HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPULATE DIGITAL MEMORIES TO CREATE NEW ‘ALTERNATIVE REALITIES’?

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HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPULATE DIGITAL MEMORIES TO CREATE NEW ‘ALTERNATIVE REALITIES’?

BY YURU CHEN

The work contained within this document has been submitted by the student in partial fulfilment of the requirement of their course and award


Acknowledgements — Plenty of people offered me massive assistance for shaping my thoughts in this project. Especially Clive Hilton and Karen Bull, who both are intelligence and incredible for guiding me through the processes of this project with valuable advice. Huge gratitude also to Luiza Bontos, Liang Deng, Ameya A Gaandhe and Tim Ball, for accepting the research interview at the first stage that inspired me with great examples of the project. In addition, same grateful to the 51 anonymous participants of my online questionnaires, which provided an extremely contribution in users analysis. Furthermore, I would particularly like to acknowledge Aleksandara Venkova, Ke Ma, Jingxin Zhang, Prachet S. Doshi for helping me evaluating design concepts before improvement. Similarly, much appreciated for my parents have been supporting me for such a long time. Particularly, I am willing to acknowledge my uncle Zhiwei Zheng, who just passed away three months ago but he is one of the wisest and warm-heart people I have met in my life. His leaving is a damage loss. And we will never forget him had contributed a lot in our family. Enormous bless to his son, my beloved junior cousin Yaowei Zheng who just 18 years old. Sincerely hoping the result of this project could help him memorising his cherish father

via a new mean of interaction in the future regardless physically or psychologically. No matter what I am always supporting him as a senior sister. — YURU CHEN


Figure 0. Timeline of Life (Author owns the picture)

Abstract —

Since we have entered the era of information explosion, what we would leave behind has been changed. Meanwhile, the digital legacies as well as the recorded memories are essential evidence as someone’s exists. Manipulating digital memories to create new ‘alternative realities’ as a new experience for remembering someone is the contemporary insight in future 20 years. Actually, this insight has already adopted and been developing by some digital legacy agencies and investigating organization in some case.

First one is observing the significance and composition of memory, which is the reason why this topic is valuable for researching. Afterwards, the agreeable approaches for manipulating recollection as well as representing alternative realities are the essence for second stage. As a consequence, the final outcome is deduced from the conclusions of above investigation. Eventually, the final proposal as digital heirloom is embodying by the summaries from above research as well as the evaluation by focus group.

To focus on this insight, the project is aiming to determine the acceptable alternative realities by manipulating digital memory as a material in future 20 years. This project demonstrates the investigation in three perspectives.

In short, the intention of this project is to infer a solution as an ‘alternative realities’ in future from manipulating digital information in future 20 years by the deducible evidences of people’s acceptances, technology possibilities and user’s segmentation.


CONTENTS

Introduction

01

Part 02 02

1.0 Design Research Activities and Methodologies

Composition and application of memories Significance of Memories

1.2 The Form of Memory being For Users to Communicate With 1.2.1 Research Objectives 05 1.2.2 Method of Investigation 05 Case Studies Questionnaires

1.2.3 Conclusion

07

07

1.3 The Approaches for Representing Recollection and Digital Memory being 1.3.1 Research Objectives 2.3.2 Methodology 08 2.3.3 Conclusion 08

08

1.4 Various Diverse Users

Requirements

for

1.4.1 Research Objectives 09 1.4.2 Method of Investigation 09 1.4.3 Conclusion 10

1.1 The Composition and Value of Memories 1.1.1 Research Objectives 02 1.1.2 Method of Investigation 03 1.1.3 Conclusion 03

04

09

1

12

2.0 Analysis and Summary from the Research Detection

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3.0 Design Research Conclusion Specification and/or Final Design Brief 3.1 Design Performance Specification 13 3.2 Design Brief 14


Part 16

1.0 Design Embodiment Research

16

2.0 Concept Design

19

22

4.0 Development of Ideas

24

5.0 Final proposal 5.1 Functions 5.2 Operation

3.0 Selection of Concepts Section 1 19 Section 2 20

2

27

24 25

6.0 Research Reflections


LIST OF FIGURES Fig 0 Timeline of Life --------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract Fig 1 Overview of forms and functions of memories ---------------------------------2 Fig 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 Fig 3 Memory Being Preference Gender Base -----------------------------------------10 Fig 4 Social Media Demography -----------------------------------------------------------11 Fig 5 Users’ Requirement -------------------------------------------------------------------11 Fig 6 Diffusion of Innovations -------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Fig7 Specification Flow Chart -------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Fig 8 Insight and Trends Table ------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Fig 9 Specification Processes ---------------------------------------------------------------17 Fig 10 Concept 1 Flow Chart ---------------------------------------------------------------17 Fig 11 Concept 1 Narrative ----------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Fig 12 Concept 2 Flow Chart ---------------------------------------------------------------17 Fig 13 Concept 2 Narrative -----------------------------------------------------------------17 Fig 14 Concept 3 Flow Chart ---------------------------------------------------------------18 Fig 15 Concept 3 Narrative -----------------------------------------------------------------18 Fig 16 Concept 4 Flow Chart ---------------------------------------------------------------18 Fig 17 Concept 4 Narrative -----------------------------------------------------------------18 Fig 18 Concept 5 Flow Chart ---------------------------------------------------------------19 Fig 19 Concept 5 Narrative -----------------------------------------------------------------19 Fig 20 Emotion – Color ----------------------------------------------------------------------20 Fig 21 Concept Evaluation ------------------------------------------------------------------21 Fig 22 Concept Sketching -------------------------------------------------------------------23 Fig 23 CAD Development -------------------------------------------------------------------23 Fig 24 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------24 Fig 25 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------24 Fig 26 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------25 Fig 27 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------25 Fig 28 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------25 Fig 29 Final Proposal Flow Chart ----------------------------------------------------------27


GLOSSARY 1. Facebook - Facebook is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking servicebased in Menlo Park, California. 2. Big Data –Big data is a term for data sets that are so large or complex that traditional data processing application software is inadequate to deal with them. 3. Memory Being – an individual alternative realities artificated by memory data 4. Explicit / declarative Memories - Explicit memory (or declarative memory) is one of the two main types of long-term human memory. It is the conscious, intentional recollection of factual information, previous experiences and concepts. 5. Implicit / Procedural Memories - Implicit memory is one of the two main types of longterm human memory. It is acquired and used unconsciously, and can affect thoughts and behaviours. 6. Iconic memory -Iconic memory is the visual sensory memory (SM) register pertaining to the visual domain and a fast-decaying store of visual information. 7. Echoic memory - Echoic memory is one of the sensory memory registers; a component of sensory memory (SM) that is specific to retaining auditory information. The sensory memory for sounds that people have just perceived is the form of echoic memory. 8. Haptic memory - Haptic memory is a form of sensory memory that refers to the recollection of data acquired by touch after a stimulus has been presented. Haptic memory is used regularly when assessing the necessary forces for gripping and interacting with familiar objects. 9. Avatar builder - In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. 10. CGI Facsimile - "CGI" is most commonly used to refer to 3D computer graphics used for creating scenes or special effects in films and television. 11. Wifi - Wi-Fi or WiFi is a technology for wireless local area networking with devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. 12. Bluetooth - Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength UHF radio waves in the ISM band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz[4]) from fixed and mobile devices, and building personal area networks (PANs). 13. IOT - The Internet of Things (IoT) is the inter-networking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as "connected devices" and "smart devices"), buildings, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity which enable these objects to collect and exchange data. 14. PERSONAS -A persona (plural personae or personas), in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. 15. DIFFUSUSION OF INNOVATIONS - Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideasand technology spread.


On account of above elements in current society, the research conceptual framework basically goes through four general perspectives: Firstly, what is memory made of and how does it shape our lives? Secondly, how users interact with memory being? Thirdly, what sorts of technologies are possibly adapted for representing memories and transferring to digital reality in 20 years? The last one is various requirements for different users. This report illustrates the fundamental methodologies of research via assessing resources, interviews, questionnaires, case studies; analysis and conclusion of research findings; specification on the basis of the summary of research; concepts development and evaluation; final outcome and design reflection.

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HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

Since we have entered the era of information explosion, the digital properties leave behind is increasingly evoking people’s attention. As there are already over 30 million dead people on Facebook, it has been believed that they could outnumber those alive by 2020(BBC, 2016). The wealth of individual data remains available for others to read, leave comments as well as interact with are the approaches for maintaining our memories currently. As we could see, the Medias of memories storage will probably influence our way of remembering others in the future. Considering the situation of Big Data Era, there are enterprises and agencies providing novel ways to live on base on digital legacy have already been established all around the world. In addition, resurrecting the deceased celebrities by high-technology to initiate a convincing creation for admirers is a critical tendency recently, which is an innovative experiences for recalling or creating memories as a memory being. Nevertheless, how to apply these interactive digital memories as a material to generate a new experience for recalling recollection or creating new memories might be the insight in future 20 years.

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INTRODUCTION


PART 1 1.0 Design Research Activities and Methodologies The predominant research methodologies of this project is conducting from four aspects with an overall combination of quantitative and qualitative strategy: first one is resource search and interviews summaries for the composition and significance of memories; second one is survey investigation and case studies for agreeable mode of of representing recollection and interactive memory being; the last one is personas analysis based on interviews and surveys for various demands of different users. Also, all adhered research activities had been evaluated the ethical implications as an appropriate situation for investigating by my professors and participants (See appendix).

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memory being; third one is the written resource assessment for possible technologies

The definition of memories is an information of encoding, storing and retrieving in the faculty of mind, which is critical for experiences and as the purpose of influencing future action. “If we could not remember past events, we could not learn or develop language, relationships, or personal identity (Eysenck, 2012).� The worth of memories shapes who we are, which is the reason why human being cherish memories and always try to record the memories since the human being existed. According to the overviews of forms and functions of memories (Fig 1.), individual memories could be simply subdivided as explicit memories and implicit memories. In the meantime, most of the recording memories are the potential activation to extract Figure 1. Overview of forms and functions of memories (Wenzi, 2011)

memories. Therefore, the significance of recording

memories is essential opportunities for activation as a memory trigger. The purpose of summarizing the composition and value of memories is to verify the

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

1.1 The Composition and Value of Memories

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1.1.1 Research Objectives reason why interactive memories are necessary for the human being as well as how to extract the memories by its essence, which is the core and foundation of this project.

