouTube vlogs. The concept of a tarot card reading experienced powered by AI was first discussed as a possible collaboration that I ultimately decided to work on during my own time as a side project.

A simple board was put together to gather my thoughts and ideas for a pitch.

Design Process

The virtual experience is designed with a “mobile priority” in mind, as traditional tarot card readings are regarded as intimate and deeply personal methods of introspection, which fits better in the palm of the users, away from prying eyes on a larger screen.

ASCII artwork featured on the tarot cards were done by Asya Davydova Lewis, and used with express permission from the artist.

An "under the hood" feature that was suggested by Asya records the exact millisecond timestamp that the user "pulls" a card and uses that to seed a randomiser that assigns which card from the deck is being revealed. Although not made apparent to the user as a conscious decision, this was done in hopes of creating a stronger connection and meaning in each card that is being revealed to the users.

Alternating between Light & Dark mode is automatically applied based on the user's browser/system settings.

A Gallery feature was added as part of an update, which allows users to submit their readings anonymously to a public database. In turn, users can also browse the gallery to peek at questions that have been asked by others. This was subsequently expanded upon with a fuzzy Search and Sorting feature, as the number of entries have increased with usage.

Final Outcome

The project was presented at the Conscious Festival in collaboration with the Deloitte Center for the Edge. Based on current usage, there have been more than 10,000 readings completed for users all around the world in various languages.

This web application is live and can be found here.