Gattaca-inspired web operating system that explores control and exclusion through a fictional genetic access system.
Context
01 – Challenge
02 – What DID I Do
03 – Learnings
Student project
Collaboration with Jan Schwegler
How can an interactive website extend Gattaca (1997) beyond the screen by showing how genetic technology shapes identity and social status, without becoming a film summary?
The concept was developed together with Jan Schwegler. I was responsible for the UI/UX design and overall art direction, while Jan handled the development.
I learned to think more conceptually. Turning Gattaca into an interactive web experience was fun, and I learned to collaborate across coding and design through a shared language.
In the film Gattaca, the control and manipulation of genetic traits play a central role.
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Based on this, the project is a fictional operating system that builds on the central themes of Gattaca. In a world structured around genetic perfection, users directly experience the consequences of genetic discrimination, where people are socially and professionally categorized and judged according to their genes.
01
The idea is to create an operating system-like onboarding flow that translates genetic hierarchy into controlled access and lived discrimination.
02
Users are profiled using opaque analysis, after which they are assigned different rights, services, and restrictions.
05 – visual design
Typeface & Color
The visual system of GTCA OS is intentionally clinical and technical. A restrained grayscale UI sets a controlled baseline, while bright accents signal status,
actions, and system feedback, reinforcing hierarchy and tension. The monospaced type and minimal iconography reference diagnostics and lab interfaces.
A speculative, system interface that blends retro terminal logic with modern minimalism
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A near-future, in-world system UI. Monospaced type, boot-like status text, and telemetry make it feel procedural and machine-led. Sparse accents and modular panels keep it controlled and cold.
A browser-based, terminal interface that combines procedural logic with data and spatial context
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GTCA OS was developed as a browser-based system using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Procedural logic drives the interface, with TypeIt generating the terminal-style typing and OpenCage translating live coordinates into spatial context. The stack reinforces a system-first aesthetic, where code, data, and timing shape the experience.
Gattaca-inspired web operating system that explores control and exclusion through a fictional genetic access system.
Project type
Disciplines
Collaboration with
Jan Schwegler
- Web development
- UX / UI Design
Concept
A fictional operating system inspired by Gattaca where users experience genetic discrimination through gene-based social and career ranking.
01 – CHALLENGE
How can an interactive website extend Gattaca (1997) beyond the screen by showing how genetic technology shapes identity and social status, without becoming a film summary?
02 – MY ROLE
The concept was developed together with Jan Schwegler. I was responsible for the UI/UX design and overall art direction, while Jan handled the development.
03 – LEARNINGS
I learned to think more conceptually. Turning Gattaca into an interactive web experience was fun, and I learned to collaborate across coding and design through a shared language.
01
The idea is to create an operating system-like onboarding flow that translates genetic hierarchy into controlled access and lived discrimination.
02
Users are profiled using opaque analysis, after which they are assigned different rights, services, and restrictions.
→
The visual system is intentionally clinical and technical.
A grayscale UI creates control, while bright accents mark status and actions. Monospaced type and minimal icons echo lab diagnostics. A near-future system UI, cold, procedural, and machine-led.
Built with web technologies
Yannick Röösli
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Location