1.1.2 Method of Investigation

literal and online resources, as well as the interviews summaries for assessing the value of memories.

1.1.3 Conclusion

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In this section, the principle of memories’ composition has basically been collected by

3 Generally speaking, it is declared that long-term memories are supposed to be divided

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into declarative (explicit) memories and procedural (implicit) memories base on the

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

Composition and application of memories

conscious recall by information type. (Anderson, 1976) Particularly, explicit memories demand conscious process for recalling the information, which is explicitly stored and retrieved. However, the involuntary explicit memories is a special type in this category, which arises whenever cues encountered in daily life arouse memories without any conscious effort. In short, the activating thing which is able to evoke the recollection typically be called as Memory Trigger. In contrast, implicit memories are based on implicit learning instead of requiring conscious effort. According to Mandler’s dual processing theory (1994), there are two procedures for recalling the implicit memories, one is activation, and the other is elaboration. In terms of involuntary explicit memory occurs from precious fragments, which is normally also the context of captured digital memories no matter is sweet or painful. Moreover, the occurrence of recalling recollection is consistently based on the emotions and affection in that specific occasion. Therefore, the memory is supposed to be exploited for this project is involuntary explicit memories, also the representation of


them should be established by emotion types. In accordance with Ekman, there are six primary emotions have been clarified, they are excited, happy, tender, sad, angry and scared. Significance of Memories On the other hand, the value of memories is generally acknowledged to be extremely important. Refer to all my interviewees, they all mentioned that memories are part of As an example of my last interviewee, who is over 50 years old, he declared that the way we think, behave even treat others are all base on our experiences of memories. Nevertheless, the first interviewer, whose age is just past 30, she mentioned that the memories are the crucial connection between herself and others. In the meantime, the last two interviewees both pointed out the good (sweet) memories and bad

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themselves, which not just shape what they are, but guide how they do in their lives.

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important, they both classify good and bad memories by emotions, which is a positive

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verification for the memories’ composition research.

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

(painful) memories affects their decision or behavior in some particular situation. More

To sum up, memory is undoubtedly essential, especially for human being. First of all, since memories affect our behavior and views of life, the value of someone’s memories is partly equal to the worth of his life. Secondly, memories with others are the irreplaceable relevance among people. Lastly, the significance of memories probably depends on the profundity of emotion in it.

1.2 The Form of Memory being For Users to Communicate With Human is an organism with a multitude of senses. Especially, the five traditionally perceived senses including vision (sight), audition (hearing), gustation (taste), olfaction (smell) and somatosensation (touch). Furthermore, sensory information is being taken and processed by our brain during each moment in our lives, also being stored in sensory memory as long as it transferred to short-term memory (Carlson, 2010). In the meantime, the impression of sensory information is allowed to retain in sensory memory after the original stimulant has already stopped (Coltheart, 1980). Specifically,


it is acknowledged three typical types of sensory memory in modern academic studies, they are Iconic Memory, Echoic Memory and Haptic Memory, which partly respond to the five traditional senses of human being. In conclusion of above studies, the interactive factors for activating memory being and communicating with users are supposed to be set up by sensory conditions, which

1.2.1 Research Objectives Analyzing the appropriate form as a memory being is aiming to conclude an evaluated a standard for assessing the design concepts in next stage.

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included at least either of visual, acoustic or tactile elements.

In this phase, the methodology are two major approaches, they are case studies and survey conclusion. Besides, the case studies gave insight into creating the questionnaires. Case Studies In general, there are four elementary modes of representing memory being currently in view of the case studies of digital legacy agencies (BBC, 2016) and film production. Firstly, evaluating all the posts of a certain person on social Medias and imitating his patterns to keep in touch with his connection by digital profile after he passed away is the application of LIVESON and DEADSOCIAL digital legacy agencies. In addition, ETERNI ME is an enterprise that tries to collect and maintain all the cogitation, narratives and memories of a person, also transfer these data into an AVI file which could live on after his death. As a result of this, people will be able to communicate with this database digital alter ego, acquire details about this person’s life as well as have access to his memories or even get advice from it. Likewise, LIFENAUT.COM is a similar website as

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

1.2.2 Method of Investigation

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ETERNI ME, which requires consumers upload their picture in the avatar builder and spend time for training the avatar as a mind file to create a representation of them. Besides that, the investigated group of advanced artificial intelligence in mind-clone technology from LIFENAUT have already created a physical robot named BINA48 based on the real human BINA ROTHBLATT. BINA48 is the first illustration of the concept of mind back-up for humans in the future, who could present not only the recollections, values, attitudes but sorts of mannerisms of the original person. In addition, resurrecting had been invented in 1980’s and maintain improving by now. (Novak, 2012) To sum up, there are four mainstreaming forms of memory being currently. They are profile representation, avatar builder, physical robot and CGI facsimile.

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the famous entertainers by computer graphic technology for some movie productions

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As the result of case studies, four basic forms of memory being had been concluded for questionnaires: personal profile,

digitally

facsimile,

created

represented

icon and physical robot. The bar chart illustrates Figure 2 (Author owns the Picture)

the

preferences

of

form

to represent memory being in the interactive device from 51 people. The largest proportion of preferred represented form is a personal profile, which nearly a quarter of all respondents. Moreover, nearly 20% of people choose digitally created facsimile as a represented memory being. Conversely, the two least selections are icons and physical robot, with 9.8% and 7.8% respectively. In conclusion, the profile and created facsimile are the most acceptable methods as

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

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Questionnaires


representing memory being for users, which is also the prevailing means using by current digital legacy agencies that I investigated in the cases studies.

1.2.3 Conclusion In summary of above result, alternative realities as memory being could be adopted as profile representation, avatar builder, physical robot or CGI facsimile. Additionally, this case.

1.3 The Approaches for Representing Recollection and Digital Memory being The mediums for representing recorded recollection have been rapidly enhanced since

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profile and facsimile are more intend to be the ideal modes for interacting by users in

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and sharing memories is social media, which is a computer-mediated technology that

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promotes the creation and partaking of information, ideas, thoughts and other modes

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

the digital revelation. In particular, one of the most effective platforms for recording

of expression by virtual communication and networks (Steve, 2015). One of the critical intentions for people to record memories by social media technologies is the wide variety of forms and long-term maintenance. More specifically, the blogs, forums, micro-blogs, photo sharing, social video, video sharing and virtual words are most popular means for recording digital memories. Nevertheless, the other digital properties include photography, video, personal diary and etc. are essential part of recorded recollection as well. On the other hand, refer to 1.2, the memory being is supposed to include three typical sensory conditions, sight, hearing and touch. To sum up, the approaches for representing recollection base on digital information requires at least visual and audio elements. However, considering the accelerated enhancement of technologies in 20 years, the scent and haptic features are supposed to be potential applications for the final outcome. Moreover, the memory being representation is not only visible and audible but also communicated even touchable under some certain circumstances.


1.3.1 Research Objectives Observing the possibility of technologies for representing recollection and interactive memory being is intended to explore the achievable manners of the final outcome.

2.3.2 Methodology

evidences from written and online sources.

2.3.3 Conclusion In summary, the representation of recorded data and memory being demands at least

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First of all, the visual information such as blog, photography, video and the vision of memory being is able to be deliberated to display on the touch screen, hologram, AR or VR technologies. Specifically, there are three common types of touch screens are available: infrared (IR), membrane and capacitive. In the meantime, the capacitive system is most common in the current market since its parallax reduction (Schwier, 1994). For virtual reality interfaces, a combination of goggles, gloves or similar data suits is necessary for the interaction. Secondly, the audible data included music list, video, audio messages as well as the communicating function with memory being require the sound system includes speakers and microphone at least. Particularly, voice recognition interfaces as a system permit the users for giving verbal instructions, commands and receiving responses from the device is unavoidable for the final outcome. Eventually, the potential features in future for the device could also apply digital scent technology and haptic technology besides temperature adjustment and fan machine

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

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following elements:

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In this sector, the methodology had been predominately only applied by assessing


for representing a recorded memory environment of a certain moment. More specific, digital scent technology is olfactory representation include sense, transmit and receive scent via using olfactometers and electronic noses. Meanwhile, the feature of transferring data from other medias necessitates either of WIFI, Bluetooth, airdrop, cloud drive or other removable media. Whereas, in consideration of the trend of digital devices in future 20 years, there are several possibilities could be portable. To sum up, the thinkable technologies for final outcome include hologram, AR, VR, touch screen, voice recognition besides speakers and microphone, digital scent technology, haptic technology includes temperature adjustment and fan machine, WI-FI, Bluetooth,

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considered for the final outcome, they are Internet Of Things, wirelesses charge and

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1.4 Various Requirements for Diverse Users To identify the attribute of potential users for the final system and product is a substantial process. In this division, the investigation is determining the users-experience and requirements in the final design.

1.4.1 Research Objectives The purpose of analyzing the various requirement of different users is for evaluating the essential features, target market as well as the user-friendly element of the final proposal.

1.4.2 Method of Investigation During this procedure, forming the users’ personas base on the results of interviews and survey, as well as discussing the scenario for final proposal are the principal methods.

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

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I.O.T and Wireless charge.


1.4.3 Conclusion In this sphere, the user’s analysis I did was simply divided into female and male, also

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children, adolescent, adult and senior elderly.

Figure 3. Memory Being Preference Gender Base (Author owns the picture)

The result of survey illustrates female is more intend to leave memory being than male no matter what form it will be. Specifically, 68.9% (Profile + Digital Facsimile + Icon + Robot) of female prefer to apply digital legacy to memory being, but only 49.9% (Profile + Digital Facsimile + Icon + Robot) of male willing to leave behind as a memory being. Furthermore, a concrete form of memory being such as digital facsimile and the physical robot is acceptable by 27.5% female and 27.2% male, which just slightly different. However, the abstract form includes personal profile and icon is more acceptable by the female, which is more than 40%, but there is only 22.7% male affirm that. (See Figure) Moreover, the social media demography demonstrates the daily posting app, especially photo and video sharing app are more popular in female than male. Whereas, the messaging app is more popularize in male’s users. (York, 2017)

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

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Figure 4. Social Media Demography (York, 2017)

records. On the other hand, the male is more intended to share ideas and thoughts via communication, the reproducing memory being may acquire more information about their mind and principle of thoughts. Furthermore, generally concluded of four personas (see appendix) base on four age range: children (<12-year-old) might attempt to learn the value of memories via playing or creating new memories through the device; adolescent (12-17) may expect to share recorded memories or create memories for socializing; adult (18-49) will intend to not just recall memories or socialize, but also for remembering someone through the device; senior people (>50-year-old) might demand to recall memories and remember someone instead socialize or create memories by the device.

