Aug 14, 2023
Redesigning Anonymous Mode, for Humans
Conversations are, in many ways, the backbone of humanity. They shape our opinions, our personalities, and even the way we perceive the world around us. Whether it's a hearty laugh over a shared memory with an old friend or a serious discourse with a colleague, our conversations define us. But in this age of digital enlightenment, the lines between open communication and privacy have often been blurred.
We live in a time where the importance of speaking one’s mind is constantly being championed. People are urged to voice their opinions, to participate in global discussions, to be a part of the grand narrative. Yet, for many, the threat to their identity or the fear of backlash holds them back. Privacy and anonymity become their shields, allowing them to engage while maintaining a distance.
As we venture deeper into this, a pressing question emerges: How can we protect user identities while preserving the essence of their unique personalities? At Struct, we are excited to share our groundbreaking take on this age-old question, with anonymous mode.
Welcome, Algorand: Community with 37K Members
Struct Chat prioritizes open dialogue, making conversations accessible to the public. This approach not only enhances transparency but also enriches the knowledge reservoir of online communities. Esteemed communities like Apache Druid, Typesense, and Tooljet already trust and utilize Struct to capture knowledge from their conversations.
Couple of weeks ago, Algorand joined the list of Struct users. Collaborating with our newest and biggest user presented a distinctive challenge: shield the identities of its 37,000 members when presenting their Struct site to the world. We had worked on an anonymous mode briefly in the past, and this requirement allowed us to push full steam ahead in its implementation.
The biggest question was, "How do we build anonymous mode, but for humans?"
Anonymous Mode for Humans
Granted, the concept of an anonymous mode isn't novel. Various platforms have such a mode. For instance, Blind opts to showcase just the initial of a user's email, whereas platforms like Discourse simply label users as "anonymous," often followed by a random character, as explained in this post.
However, our vision is distinct. We recognize the importance of connecting with the individual behind the screen. Rather than bestowing users with generic or even frivolous usernames like 'anonymous', 'Bond007', or 'SunflowerPrincess', we aimed to resonate with the inherent human essence.
Yet, a name is only half of one's digital identity. What about the visual representation? Platforms like Slack resort to generic avatars derived from the first letter of their identity. We felt such depictions diluted the human element, rendering interactions robotic.
By default, Slack profile pictures adopt the first letter of your name.
Our solution? Assigning names inspired by influential figures spanning various fields — from scientists and artists to politicians and athletes. Imagine engaging in a stimulating discussion with an 'Agatha Christie', 'Rosa Parks', or 'Alan Turing'.
To enhance this human experience, we harnessed the power of AI to craft multiple Van Gogh style images for each person. Now, users wouldn't just have a notable name but also a distinctive, humanized profile picture to complement their interactions.
Struct generates a unique Van Gogh style image for each profile, named after an influential person.
By adopting the names of iconic personalities, Struct is doing more than just giving users a pseudonym. We’re providing a cloak of credibility, a sense of familiarity. If you were to receive a message from 'Turing', your mind might inadvertently associate it with the famed scientist. The conversation suddenly takes on a richer tone, a deeper context. Even if the discourse is about something as mundane as the weather, there's an underlying gravitas added to it — a human touch.
In our first iteration, we generated ~2500 such images that can be assigned to Struct users, when anonymous mode is turned on. And over time, we intend to keep expanding this library of human avatars.
To see this unique anonymous mode in action, check out Algorand's Struct site.
Conclusion
We feel our approach to anonymous mode underscores a profound understanding of human psychology. Humans thrive on interactions, on personal connections. When conversing with someone, even if it’s behind a screen, we like to have a face, a name, something to hold on to. By using historic names and artistic avatars, Struct ensures that even in an anonymous setting, conversations remain intimate, personable.
It reminds us that at the heart of every conversation, no matter how digital, is the human spirit. And it's this spirit that this take on anonymous mode captures so beautifully. Next time you're on Struct, you are not just talking to 'anonymous'; you are conversing with Kalam, with Parks, or with Lincoln. And that small detail, in our honest opinion, makes all the difference.
Names of people from left to right, top to bottom.Middle image: Agatha Christie, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Youyou Tu, Alan TuringBottom image:Wanda Austin, Alexander Graham Bell, Evelyn Boyd Granville, Annie Jump Cannon, Coco Chanel, Charles Darwin, Leonardo Da Vinci, Edsger Wybe DijkstraMahatma Gandhi, Kadambini Ganguly, Werner Heisenberg, Thomas Jefferson, Betty Jennings, Sophie Kowalevski, Yukihiro Matsumoto, John MuirIsaac Newton, Florence Nightingale, Alfred Nobel, Betty Snyder, Rabindranath Tagore, Nikola Tesla, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, George Washington
Manish R Jain
Founder, CEO
About the author
Manish Rai Jain is a distinguished entrepreneur and the visionary founder of Dgraph Labs, Inc., leading the company to become the most popular open-source graph database on GitHub with a $1M ARR and a global team of 50+ members. Prior to Dgraph, Manish contributed instrumental work to Google's Knowledge Graph, co-leading the development of Google's graph indexing and serving system. These innovations continue to support the freshest and largest collection of web content that fuels Google to this day.