UX Studio Practices | Week 4 - UX of Memory I

Team: Svanay Shen/ Moxue Jia/ Catherine Achieng / Zhaolu Song

Brief: Design an experience that externalises the nature of memory.

Research Methods: Artefacts Analysis & Directed Storytelling

Time: 13.11.2020-19.11.2020

Our Memories

Firstly, we had a nice talk about our memories and discussed travel memory, sensory memory and broken item memory. For example, traveling photos remind people of the traveling experience, tasting hometown food reminds people of families, old gifts remind people of the gift-givers, etc.

Online meeting. Screenshot by Moxue.

Concept: “Broken Items

We all loved the idea of “Broken Items Memory”. Everyone keeps some old items which probably can’t work or be used anymore after a long time of use. However, these items store our precious memories which are very meaningful to us and can remind us of some people, experiences, or places.

Artefact Analysis

Firstly, we shared our own stories of our meaningful items and analyzed them in material, shape, color, texture, age, condition, background stories, etc.

Our meaningful items. Photos by team.

Then we concluded the aspects we want to know and made an artefact analysis worksheet for future interviews.

Artefact Analysts Worksheet. Design by Svanay.

(Link is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSec30cX_q96hoiWQ--WvwvFZWswy8hx5QScmt4nz2OKC_uVhA/formResponse)

Directed storytelling

The first storyteller is Ryan, Moxue’s friend, who lived in London for almost five years. He has a bracelet made by his girlfriend. This bracelet has some scratches now but he’s still keeping it because it reminds him of the time they spent together.

Interview and bracelet. Photo by Moxue.

The second storyteller is Catherine’s mom. She was been gifted some beautiful plates from her neighbor, Anna, who passed away several years ago. She is still keeping these plates though she never uses them.

Plates from Catherine’s mom. Photo by Catherine.

Brainstorming

We came up with some ideas that how to decorate these items with memory. My idea is that preparing many paper-cut silhouettes of elements of memory, like people and artefacts, and inviting storytellers to select and assemble them with their old items. However, it is hard to prepare without knowing others' memory.

Silhouette idea. Sketch by me.

Decorated Items

Based on the stories, we decided to decorate these items with their memory in a harmless way.

Bracelet and plates - before and after. Design by team. Photo by team.

The feedback from our classmates was very positive but there are still some obstacles we need to overcome:

1/ How to be more involved and experiential

2/ How to make the memory shared not just personal memory

3/ How to decorate items without damage

4/ How to tell the story of the item creatively

What I’ve learned

Directed storytelling is a good way to know other’s stories. Always leaving more space for interviewees and follow their pace so that interviewers can get more information than expected. Sometimes, designers just need to provide opening questions and listening to interviewees to find more valuable information.

To be continued...

References

1. Daws, W. (2010) Memory - Art Installation. 29 September. Available at: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=memory+art&&view=detail&mid=C3D520E12724A851C030C3D520E12724A851C030&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dmemory%2Bart%26FORM%3DHDRSC4 (Accessed 16 November 2020).

2. Guido, G. (2020) Glen Martin Taylor and his reconstructed ceramics. Available at: https://www.collater.al/en/glen-artin-taylor-ceramics-art/ (Accessed 16 November 2020)

3. Martin, B. and Hanington, B. (2012) Universal Methods of Design. Beverly: Rockport Publisher.

4. National Archives and Records Administration. (2018) Analyze an Artifact. Available at: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/artifact.html (Accessed 15 November 2020).

5. Shelley, E. (2006) "Directed Storytelling: Interpreting Experience for Design" in Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design, A Reader. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.