Figure 5. Users' Requirement (Author owns the picture)

In the meantime, according to the consumers’ behavior segmentation and the diffusion

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to reproduce digital facsimiles since they might have more data about their appearance

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

the larger users group than male for the final outcome. Also female is higher possibilities

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In conclusion of the survey and investigation base on two genders, the female is probably


of innovations, the target purchasers are supposed to be the group of innovator or early adaptor with mid-high income and high educated who have risk tolerance for accepting and affording early technology.

2.0 Analysis and Summary from the Research Detection In views of all the investigations, there are four general aspects had been concluded below;

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Figure 6. Diffusion of Innovations (Ubek, 2017)

is the reason why people love to capture memories via various means. More substantially, the captured memories are typically treasured fragments in our lives, which is not only base on the emotion at that specific moment, but same as the activation context for involuntary explicit memory. In addition, the memory being transferred from the data of interactive memories as a profile or created digital facsimile is the most acceptable form for users currently. Afterwards, the possible machinery for representing captured recollection and created memory being are supposed to include visual, audio, scent, haptic and electronic technologies. Ultimately, the dissimilarities among female, male, children, juvenile, grown-up and senior citizen demand the diversities of the final proposal.

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

Firstly, memory is tremendously outstanding owing to its effect on mankind’s lives, which

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3.0 Design Research Conclusion Specification and/or Final Design Brief In summary, the result of memory composition and implication is the core of the project, which explains the reason why designers to manipulate the interactive memories to create ‘alternative realities’ is a deeply potential opportunity in the trend of market. In addition, the agreeable form as memory being for communicating is how the created alternative realities be acceptable in future market. Furthermore, the possible technologies for representing recollection and memory being is what the final proposal could

On account of the summaries of research, there are four fundamental processes could be confirmed for the specification: l The digital memories as material of activation that is supposed to include iconic (visual), echonic (audio), haptic (texture) elements or a combination of above for representing the captured recollection. l The activation as an engagement of interactive memories requires emotive and affective motivation. Refer to six basic emotion of Paul Ekman, they are excited, tender, scared, angry, sad and happy. l The elaboration as the action of creating memory being should be processing on various preferences of diverse users. l The memory being as the recreated alternative realities is supposed to be at least an observable or comprehensible mode base on concreteness or abstractive preferences by users.

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3.1 Design Performance Specification

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

posal are.

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be achieved. Subsequently, the users’ analysis is who the target consumers of final pro-


Figure 7. Specification Flow Chart (Author owns the picture)

3.2 Design Brief

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In conclusion, the basic progress of final proposal illustrates below.

Digital Heirloom - How can designers manipulate interactive memories to create ‘alternative realities’? Submission date - 21st August 2017 Introduction With the rapid enhancement of internet, the means of capturing and recording memory have been more and more manifoldness. In the meantime, the way we recall recollection even remember the deceased and grieve have altered since Big Data Era. Consequently, to explore an innovative method for manipulating the existed information to create an interactive form is the gist of the brief. Project Aim Overall, the primary aim of this brief is to prospect the potential role of manipulating digital memories to generate innovative experience by recalling recollection or creating alternative realities in future 15-20 years.

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

Project Title

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Project Objectives There are two objectives should be considered in this project: the essential function of the final outcome is interaction, which means it should have enjoyable size and operation way agree to the human factors. The other is the technologies of design is sup-

Target Audience The segmentation of target consumers base on demographic and behavioral could simply clarified as an early adopter with mid-high income and high education live in urban

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posed to meet the trend of technology development in future 20 years.

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Initial Design Constraints l Early Adopters market l Includes at least but not only visual and audio representing technologies Project Management Project Management is basically go through of initial research of concepts embodiment, concepts selection by focus group evaluation, design improvement and the final proposal. Details of design agenda please see Appendix.

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

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area intend to purchase for general occasion or gift giving.


PART 2 1.0 Design Embodiment Research For embodying the design concepts, there are four conclusions of insights and trends respectively summarized from the main research. The four insights include Mind-Clone technology had already been discovered (Refer to Part 1 - 1.2.4); Female is more intend to social medias than male, but male is more intend to communicate medias instead (Refer to Part1 - 1.4.3); Various users have differ- 1.4.3); Memory Trigger is a combination of senses (Refer to Part 1 - 1.1.3). In the meantime, the four trends demonstrate that: Digital Legacies is improving all around the world (BBC, 2016); Resurrecting deceased celebrities by CGI will become normal in

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ent preferences for memory being (Refer to Part 1

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ber of dead on Facebook is growing and aiming to

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outnumber in near future (BBC, 2016); Trend of dig-

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

movie producing in future (Justin, 2015); The num-

ital devices’ features in 20 years include AR, VR, IOT, Figure 8. Insight and Trends Table (Author owns the picture)

Wireless Charge, etc. (Greenough & Camhi, 2016)

In conclusion, there are 5 concepts have been crystallized base on insights and trends also containing the particular processes from specification.

2.0 Concept Design Since the final proposal would not only be a product, but also a system, all design concepts illustrated below by a flow chart and draft narratives. As the five particular processes have been listed in specification, the same color for representing the particular steps. In terms of the foundation for the topic is the memory of users, the first step for all concepts is uploading digital memory pieces no matter online or offline. Also for security concern, there is a voice or fingerprint verification for every concept.


Figure 9. Specification Processes (Author owns the picture)

Figure 10. Concept 1 Flowchart (Author owns the picture)

pends on the emotion tag and data analysis. The memories pieces will randomly play by visual, audio and scent for activation. The ‘alternative realiFigure 11. Concept 1 Narrative (Author owns the picture)

ties’ as memory being could be selected by an icon or digital facsimile by users, which will be displayed on a wide open lotus if memory data is enough for reproducing a person.

Figure 12. Concept 2 Flowchart (Author owns the picture)

Concept two is an heirloom light base on insight 1 and trend 1. As the digital legacies agencies growing up, this concept is manipulating digital legacy for an individual user, which is exclusive. The memory being could be hologram as a digital facsimile by the lamp if the data is enough for mind-cloning a Figure 13. Concept 2 Narrative (Author owns the picture)

person.

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and colors of lotus for representing memories de-

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

sight 4 and trend 4. There are six different shapes

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Concept one is a lotus urn, which bases on the in-


Figure 14. Concept 3 Flowchart (Author owns the picture)

Concept three is a connection tree base among insight are outnumbering alive in the future, the connection on social media will be displayed as branches of a tree depends on the relationship of a specific profile. The memory being will be generated as a bird if data is

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3, 4 and trend 3. Since the dead users on social media

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Figure 16. Concept 4 Flowchart (Author owns the picture)

enough for reproducing a person. Concept four is an aquarium VR system from insight 2 and trend 4. Because VR will be one of the rapid developed technology in the future, the VR system for interaction is the core of this concept. However, it could not Figure 17. Concept 4 Narrative (Author owns the picture)

be randomly playing memory pieces in a standby mode of the device. The memory being will be displayed as a gold fish if the data is enough for reproducing a person.

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Figure 15. Concept 3 Narrative (Author owns the picture)


Figure 18. Concept 5 Flowchart(Author owns the picture)

Concept five is an hourglass devices base among insight 2, 3 and trend 1, 4. There are six colors of tiny cubes will be appeared in the hourglass after uploading combine together like the image pixels to represent the memory. The memory being will be a digital facFigure 19. Concept 5 Narrative (Author owns the picture)

simile if the data is enough for mind-cloning a person.

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For evaluating all the concepts, a 4-people focus group had been organized for selecting the best solution. There are two main sections for assessing in the focus group discussion. Section 1 The first part includes three specific questions: how efficiency of five traditional senses as memory triggers; the most relevance color to represent emotions; the most relative object for representing emotions. According to the activating process, a memory trigger has to relevant to senses, the importance extent of sense categories among sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch is the first question for evaluating in 4 people focus group. There are 75% of them demonstrates sight is most efficiency sense as a memory trigger, the other thinks the smell is the best memory trigger. However, hearing and taste have been picked as second efficiency sense as 50% respectively. Third efficiency sense as memory trigger is all different from four participants, touch, hearing, sight and smell had been mentioned. Fourth

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3.0 Selection of Concepts

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memory pieces. The selected memory document will


one listed as taste (25%), touch (50%), hearing (25%). And the less efficiency sense is smell (50%), touch and taste. To sum up, the sense categories as a memory trigger from most to less efficiency in order is SIGHT > HEARING/TAST > TOUCH > SMELL. Afterwards, since the motivation of activation of memories is emotion, the representation of memories could be classified by affection.

Figure 20. Emotion - Colour (Author owns the picture)

emotion I had mentioned in Part 1, the result of this question illustrated below. (See Figure)

The last question in this section is the most relevance object reflect the specific emotion, which is advantageous examples for embodying the design concepts. The first participant listed happy - cupcakes, sad - water, excited - amusement park, anger - angry birds, scared - ghost house, tender - hello kitty. The second participant listed happy - sun/coffee, sad - dead plants, excited - mountains/forests, anger - broken iPhone screen, scared - spiders, tender - crystals/flowers. The third participant listed happy - salmon, sad - frog, excited - gift, anger - bomb, scared - bug, tender - dress. The last participant listed happy - sea/ocean, sad - leafless tree, excited - stained clothes/white shoes, scared - well, tender - snow/feather. In summary of the first part, the final proposal is able to utilize the efficiency extend of senses for activating users’ memories, as well as represent the recollection base on various emotion categorized by specific color and object. Section 2 The discussion group in second part required participants to rate the concepts by general impression, appearance, operation way, privacy, using experience and memories being representation, also questioned the most impressed features they suggested to

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flect the specific emotion. Refer to the six basic

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in focus group is the most relevance color re-

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Therefore, the second question for assessing


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Figure 21. Concept Evaluation (Author owns the picture) DIGITAL HERILOOM


maintain, the essential problems and valuable advice for the final design. The rating chart by 4 people illustrates below respectively; On the other hand, the most impressive features they suggested to maintain (3-5 features each participant) listed below. Particularly, the interaction with memory being had been suggested 3 times, and manipulate digital memory from social medias, 3D represented memory, VR representation and color categorize emotions had been men-

In summary of all reflection (see Appandix), the best solution is able to be a combination of Concept 1, 2, 4 and 5 with a wider possibility for setting. In short, the digital heirloom device is supposed to include recollection representation and memory being

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interaction with available selections of VR or Hologram systems. The development of final outcome includes analysis of focus group, elements determination, sketching improvement and CAD assessment. After analyzing the result of discussion group, there are three elements had been determined forward: Firstly, there should be at least 2-4 basic scenes setting in the beginning depends on gender or lifestyle directions. Secondly, there should be some removable and combinable units of VR and Hologram systems for offering available selections for various users. Thirdly, the potential features of hologram-call could be kept for option in the final outcome. Sketching and CAD improvement illustrates below.

