Facial Recognition Payment - A History of the World in 100 Interfaces

This project was developed as part of the seminar A History of the World in 100 Interfaces, in which each student selected one interface and explored its historical development, interaction, and impact on society. I chose Facial Recognition Payment (FRP) as my topic because it represents a shift from carrying payment objects such as cash, cards, or smartphones to using the human body itself as the payment interface.

Kaixin Jin

Datum

August 2026

Art des Projekts

Studienarbeit im zweiten Studienabschnitt

Betreuer_innen

Prof. Reto Wettach

ABSTRACT

Research

For the research, I combined academic literature, historical sources, market reports and real-world examples from China to trace the development of facial recognition payment. Throughout the semester, the paper was continuously revised based on discussions and peer reviews in class.

Final Version

Reflection

The biggest challenge of this project was transforming an academic research paper into a narrative that fits the style of A History of the World in 100 Interfaces. Instead of simply explaining how the technology works, I had to focus on the interface itself and ask how it changes people's everyday experiences, behaviors, and relationships with technology. The multiple rounds of peer review and classroom discussions helped me rethink the structure of the paper and shift the focus from technical development to the human experience of using facial recognition payment.