~/case-files $ open ./project-fragment-theory.md

FRAGMENT.THEORY

Academic Breakdown | 2023

01ALL WORK 02NEXT PROJECT 03START A PROJECT

PROJECT/OVERVIEW

FRAGMENT.THEORY is an academic research platform for digital decay studies. We made scholarly content feel urgent and alive. Interactive essays. Annotated examples. Living bibliography. Turned academic writing into digital experience. Proof that research can be rigorous AND exciting.

CHALLENGE

Academic platforms are stuck in the 90s. PDF downloads. Static pages. No engagement. The challenge: make research platform that matches the experimental content. Create structure that embraces chaos without sacrificing credibility.

SOLUTION

Built platform where research IS the design. Interactive citations. Hoverable references. Collapsible theory sections. Raw typography for serious content. Made scholarship feel like discovery. Every article an experience.

DISCOVERY & ANALYSIS

RESEARCH/PHASE

Interviewed academics and researchers. Studied scholarly publishing pain points. Analyzed reading patterns. Found that engagement drops due to presentation, not content complexity. Academic rigor needs better vessels.

CONCEPT & ITERATION

DESIGN/PHASE

Created typographic system for hierarchy. Designed interactive annotation system. Built visual language that feels serious but not stuffy. Color system that aids reading comprehension. Distortion in service of scholarship.

DEVELOPMENT & TECH

BUILD/PHASE

Next.js for performance. MDX for interactive content. Custom annotation system. Citation management integrated. Search with fuzzy matching. Mobile-optimized for reading. Progressive web app for offline access.

IMPACT & METRICS

RESULTS/PHASE

Used by 15+ universities. 50K+ monthly readers. Average read time 18 minutes (academic average: 6 minutes). Published papers cite the platform as example of digital scholarship. Academia taking notice.

SEE MORE WORK BRIEF US

IMPACT/METRICS

15+
University Users: 50K
Monthly Readers: 18min
Avg Read Time: 125
Published Papers