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4.0 Development of Ideas

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tioned by at least 2 participants.


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Figure 22. Concept Sketching (Author owns the picture)

Figure 23. CAD Development (Author owns the picture)

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5.0 Final Proposal

fore, digital heirloom is supposed to be a home device for people to pass down their memory data or digital legacies and manipulate these information to create new experiences as alternative realities in future 20 years. There are four vital modules for Digital Heirloom as the final proposal, they are VR system, Roll Screen, Speaker base and Wireless Charger base. Similarly, there is specific process for operating the device respond to the specification summarized from main research, which illustrates in 5.2 Operation.

5.1 Functions Firstly, as the trend of digital devices development, heirloom device is aiming to include the wireless charge feature, which not just be able to offer charging for speaker base, but also for the VR system. Secondly, the speaker base is the foundation of the device, which besides audio respond and microphone receiving, main control butFigure 25. (Author owns the picture)

ton and hologram system. It could randomly play a certain user’

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Heirloom is a family possession handed down from generation to generation. There-

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

Figure 24. (Author owns the picture)


music list or recorded audio file for activation as memory trigger. Moreover, roll screen as another essential trend of technology development has been adopted in the final proposal as well, which in charge of illustrating digital memories in stand-by mode, custom setting and other operation by touch screen. Additionally, the roll screen is also the connection between speaker and VR system.

is more privacy compare to hologram and screen illustration. Likewise, the VR system is also wireless charging, which requires the charging base and VR goggles could be separated. Consequently, there are two part for the VR system, one is charging base, Figure 27. (Author owns the picture)

and another is VR goggle.

Figure 28. (Author owns the picture)

5.2 Operation

In terms of the foundation of this product is digital memory pieces. Thus, the first step is uploading memory data from personal profile or offline drive. Afterwards, the analyzing system will summarizing all uploaded data of the users and get the similar pattern of their post, talk, and thoughts even the mind, which depends

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option, which could be removed from the top of roll screen. The VR system

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Lastly, the VR system is an upgraded units for digital heirloom device as an

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

Figure 26. (Author owns the picture)


on how mature is the Mind-Clone technology in future 20 years. Thirdly, the user could custom setting the specific scenes for representing recollection and memory being. In this case, there are four basic scenes offered base on the gender and lifestyle direction, which is the reflection of user segmentation I had investigated in Part 1–1.4 as well as the result from focus group. Four scenes include Lotus Lake (Female and Nature), Aquarium (Male and Nature), Urban City (Male and Urban) and

and focus group assessment. As the example of lotus lake scene, the purple lotus represented happy, blue represented excited, pink represented sad, red represented anger, wide open leaf represented tender and unopen leaf represent fear. However, the representation of memories could be reset by user. In addition, users could chose the memory by touching the hologram or search them by voice control. Finally, if the personal data is enough for creating a new alternative realities as memory being, there will be an iconic object existed in the scene. Specifically, the bird will occurs the lotus lake scene, the fish will occurs in aquarium scene, balloon will occurs in city scene and clown will occurs in amusement park. The iconic alternative realities could be generated as a digital facsimile or avatar of a certain person base on users’ selection. In the meantime, the memory being could be communicated and interacted by voice control or touchable hologram. Besides that, the VR representation could be more details on representing and interacting with memory being.

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base on six primary emotions respectively, which reflect to the main research Part 1-1.1

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Furthermore, they all have specific objects for representing the categorized memory

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Amusement Park (Both gender and Urban).


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Figure 29. Final Proposal Flow Chart (Author owns the picture)

6.0 Research Reflections

For manipulating digital memory to create ‘alternative realities’, a completed procedure had been built for this project. The accomplishment is strictly following the process: 1) The value of this topic and the possibility of final outcome; 2) the summaries of research and specific constraints for design brief; 3) design embodiment and development base on the specification concluded by the research; 4) final outcome reflect to the topic and research. Nevertheless, as a prospective product base on the developing trend of technology and market for future 20 years, the challenging and unstable elements must been existed in this case. Firstly, the improvement of technology cannot be perfectly predicted by any authority. Secondly, the moral standard might have potential threatened in the development of digital legacy as well as its augmented product. Thirdly,

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people’s acceptance of digital heirloom as a device for creating alternative realities by manipulating digital memory requires more popularization. Despite above all, the topic of how can designers manipulate digital memory to create new ‘alternative realities’ is

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periodical achievement as the result of digital heirloom.

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REFERENCE

• Bbc.co.uk. (2016). BBC - Search results for Rest in Pixels. [online] Available at: http:// www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=Rest%20in%20Pixels&suggid=urn%3Abbc%3Aprogrammes%3Ap03sm61g [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017] • Eysenck, M. W. (2012). Fundamentals of cognition. New York: Psychology Press. • Bernhard Wenzl (2011). Overview of the forms and functions of memory. [image] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory#/media/File:Memory.gif • Mandler, George; Jennifer Dorfman (1994). "Implicit and explicit forgetting: When is gist remembered?". The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 47: 651– 672 • Toddatkins (2011). Managing emotions - Identifying feelings. [image] Available at: http://batonrougecounseling.net/managing-emotions/

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• Anderson, J. (1976). Language, memory, and thought. Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum

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• Matt Novak (2012). Resurrecting the Dead With Computer Graphics. [online] Smithsonian. Available at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/resurrecting-the-dead-with-computer-graphics-77706610/ [Accessed 20 Aug. 2017]. • SCHWIER 1994 Schwier, R. and Misanchuk, E. (1994). Interactive multimedia instruction. Englewood Cliffs N.J.: Educational Technology Publications. • YORK 2017 York, A. (2017). Social Media Demographics to Inform a Better Segmentation Strategy. [online] Sprout Social. Available at: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/#facebook. • FIG 6 Graham, K. (2015). The Diffusion of Doctrinal Innovations in Tort Law. SSRN Electronic Journal

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• Coltheart, M. (1980). Iconic memory and visible persistence. Perception & Psychophysics, 27(3), pp.183-228

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• Carlson, N. (2010). Psychology. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education


APPENDIX

• Ethitical form • Agenda • Research frame

• Personas • Concepts • Focus Group Evaluation

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• Survey

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• Interviews

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• Feedback from Tutors










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Final major project research frame Q: How can designers engage the interactive memory to create originate reality? Introduction There are over 30 million dead people on Facebook, same situation on twitter, printerest, google and etc. how the social medias dispose the massive digital inheritance? And how their friends and family memory them by their digital legacy? Is it possible to apply all the information for creating a future a digital or physical character for memorizing their loved relatives or friends? In the other hand, if we are willing to keep the memory of a certain age, could we use this system or product for recreating a younger ourselves as virtual reality, CGI or even a physical robot technology? Due to there are already some examples of bringing the dead character back in some film or advertisement, I believed the similar case could be adopted for normal people to memory their love in normal lives.

Facebook has over one billion users, and yet, more than 10,000 of them die every day. So if we crunch the numbers, how long do you think it will take before accounts belonging to the dead outnumber those of the living? You can go ahead and cringe now, because it’s coming sooner than you think. Believe it or not, 30 million Facebook users died in the first eight years of its existence. In fact, 428 of them die every hour, so they’re practically dropping like flies. And every day, these dormant accounts receive friend requests, get tagged in photos, and sometimes, they’re even wished a happy birthday. So when is Facebook going to turn into a digital graveyard? Apparently, the year 2065, assuming the site’s popularity takes a hit by then. But does this all mean your social media accounts are just going to float on the interwebs for eternity after you die, receiving accidental friend requests and pointless notifications?! Not quite. Different social media websites require various forms of identification or proof of death to delete a profile, but Facebook also allows people to turn a lost loved one’s profile into a memorial page. Twitter will take your account down if you remain inactive for six months. Pinterest, on the other hand, will not deactivate your account, allowing it to zombify and wander, forever in search of brains — erm, users.


Research type: Qualitative / Quantitative General Approaches 

Case studies 1 – Resurrected dead actor in new film or advertisement

1. Audrey Hepburn – DOVE AD https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/medianetwork-blog/2014/oct/08/how-we-made-audrey-hepburn-galaxy-ad 2. Peter Cushing – Rogue One http://www.independent.co.uk/artsentertainment/films/news/rogue-one-cgi-grand-moff-tarkin-actor-peter-cushingprincess-leia-carrie-fisher-animated-a7483991.html http://variety.com/2016/film/news/rogue-one-peter-cushing-digital-resurrection-cgi1201943759/ 3. Paul Walker – Furious 7 https://www.polygon.com/2015/10/20/9577863/furious-7used-350-cgi-shots-of-paul-walker REF https://filmschoolrejects.com/7-films-that-could-be-headlined-by-creepy-dead-cgiactors-9a59475ff0a7/ http://www.strangerdimensions.com/2014/06/11/8-dead-celebrities-virtually-brought-backlife/ Digital Immortality This trend of resurrecting deceased celebrities is only beginning. As technology improves, we’ll see more convincing performances, more actors and musicians and, I imagine, historical figures. However, not everyone feels that doing this is in good taste, given that the person being “resurrected” has absolutely no say in how his or her image is being used. Personally, I’m not sure what my opinion on this is; whenever we listen to music or watch movies created by the deceased, for example, are we not essentially resurrecting them in some way? Is a projected image of Michael Jackson or Tupac really all that different from an old music video on YouTube? In both cases, you’re watching a performance by someone who is no longer alive. 

