Learn to notice what the face is communicating
The human face can change in a fraction of a second.
A movement of the eyebrows, tension around the mouth, narrowed eyes or a change in the position of the lips can alter an expression significantly. Some expressions are obvious. Others are much easier to miss.
SEE helps you practise noticing those differences.
What are facial expressions?
Facial expressions are movements and configurations of the facial muscles that form part of nonverbal communication.
They can accompany emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, surprise or disgust, but recognising an expression does not automatically tell us why a person is displaying it.
A person may appear fearful because they are genuinely frightened, because they have been startled, because they are anticipating something unpleasant, or for another reason entirely.
That distinction is fundamental to SEE:
Observe first. Interpret second.
What should you observe?
Rather than concentrating on only one feature, look at the face as a whole.
Pay attention to the eyes and eyelids, eyebrows, forehead, nose and cheeks, mouth and lips, and jaw.
Then notice how those areas work together.
For example, seeing someone’s lips tighten tells you that their lips tightened. It does not, by itself, tell you what the person is thinking or feeling.
Look for changes, combinations and context.
Expressions you’ll practise
Anger
Anger may involve lowered or drawn-together eyebrows, tension around the eyes, tightened lips or tension in the jaw.
Confusion
Confusion can involve furrowed brows, asymmetrical eyebrow movement, narrowed eyes or other signs of concentration and uncertainty.
Contempt
Contempt is often associated with an asymmetrical movement around the mouth, such as one corner of the lip being raised.
Disgust
Disgust may involve wrinkling around the nose, raised cheeks and changes around the upper lip.
Fear
Fear can involve raised and drawn-together eyebrows, widened eyes and tension or stretching around the mouth.
Sadness
Sadness may involve changes around the inner eyebrows, eyes and corners of the mouth, sometimes accompanied by reduced facial tension or energy.
Shame & Embarrassment
Shame and embarrassment can involve gaze aversion, downward head movement and changes in facial tension, sometimes accompanied by self-conscious smiling.
Surprise
Surprise commonly involves raised eyebrows, widened eyes and an open or relaxed jaw.
Clear. Medium. Subtle.
Real expressions aren’t always equally obvious.
That’s why SEE uses different levels of difficulty.
CLEAR
The important facial characteristics are relatively easy to notice.
MEDIUM
The expression is less pronounced and requires closer observation.
SUBTLE
The signals are deliberately harder to distinguish. Small details matter.
As the expressions become less obvious, the objective remains the same:
Look carefully before you decide.
Train your observation
In the SEE Facial Expressions game, you’ll be shown different faces and asked to identify the expression you observe.
You have limited time to make each decision.
The purpose isn’t simply to achieve a high score. It’s to practise repeatedly until you begin noticing facial differences faster and more accurately.
Don’t worry about getting everything right.
Notice what fooled you.
Notice which expressions you confuse.
Then…
LOOK AGAIN.
Focus on the next action
On mobile, users are goal-oriented. They want to complete a task quickly—whether that’s reading, signing up, or making a purchase.
Make the next step obvious. Clear calls to action, visible buttons, and a logical flow help users move forward without hesitation.
Important note
SEE is an observation-training platform, not a diagnostic or deception-detection tool. Facial expressions should not be used in isolation to determine someone’s emotions, intentions, honesty or psychological state. Individual differences and context matter.