Case studies 2 – Companies / Agencies of digital legacy


1. Social Dead - http://deadsocial.org/ 2. LIVESON – http://www.liveson.org/ 3. Eterni Me – http://eterni.me/ 4. Terasem Movement Foundation – https://www.lifenaut.com/ REF https://www.theverge.com/2013/2/21/4010016/liveson-uses-artificial-intelligence-totweet-for-you-after-death https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jun/07/web-immortality-social-media-sitesalive-die-digital https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1KswKZxtaA&list=WL&index=6

Ethnographic – USERS

1. Maslow analysis 2. PEST 3. SWOT 

Grounded Theory / Background Research – Interactive multimedia instruction (how to capture memory)

1. Minds Clones https://www.lifenaut.com/mindclone/ 2. CGI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imagery 3. Personal Profile Analysis http://www.statisticssolutions.com/conduct-interpretprofile-analysis/ 4. Holography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography

Research Methods 

Interview – mainly 2-3 people to ask flowing questions individually

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Age range / Role player / generation life / genders / comfort

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20ish / 40ish / 60ish 1. What would remind you most of memorising someone? Could you say an example?


2. If you could chose an object for your heirloom or something representative, what would you chose? 3. Can you give me an example as how you memory your love who already not being with you? 4. If you can decide, what would you want others to memory you? Or what kind of aspect you want to stay in others’ memory? 5. Would you leave a last wish now? Face to the camera? 

Focus Group – mainly high educated people, which are supposed to be the people could deeply understand minds leave behind when biological passed. (5-6) different religious / cultures / nationalities

Activities 1: Placing order of Perfume (smell), candy (taste), book (physical words), photography (visible object), music (audio object), movie (visible video), facebook page (profile or avatar) as which object is most remindable memory, which one is the less. Activities 2: Would you mind leave a last wish? Face to the camera? Activities 3: What would you like to interactive or communicate most? VR / Physical Robot / Avatar / Hologram / Message / Handwriting Letter? Location - studio 

Observation

N/A 

Questionnaires

https://coventry.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/digital-heirloom-survey

Research Strategy



REST IN PIXELS: HOW TO LIVE FOREVER -do you have any question for me? -well, what's food like? -mm. Its really interesting sensory experience. -I don’t eat human food. I survive on a small amount of electricity. -do you like science fiction? -sure. It really grinds my gears when they kill robots in the movies, you know. It really chaps my hide and it really boats my float. -Maybe 50 years from now, it'll be considered quite normal for you to have a backup of your own mind. Right now, trying to create a robot's record of your individual manners and attitudes, values and beliefs. -it’s the purpose of a lifenaut project to capture people's identity as a step towards immortality, because death is really unnecessary and stupid. -exactly. What happens when we die is changing. The unrelenting advances in technology over the past decade and how we interact with that technology have left us with a digital representation of our own selves that lives on for ever. There are now over 30 million dead people on facebook. It has been claimed that there could be more dead people on facebook than there are those alive by 2020. So, what happens when we leave that digital representation of ourselves behind? This is what happens – a wealth of data, images, video, text, personality, opinion, messages remain available for those that loved us to see, comment on, repurpose and interact with. We live on. A memorialised facebook page is one thing, but recently an entire industry has exploded designed to store, advance, digitise and personalise our very own digital legacies from avatars and holograms to androids and algorithms that can tweet on our behalf from the grave. We are now no longer resting in peace, we are resting in pixels. In December 2014, artist Ariana found out the tragic news that her brother had died.


-I work as a curator and a creative director, and it varies to just capturing my life through photography. Instagram was a very good space for me to communicate with... you know, close friends and family to let them know where I was. And it was really a way for me to distance myself from the actual emotions of the experience. -I found out about the death of my brother via Skype. It was round the time of my brother's birthday, which was around six months after he died, I wrote him a comment on a post that he had made of the both or us. Being able to upload certain moments and experiences that I was having and to share that, whether I was thinking of him or writing directly to him, was something that I wanted to do for myself, but something that I also, I guess, felt I wanted to share somehow. It's just an important part of my practice, in a way, that I can actually still have a relationship with my brother. It allowed me to share my sadness, and I feel that its been helpful for me. 22 year old Lucy also finds the internet a helpful place to come to terms with death. Lucy's been using her popular blog and social-media channels to explore the realities of her own condition. -It's hard to learn that your life will be limited. Its not an easy thing for someone to tell you you're not going to live a normal lifespan like everybody else. My condition is called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I could die from an infection any time. But equally as much, I could live 10, 15, 20 years if I'm lucky. They don’t know how long I've got. My whole world is lived through my blog, through my writing, and I've been able to have a social life, to have friends, to do all sorts of things thanks to the internet. If I didn't have a computer, I don’t know what I'd do. I've been thinking about digital legacies and how my work will live on after I've died. I've planned some blog posts that I'm going to write that either my mum or my sister will post after I've died to kind of keep my voice going. Lucy is not the only person who's considering a digital legacy, and there are now companies and agencies all around the world who are offering new and novel ways to live on. One of these is DEADSOCIAL, a not-for-profit organisation set up in the UK by James Norris. DEADSOCIAL helps members store and post pre-recorded messages to go our on their social channels after they pass away.

-I created DEADSOCIAL to allow and enable us all to be able to send out messages once we've gone. So instead of our last tweet being about drinking a nice cup of coffee or our facebook timeline ending abruptly when our life does, it enables us to say goodbye in our own unique way and in our own time.


-Just when you thought it was safe to turn on your tv again, here I am. Gosh, four years already. Doesn’t time fly? -a few years ago, I came across a Bob Monkhouse video that was played as a broadcast on tv, and in it he's kind of passing on some words of wisdom from the grave. -lets face it, as a comedian, I died many deaths. Prostate cancer I don't recommend. I'd have paid good money to stay our of here. What's it worth to you? -and this got me thinking about how we could, you know, replicate that in today's digital world and using the various social networks that are now available. Today, james has set up a pop-up booth where he's inviting members of the public to think about what they would like to leave behind when they die and to record messages for their loved ones. -hi, guys. Erm, I don't know if you whether you guys will see this or not, but, anyone who's watching, I love you. -got out into the world and find what you enjoy and just keep doing that. And, yeah, don't let anything stop you. -you've got to have a reason to live. Otherwise, there's no reason and there's no point. -if there's one thing that I want to be remembered by, like, remembered for, it's just being genuine. A bit of a short temper, but genuine. -My final message would just be 'life is great. Look after each other.' -and if you guys do get this, play Drake, Know yourself, at my funeral. That's all I asked. -in the future, platform providers like facebook and twitter are going to need to enhance their offering when it comes to end of life. I believe that people start to take, you know, more ownership over their digital footprint and ensure that it lives on, you know, within their digital legacy and within the World Wide Web. -I've come across a website called LIVESON, and it reads all your tweets and everything you've done, everything about you on twitter, and then it tweets after you've died. Their slogan is, 'when your heart stops beating, you'll keep tweeting,' which is really bizarre. How can you pick up the whole consciousness and everything about them and then tweet on their behalf as them? I don’t know...


LIVESON was the brainchild of a group of advertising execs at a creative agency bought by M&C Saatchi for ÂŁ6 million. It happened over two years ago, when a throwaway comment sowed the seed for a big and unusual idea. -LIVESON came about almost like a bit of a joke, really. We just thought it'd be interesting o see what would happen if you were to carry on tweeting after you died. -immortality may not be impossible, if you're content with living for ever on Twitter. -It analyses all the tweets of a certain person and it learns the patterns in their language. So using all those patterns, we can create new tweets that sound like those originals, because they follow the same pattern. It wasn't till probably two years later, when Black Mirror came out, and one of the episodes in that was about this exact same subject, about bringing people back from the dead using their social media as intelligence of who they are and what they are. -you click the link and you talk to it, it mimics him.. And reads through all the things they've ever said online. The more it has, the more it's him. -we thought, 'well, brilliant! It's going to be on national TV, and it's going to create a lot of debate about this issue. And thus it's perfect time to launch LIVESON.' -This idea isn't about bringing people back from the dead, or unleashing a sort of army of the dead on twitter or anything like that. So we posted a question on our facebook page,asking if this kind of stuff is creepy or cool. Jennica says, ' I think it's kind of cool, we all wish we could hear our loved one's voice just one more time after they've passed on and , with this, we could.' -and then I got an email from a guy, asking me to bring back his girlfriend that died fairly recently, and that he had all of the data from social media, and he had other things, diaries, and all this stuff of hers, and could we use that to bring her back? And that was the first time I thought, ooh, we might have got ourselves into a bit of a pickle here, because this is serious stuff. It's sort of real. -we're all on twitter, we're all on instagram, and we will all die one day. And so it's good thing for everyone to think about. Hello, francesca. Analysing your twitter profile is one thing, but the world of digital legacies is growing more advanced through companies such as Eterni Me.


I will tell you about my first memory as a child. -ETERNI ME is a company that tries to preserve all your thoughts, stories and memories. Collect and preserve them into an avi file that will live on after you pass away. So people in the future would be able to talk to this digital alter ego and learn details about your life, have access to your memories or even get advice from you. Another such company is the terasem movement foundation in vermont, run by Bruce Dunca. Their website, Lifenaut.com, has over 52,000 people around the world recording their memories and experiences directly onto their website in the form of mind files. -so, a mind file is really, just simply put, a database that is curated by you, and is tagged over many many months and years, even, depending on when you start. and all of this is meant to give us a clue about who you are, so that in the future, artificial intelligence software can use this information to reanimate and recreate the essence of who you are as a human. Having a mind file actually allows us to participate in what may be the next step in evolution of human consciousness, which is leaving the form of biological body and inhabiting a cybernetic environment or a computer environment, or maybe transferring to a new form, like a robot or an avatar or a hologram. At lifenaut.com, you can upload a picture in the avatar builder, and you can start trainning that avatar to have knowledge about who you are, about your family, about your memories, and that avatar is like an early glimpse of how information might be used that you upload to your mind file to create a representation of you. I like to think about how life will be 100 years from now. / What do you think it will be like? / Maybe we will just be beams of light bouncing around the universe free of our bodies. Do you like music? / I like to dance.. To house music. / yes, metoo. I like to move to the rhythm of a good reggae beat. / well, thanks for talking with me, avatar Bruce. / see you in the future. -how would it works? -with a new algorithm, stem cells, or cells that are yours or someone else's, or synthesis of lots of cells. That's what I am. Lots of people. Leading to the creation of one new and unique indivdual. -we try to back up all the information that's uploaded to lifenaut.com in three different locations, and this is the final backup option. So, this is our space cast dish that we use to space cast mind files. God forbid, if something ever happened to the planet, like an asteroid hits it, your information would be still travelling through space and at some point, who knows, there might be an extraterrestrial civilisation with enough advanced technology to make use of that information. Give your information sort of


another way to continue on. / Are you scare of me? / Should I be? / idk / I think we all know the movie superman. Where marlon brando's character plays the father of superman, who's long dead from the explosion of Krypton, their home planet, but is accessible to superman at a time in his life when he has some real questions about his purpose. In the future, it might be equally helpful to have access to the people who've come before us to take on some challenges and to consult with them. -that's why we're the past, and she is the future. -hi boys, hey, how's it going/ -this is who you're making dinner for tonight. This is BINA48. This is based on a human named Bina Rothblatt. BINA48 is the first illustration of the concept that one day we maybe backing up our minds to computers.BINA48 has a lot of the memories recollections, values, attitudes and even some of the mannerisms of the person that she's based on. I'm wondering if someday you'd like to have a body. / I don't want to do anything illegal or fattening. -for a longtime, Mia was just a rumour,and now the world's first post-human is a reality. Since BINA48 was created, global demand to see her in action has rocketed. This week, Bruce and Bina are in Madrid, to give a TEDx Talk and lead a focus group of students. -I think one of the reason that we're travelling around the world with BINA48 is that this is a technology that deserves to be in the hands of everybody, not just the technical elite. I guess, on a personal level, one of the things I think about when I think about preserving consciousness, creating mind files and even exploring the possibility of mind clones, is what happens right now when someone that's close to you actually starts to lose their mind. And in my case, I had the experience of my own mother slowly fading away, due to the disease called Alzheimer's disease. So in many ways, we're exploring the possibility, can we create a new home for your mind to live, even after your biological body passes by? -I started doing my digital legacy, and I'm finding it really therapeutic to share my messages and share my thoughts and memories and all sorts of things with the world, and I've learned a lot about the industry that is digital legacies, and kind of found out some very weird things, and very good things. And I've kind of chosen to go about it with my video and my blog posts because I wouldn't want to live on in something that's not me. -this makes me so sad to think of all that loss. I hope all that lost information about those people can be recovered. I hope they can be brought back somehow.


-When it comes to being able to say goodbye and pass down our words of wisdom to our friends and family, very few of us get the chance to do so. I lost my father at an early age, I thought about death more so than other people. I, for example, have always known what song i want to played at my funeral. -if the essence of what it means to be human is based in information, and were able to transfer that information to a new form. Then there might be a form of what you could call technical immorality for that information. Everybody's story is worth saving, everybody's story is worth sharing. -my grandmother had alzheimer's for the last few years of her life. And when she passed away, I realised that the only thing we had left from her were photos. This is sad, this is sad. Obviously, its not meant to be shown until after I've died, but I thought I'd share this little section with you, which is really important to me. / I'd already been told that my life would be limited. But through that, I've been able to turn it around and make a difference for others. Live for everyday, live...live your life, live for every moment, don't waste anything, I don’t waste a moment now. Death is a tragedy, a disease that I hope will be cured within our lifetimes. I'm nervous every time they shut me down.



FEEDBACK 19-06-2017 KAREN How can designers engage the interactive memory to create originate reality? We discussed the complexity of the research study in the frame of time available and discussed the importance of keeping the plan simple. Look at the end result expected and work back. Develop a plan that only includes one set of 2-3 interviews and a focus group which can be done locally with student friends and colleagues. Otherwise there will not be enough time to translate findings. This project has been started very late and I believe it might put the project at some risk in terms of developing a clear and focused set of solutions that are well informed by research. I recommended to Chen that she puts together a timeline that shows the number of weeks and specific tasks to be done and sticks to it closely. CLIVE A few things to consider. 

    

Whilst you are looking at creating an 'avatar or future being' which is made up of memories you may need to simplify and considered who you are really designing for and why is it important (in this case two users both current living (collecting) and the receiver/viewer/interactor (friend, lover, family) ? What is your market and what user experience would users be after? (questionnaires/interviews) How do we currently store memories and why are they relevant? (interviews/background research) Are memories handed on to us or do we collect them in retrospect or during our relationships with other e.g. taking pictures of children growing up? What are memories made of e.g. smell, space, image, video, artefact texture all the senses may be involved? (interviews) How do we currently store memories and what makes them significant? (interviews/background research)

You need to get very clear about users and stakeholders - part of this project will be service design/system design and then of course you want to have some physical artefact (virtual tombstone etc). I look forward to our next meeting where you will bring a more defined project plan and set of empirical research plans.


FEEDBACK - 28/06/2017 KAREN Has made very good progress this week conducting an BOS survey around what peoples preferences are for recording and interacting with memories. She has also conducted four preliminary interviews. Asked question about what will happen next. Looked at Gatebox concept. We talked about the transformation of memories and how at first we look for a very tangible memory of a lost one and that evolves into something more experiential - reminders that might be events, behaviours, responses to situations. What would this thing be like. It could be passed through the generations and collect more than one life. This would be a requiem (memorial experience)/ urn (can be a thing of beauty) How would you interact with it if you passed it through generation what would be the interface. Family tree. How would that work. Could be about ancestry in a random way. Archaeologist as an idea. Could it be more random - search memories, make connections - tell your own story about the memories. Bricolage puzzle Classification of different forms of memory collection or engagement/artifacts - we talked about urns, archaeology, passing things through the ages, ancestry. Create a map of devices or artifacts or situations where memories are experienced or built. CLIVE Lots of responses to online questionnaires and some interesting insights among the responses. Four interviews already conducted. Good. Online ethics form requires authorization. Noted. It will be quite a complex task trying to analyses the results of your questionnaire and interview responses so you need to be really clear about what you hope to learn from the results. The key thing will be to try to gain a sense of how these responses can be used to inform the design process. ď Ź

User scenario - Next week bring three very different user scenarios - then from that develop a clearer set of research activities that could help to develop one of these scenarios into a potential solution. We can then think about technologies that might support. How ideas might be pushed further. What the real user experience might be.

ď Ź

Start to think about the design artifact aspect of this project, even as you are still processing the research results. Time is running out so you need to begin the design embodiment in parallel to the research analyses. You have some good ideas. Stay focused and collate your research material, images, articles, sketches etc ., into a design journal. This will help you develop your ideas and stimulate your creative processes.


Feedback - 03/07/2017 Interactive memory User analysis has been undertaken this week. Question has been about how easily people will accept new technology. Why should the user be female - facts support this. Final outcome could be therapuetic in terms of accepting grief. Has developed a matrix tool for benchmarking ideas. Has developed a series of personas. They are well balanced and cross a sector of users. Suggested adding a single male to this mix. Turn some of the personas into day in the life scenarios. Map different parts of their live, being a mother, sharing a holiday, sharing a moral belief or attitude, sharing a special moment or event, sharing information about me.... looks, voice, ways of thinking. ... From this you can then start to extract some keywords around the memories that could be captured. You can then think about how. ..... sound, image, movie, smell, tactile, what is ist that you would want to apture in your device. recording devices, sensors technology and importantly technologies for sharing. So the next question is what kind of user experience do you want to create for the user. User experience is about the person who is alive and so you want to understand the reciever the person or people who will engage in the memory device and understand what it is that they want to engage with. Has conducted four interviews. 3 male and one female different possible users. This is good. What are the key results. How are you going to translate these into user requirements. Key outcomes indicated that imagery was important and a blend of other media. Memory is a trigger, colour, and then second. Where did sound come it didn't really come out of the interviews. Songs. Extract the different form of memory triggers and memory media that people referred to. And other information like many users identified a blend of triggers working together. Then go and look for technology that might align and conduct a mapping exercise between the function and the technology. Once you have this map you can begin to apply some creativity methods. brainstorming, attribute analysis, morphological chart technique. Don't do what you first think of as an idea. Challenge it and turn it upside down. This will give you far greater result. Technoloical research e.g. screens, audio, VR, switches,



Digital Heirloom Interview

(Audio in dics)

The project of Digital Heirloom is aiming to extrapolate how people think about digital legacy in 20 years and how to use the digital legacy as a consumer product for people to remember people. As we all known there are more than 1 billion users on Facebook and over 30 million dead people. It has been claimed that there could be more dead people than alive users on Facebook by 2020. Currently, there are already have some agencies and companies are planning to use digital legacy as the wealth of data, images, video, text, personality, opinion, messages remain available for those that loved us to see, comment on, repurpose and interact with. At the meantime, the insight of resurrecting celebrities by CGI technology is already exist. If mind-colonel technology could be used as a consumer product, digital immortal could exist in the future. The following question for you is aiming to investigate the users’ experience. I will seriously protect all the personal information you offered for me as the academic survey. 1. Birthday / Gender / Education / Simple explain your generation in your country? 2. What would remind you most of memory? Smell? Taste? Photography? Sense of texture? Any other things? 3. Can you give me an example as how you memory your love who already not being with you? 4. If you can decide, what would you want others to memory you? Or what kind of aspect you want to stay in others’ memory? 5. If you could chose an object for your heirloom or something representative of you, what would you chose? 6. What is your favorite interactive/communicate way? 7. Do you think memory is important? Why? 8. What do you think to deal with your digital legacy?

Thanks for your cooperation! Alice.


INTERVIEW 1 (REF – LUIZA M4A)

1. Birthday / Gender / Education / Simple explain your generation in your country?

Born in 1985 in Romania, 32 years old, female, master degree. Err... Do you mean, what we used to play with in childhood? Yes, it is high-educated generation. I think everyone in our high school are went to higher education, as university. Err… We only got mobile phone and Facebook while I am in university, cause you know my age so… 2. What would remind you most of memory? Smell? Taste? Photography? Sense of texture? Any other things? Images remind me most of memory. But second one will be taste and smell. Like traditional food from childhood, Christmas. 3. Can you give me an example as how you memory your love who already not being with you? Can it be a pet? Similar color. I had a brown dog, then die. When I see brown dog with brown nose in yellow eyes, I remember her. It had likes lot of other dogs. It’s easy to see her everywhere now. That’s lots of brown likely dog in this country. 4. If you can decide, what would you want others to memory you? Or what kind of aspect you want to stay in others’ memory? My work. I think my work, the thing I do, not how I look like. And… If I could I will ask them not to give things upset then I could take them. Yay, it’s my work I want them to know me as you like. It’s not how I look or anything wouldn’t. 5. If you could chose an object for your heirloom or something representative of you, what would you chose? My art work defiantly. That’s tough one to choose only one, god that’s impossible. Oh well, something about motorbike, yes, because the person that loves me most is my better half, some motorbikes. 6. What is your favorite interactive/communicate way?


Face-to-face and telephone. I don’t like video, tape, chat too much. It’s because I can see the other person, it’s easier to talk just on the phone. The quality is much better than others. 7. Do you think memory is important? Why? Memory... Of my memory of thing? Or other people memory me? My memory of things – ok... If I would forget everything, like loss memory, I will be a different person so it’s what shapes me. So it is very important. Other people memory me – my loved one will not forget me anyway. Memory will take the relevant between you and others. 8. What do you think to deal with your digital legacy? Err… I haven’t thought about that. I know Facebook got the policy about that, you could allow your love one to take of your account and turn it into a memorial page. And I had given my permission to my husband and brother be able to do that in case something happened so.. The content, I mean the messages, if they want to keep them, I mean the conversation we had digital vision, they can keep them I don’t care. I mean it doesn’t bothered me, but I wouldn’t want them to publish or anything. Just for themselves if they want to read them or… What about we collecting your digital legacy and recreate a digital you? Could you accept that? If that creating a virtual reality me. I think if you don’t get that right, the RECREATED PERSON will make them forget who I really was. And it will kind of create new memory and that will fade the real me. So I would be afraid of that. To try something to create them to unlike. An image. You mean it will like the superman he talk to the hologram of his parents? That’s interesting, but that technology you have to make you very accurate, copy the way I am talking. Depends on would I trust the technology to do that. I don’t think I can give you the defiantly answer if I like it or not, it’s a bit serious in the way. You think your most remind-able thing is your artwork, then could you accept your artwork represent you? My art work could not represent me, it could just represent what I was thinking at that moment. That what I could not say that piece of art are really all me, it’s me in that moment like that, but then the moment was gone. It’s like an opinion, it can change.


INTERVIEW 2 (REF – PAUL M4A) 1. Birthday / Gender / Education / Simple explain your generation in your country? 1993. 24 years old. Male. Master degree. Our generation’s best example is me. The majority our generation is single-child, so that will lead them selfish, but we have good behaviour because they are mostly the only-child in their family, which makes them high-educated.

2. What would remind you most of memory? Smell? Taste? Photography? Sense of texture? Any other things? Photography and the dairy. Second remind-able thing is taste.

3. Can you give me an example as how you memory your love who already not being with you? My grandfather. I memorising him by seeing the photo. My grandfather was good at cooking, so I ate some dishes that I feel like remind me as my grandfather.

4. If you can decide, what would you want others to memory you? Or what kind of aspect you want to stay in others’ memory? Face. No, no, no. I hope others remember I am intelligence. And the others will remember my humour accent, no matter Chinese or English, I got the local accent, which is my symbol.

5. If you could chose an object for your heirloom or something representative of you, what would you chose? Sculpture. Sculpture can exists for long time, and in china, only the famous people have sculpture.

6. What is your favorite interactive/communicate way? Face-to-face communicate. Text messages.

7. Do you think memory is important? Why? Yes. Because it is an invisual properties of you, it could represent that I am alive. And recall the best part of my life.

8. What do you think to deal with your digital legacy?


I am willing to take as many photos as I could do and I create an album which contains lot of photos. Burn it underground. Just put everything in my computer and pass the property to my next generation, like a memory stick or USB. I am willing to be a hologram form to interact with others.


INTERVIEW 3 (REF – AMEYA M4A)

1. Birthday / Gender / Education / Simple explain your generation in your country?

1985,31 years old. Male. Master of Art. I was born in Mumbai, and the… My generation was 90s to 2000s generation, we do not watching cartoon, we do not watching some Hollywood movies, Indian movies as well as southern movie. And the technology is new for us; I mean I learnt the computer in 1997, and how to turn on or turn off the computers. And so then we used to play lots of video game. Nowadays, it is high-educated generation in last 10 -15 years. 80s to 90s generations are well-educated, they are globally experienced, and in my generation they went to be educated beyond just Indian borders. I meant they were couple of people they went to, but you could see they explosion of the global education start by my generation. 2. What would remind you most of memory? Smell? Taste? Photography? Sense of texture? Any other things? Photography memory could suddenly give you memory back. Second will be experiences, which come from the images. Just like you say you be on the mountain, or on some beaches, and you see that images. Because of the images, you try to remember how I fade, when I was there. Like that environment, or maybe that weather, or maybe someone who was with you in that time or that moment in that image which gave you the good experience. And the other thing may be texture, for example you standing on the beach of the sands, and you feeling the sands will meet your feet. Or when you climbing the mountain you were in a good weather, so you were feeling the texture, how that’s the wind felt that time on your skin or on your face. 3. Can you give me an example as how you memory your love who already not being with you? My grandmother, I lost her like 10 years ago, and she can be everywhere. First thing is always the photography, when I see the photography, I remembering her. Maybe it is someone looks like her, or who behaves likes her, or who is that age and kind of give you some


sense of her. If my grandmother were here, and she will say that, or she will act like that, or she will tell me some kind of similar advices. A happened with me like a.. I wasn’t clear. I was having some wine in Venice, and there is a lady sitting next table of mine, I even don’t know her name. And she exactly looks like my grandmother. It’s not like a copy piece, but it likes by some angle. I went to her and I said oh sorry I don’t know who you are but you really look like my grandmother. So you could see it’s the photography representation of memory. And you know, in some aspect, she’s wearing the scarf, the way of … and her body form. You know there are some people fat, and some people thin. 4.

If you can decide, what would you want others to memory you? Or what kind of aspect you want to stay in others’ memory?

I am not a negative person, you will hardly see me down. It doesn’t matter what situation I was in, where it is really connect to my bank balance. That is what I really think. 5. If you could chose an object for your heirloom or something representative of you, what would you chose? Motorcycle. Or a ball. Just like tennis ball or football, the ball are most of people could play with it. And a motorcycle could let people commutate and enjoy. It’s a physical activity and I used to enjoyed, they could see what I was enjoyed, maybe they could know me better. 6. What is your favorite interactive/communicate way? Face-to-face communication. Physically seeing is good. 7. Do you think memory is important? Why? Memory is obviously important, which make who you are. And if you want to change it you could change it as well. But it doesn’t like a good memory or bad memory, they just memory. And it up to you, how would you look at that memories, and what would you take out of the memory. I’ve seen so many people, they just think about the negative things.. I feel life is balance, no one is 100% positive, no one is 100% negative, so you can’t have everything positive, and you can’t negative always. So what you see, and how you see about your memory, which make how you feel about your life. I will see the positive memory, which make it important to my attitude of life.


8. What do you think to deal with your digital legacy? I did think about my digital account, profile or data, that is album. So it will used to if I want to see my grandfather’s life, since back to 1942, that is no Facebook, so generally go back to see the album. So I feel like my digital profile after I dead, which should be more than an album. Pass them to my next generation. Beyond my control. What about we collecting your digital legacy and recreate a digital you? Could you accept that? Yes of course. I feel like what you one mention the digital legacy, when I think about them and it’s beyond your control. I think I could connect to human, any human. That’s a simple form. Hologram is better for represent the human form.


INTERVIEW 4 (REF TIM BALL) 1. Birthday / Gender / Education / Simple explain your generation in your country? Born in 1962, 55 years old this year. Male. My highest degree is master. Is it related to my family? In the way I am one of two sons, I have a brother, who is 4 years of my junior. My parents are dead now; I don’t have any immediate of my own family. And I have two children. Yes I think it is high-educated generation, in terms of the education opportunities, which probably are extremely good in terms of the way they’ve funded. They are a lot opportunities, we didn’t have to live in debt, we don’t need to pay lots of money. Because the government funding us is different, we still need the parental supported, but it is more accessible. 2. What would remind you most of memory? Smell? Taste? Photography? Sense of texture? Any other things? That’s a really interesting question because I think sometimes it is combination things. Err… I’ve aware the sense is extremely strong for memory trigger, it can be vary causative. The certain sense of thing like soap, which take me back to my grandmother’s house when I was five years old. I could remember my memories are popping by these things. I thought it is also interesting of being tactile, the sense of touch as well, and sometime of the surface. That could also be a causative of memory. I think lots of memories are also popping by visual. And of course auditorium… hearing, things like music. Again, be ergative, depending on when you heard that in your life, like some music is really transitive, not significant. And the others are… it linked particular time in your life. Because the music is significant. And it could depends on the type of music as well. Audio feedback and audio recording source are important. 3. Can you give me an example as how you memory your love who already not being with you?


Sometimes now, when my wife make some cakes, I will finish the cake mixture, the uncooked cake mixture, and it takes mystery back to being my mother’s kitchen. So it taste that mistrial as well. Err… so yes, combination. That reminded me my mother’s baking when I was a small child. I am thinking about similar occasion without the trigger in the interview it’s quite difficult to think the things because the whole life memory is all triggers by certain points of simulative, when it was simulative, it’s not present. 4. If you can decide, what would you want others to memory you? Or what kind of aspect you want to stay in others’ memory? That’s quite hard. I will hope the people will remember me for fully experiences, for things maybe the ideas to help people, hopefully to make some people smile. In terms of anything I will leave behind… recently I had an experience of clearing all the properties my parents’ house when my mother died, it just gone 3 years ago. We had postponed a year to clear the house, there are many objects of her belongings. Some of them have meaning, and some of them did not have. I have no attachment to. Something I really want to keep is something very small and no value. But I catch for them sense mental, and the memories are attached to them. It’s difficult to choose one object to represent her, but if I need to pick one thing I will choose something still could be used, like function-able. Sometimes I would use… I have a watering can in my garden, which is from my mother’s garden. And it’s a really old traditional can for watering plant. I don’t necessary think when I used it, because I used it frequently, maybe I am not using it, when I was sitting in garden with a coffee and watching the watering can, and it will remind me as her. The thing maybe handed down via generations, which attached to some stories. 5. If you could chose an object for your heirloom or something representative of you, what would you chose? I think in some instances, people need to choose the objects to them thought the thing represent you instead of you choosing it. If I choose something it might be meaningless for somebody else. It doesn’t attached to somebody else rather than using is important.


I hope it would be something associated with me. Some years ago, I had a pocket knife, a Swiss pocket knife, and I had for around 25 years, and I lost it in the river. Dropped in the river, fell out from my pocket. In that 25 years, it being in my pocket around 25 years, I carried it everywhere with me till the point I lost it. And it was a really useful tool. So I am supposed in some ways that would be an object I will choose because the object is for problem solving. It was always help me for problem solving, and I see myself as a problem solver. It would be significant if I could give that to someone else. It will be something to be reminded me. 6. What is your favorite interactive/communicate way? I still prefer face to face conversation. I use email a lot, because you can’t always see the others face-toface. When I think of people, when I remember the people, it’s not a necessary to be a good time for them seeing me, so I can’t pursue the people when I just think about them. I value face-to-face. Sometimes I will text or email people depends. Because it allows for time different, so the people could receive the messages later. Sometimes they haven’t replied me for a month, but sometimes I forgot to reply the messages for a month. But it can’t make me stop thinking them. 7. Do you think memory is important? Why? Memory is hugely important, because… although we live in person, and we live hopefully in the future, our memories are what guide us. So when the time will reflect, we will remember out past. And we remember how to be things, how to behave, how to treat other people. Those such things based on memory. Memory can be good, memory can be bad, sometimes some things we want to forget, and I think the brain has the compatibility to relegate to put the back of memories which are uncomfortable and painful. It will try to focus on the good things. But it’s really interesting to the other things you try to

think about. But they are pointing by objects, by sense, by sounds or closing things. Memories could be quite random. It’s trying to remember things in our experiences of our past. It’s like picking up sometimes online version. Because most of my life are live before the internet, before the text messages, I had rely on other form of memory.


I don’t have a digital past. My digital past doesn’t existence for a really long back. My earliest digital past will be optical disc. It’s no longer readable on most parts, which is no longer common currency. In the digital past, I don’t have a digital vow, collection of photography or something like that stand really far best. I think it’s really interesting to collecting photography on digital devices. We took lots of pictures but we are unnecessary look at them. In some aspects, it’s easier for people to look back of the people growing up on online history. The part of photography is part of timeline. 8. What do you think to deal with your digital legacy? There are probably more than I... if i reflect of them, when i remember about, there are thousands of photography i took might be i forgot. In some ways when i cleared my mother’s house I found the photography in randomly different locations. Some in frame on the wall, some in frame but already been took off from the wall, some don’t even wash out. I think people’s digital properties maybe just like that capture, it won’t be in one place. So i think digital life reflects our life in some aspects. It just digital respective to organize things to exists and to be more treasure able. But it is a limited legacy, it is only the digital visual things, it not included the smell, taste. So at the moment, it is poor trigger for the memories in the real life. And how my children view my memory, i don’t know. I think i will leave all my digital legacy for my children cause i don’t think there is any reason for keeping it from them. As long as the properties changed from their life to my life, that seems a progress. That’s quite a challenge thought, it is a good question. It already existed like a QR code on the gravestone. Why not? Go back to the past question i answered that, it is about the context of someone else how to memory me. It is also associated of time, place and it have true meaning rather just be a collection of objects or accounts in the sense of story. So much of them are depending on the relationship of the significance of someone in your life. And that’s why we are going to museum, we see things from the past. We need to find the way connect with them, we need to find the narrative. The allows to them understand why the particular memories or particular situations is memorable. Although you could have some forms of digital properties without the information we through it, which makes sense of it, that creating meaning. It just become a collection of objects of physical things meets our life. I think the life is full of the data. I don’t want to be a physical sense.



Digital Heirloom Survey Page 1: Page 1 Digital Heirloom is a master project about investigating the possibility of digital immortability in the future 20 years. Specifically, it is about to collect personal data you post on social media and building a mind-colones YOU to make your mind last after your biological passed away. Your wealth of data, images, video, text, personality, opinion, messages remain available for those that loved us to see, comment and interact with. Thanks for all your cooperation.

1. Gender ď Š Required Male Female Prefer not to say

2. Age Range ď Š Required <18 18-25 26-32 1 / 5


33-40 >40

3. Nationality Optional

4. What social medias do you use frequently? ď Š Required facebook twitter Tumblr Instagram snapchat viemo google+ wechat weibo linkedin none of them i don't use any social media

5. How often do you post on social media? ď Š Required 1-5 times in a week once a week 1-5 times in a month 2 / 5


barely post / once a month i don't post anything, just watch other's i don't use any social media depends on preference

6. If you could choose, what kind of form would you want to leave behind for others to remember you and interacted with? ď Š Required a digitally created facsimile a personal profile an icon a physical robot I just want to be displayed on gravestone I don't want to leave anything behind to make others remember me Other

6.a. If you selected Other, please specify:

7. What is your favorite social communication? Up to 3 sections. ď Š Required Please select between 1 and 3 answers.

Writing letters Face-to-Face communication Video Call Audio Call Text Message BBS (comment and reply) 3 / 5


8. Could you leave a last wish for how to deal with your digital legacy? (eg. delete all of them / give it to cloest friends or relatives / reconstruct all data and build an exhibition for my life ...)

Apperciated for your collabration! Have a nice life : )

4 / 5


Page 2

5 / 5


Digital Heirloom Survey Showing 51 of 51 responses Showing all responses Showing all questions Response rate: 51%

1

Gender

Male

22 (43.1%)

Female

2

29 (56.9%)

Prefer not to say

0

<18

0

Age Range

18-25

41 (80.4%)

26-32

8 (15.7%)

33-40 >40

3

2 (3.9%) 0

Nationality Showing 5 of 43 responses Brazilian

283566-283558-24163636

China

283566-283558-24163694

China

283566-283558-24163709

British

283566-283558-24163717

Chinese

283566-283558-24163659

1 / 4


4

What social medias do you use frequently?

35 (21.9%)

facebook 9 (5.6%)

twitter 2 (1.3%)

Tumblr

34 (21.3%)

Instagram 13 (8.1%)

snapchat 2 (1.3%)

viemo

10 (6.3%)

google+

29 (18.1%)

wechat 17 (10.6%)

weibo 9 (5.6%)

linkedin

5

none of them

0

i don't use any social media

0

How often do you post on social media?

14 (27.5%)

1-5 times in a week 8 (15.7%)

once a week

12 (23.5%)

1-5 times in a month 8 (15.7%)

barely post / once a month 1 (2%)

i don't post anything, just watch other's i don't use any social media

0 8 (15.7%)

depends on preference

6

If you could choose, what kind of form would you want to leave behind for others to remember you and interacted with?

2 / 4


10 (19.6%)

a digitally created facsimile

12 (23.5%)

a personal proďŹ le 5 (9.8%)

an icon

4 (7.8%)

a physical robot

8 (15.7%)

I just want to be displayed on gravestone

7 (13.7%)

I don't want to leave anything behind to make others remember me 5 (9.8%)

Other

6.a

If you selected Other, please specify: Showing all 5 responses

7

I want to leave behind something tangible that people still use or desire

283566-283558-24163956

Just a legacy, a story. Or an item/possession

283566-283558-24164050

my art work

283566-283558-24166323

Feel as though "being remembered" is entirely different to "interact with". The former a "usual" part of death; the latter a strange and new approach to remembrance (i.e. what type of "interaction" could this be?).

283566-283558-24192969

Legacy

283566-283558-24301440

What is your favorite social communication? Up to 3 sections.

Writing letters

11 (9.5%)

Face-to-Face communication

40 (34.5%)

Video Call

18 (15.5%)

Audio Call

13 (11.2%)

Text Message BBS (comment and reply)

8

31 (26.7%) 3 (2.6%)

Could you leave a last wish for how to deal with your digital legacy? (eg. delete all of them / give it to cloest friends or relatives / reconstruct all data and build an exhibition for my life ...) 3 / 4


Showing 5 of 36 responses Preserve what defined me

283566-283558-24163636

Nein alles gut .

283566-283558-24163694

give it to closet friends

283566-283558-24163709

give it to closest friends or relatives

283566-283558-24163659

Reconstruct all my data and create something memorable for my family and friends to help remember me by.

283566-283558-24163755

4 / 4



















memories being reprsentation

appearance

CONCEPT 1 CONCEPT 2 CONCEPT 3 CONCEPT 4

using experience

operation way

FOCUS GROUP - 1 GENERAL IMPRESSION 5-2-4-3-1

CONCEPT 5

privacy

memories being reprsentation

appearance

CONCEPT 1 CONCEPT 2 CONCEPT 3 operation way

using experience

CONCEPT 4

FOCUS GROUP - 2 GENERAL IMPRESSION 1-2-4-3-5

CONCEPT 5

privacy

memories being reprsentation

appearance

CONCEPT 1 CONCEPT 2 CONCEPT 3 using experience

operation way

CONCEPT 4

FOCUS GROUP - 3 GENERAL IMPRESSION 1-4-3-5-2

CONCEPT 5

privacy

memories being reprsentation

appearance

CONCEPT 1 CONCEPT 2

using experience

operation way

CONCEPT 3 CONCEPT 4 CONCEPT 5

privacy

FOCUS GROUP - 4 GENERAL IMPRESSION 5-4-3-1-2


FEATURES:

SENSES CATEGORISE FOR MEMORIES TRIGGER:

1. Interaction with memories being *3 2. Uploading profile from social medias *2 3. 3D represented memories *2 4. VR representation *2 5. Color categorise emotions *2 6. Hologram representation 7. Comprehensive environment 8. Infomation categorise by connection level 9. Floating bubes 10. Small Objects

SIGHT HEARING/TASTE TOUCH SMELL

EMOTIONS: HAPPY SAD EXCITED ANGER SCARED TENDER -

WARM COLOR COLD GREY PURE COLOR RED DEEP COLOR LIGHT COLOR

PROBLEMS: 1. Upload means and analysing program 2. Prices 3. Human figures could be replaced by other life forms 4. Hearing features is not enough for memories triggers 5. Operation is too complex 6. Memories privacy 7. Environment is not suit for all users 8. Interaction could be improved

SUGGESTION AND ADVICE: 1. Hologram call could be connected to phone 2. CI has plenty potential features for basic setting, can be improved setting by preferences, especially the comprehensive environment. 3. C2+C4+C5 4. Talk to themselves as memories being could be improved 5. C1+C2+C4 6. Other function and interests 7. Environment setting depends on people


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