Preserving Memories
Lead Design & Research
2019
Ethnographic Research, Secondary Research, Masters Thesis, Generative Design Research, Trend Analysis, Technology Review, Insights, Actionable Opportunities
How can you redefine journaling or record keeping in an age of infinite, instant, and digital memories?
Preserving Information
Recording history has always been a valuable part of human existence. There are the first records dating back 5000 years and finding ancient ruins, and we spend time searching old government and family documents. Society has always valued this recording and recalling information.
Information Age
Now more than ever, we are dealing with information overload. The stacks of papers and print outs are now stored on tiny flash drives but just hard to find. We have so much new content being created and consumed every day, not to mention our digital photos accumulating on every smart device.
SAVING EVERYTHING=SAVING NOTHING
Generative Research Goals
Understand the motives for keepingmemories (encoding)What are the different types of memories and methods for keeping them?What are the reasons for each memory and method?
Understand they see the world of preserving memories (storage) What role does recording take place inimportant memories?What is the ideal world of memory keeping?
Understand how they see themselves / envision their own future (retrieval)How do they use their past to shape their future?What would help them in the future?
Interview Participants
Journaler | Leadership Consultant | PhD Student | Medical Resident | Storyboard Illustrator |
Stay at home mother | Recent empty nester | Away from her home | New knowledge and opportunities | Following her passion |
Photographer | Family home and parent memories | Spends time researching | Talk through experiences to revisit | Enjoys spending time with others |
Keeps records and photos of everything | Tyranny of time | Known as the memory keeper | Relies on others to help capture | Silent observations of others |
Best Practices in Industry
Author | Freelance Designer | Photographer | Graphic Designer |
Novels, short stories, | Constant Notetaker | Keeps her very favorite personal photos only | Commuter / In the shower ideas |
Scrivener | Filtering physical notes in the process of documenting / preserving | 2 hard drives, cloud, computer | Too lazy to set up Rocketbook Dropmark & Bear tools |
Records everything as a brain dump Sort between valuable to save and useful in moment Private thoughts to be destroyed | System that won’t lose invested time Reactive system | To see progression and growth Consistent records | Bridge between a desktop and phone Browse a sketchbook after the fact |
Expert Insights
Clinical Social Worker | Founder & CEO / Lumin AI |
Therapy can be:Supportive - Basic “problems” Insightful - Deeper level of thinking | Topic Drift (pre tagging or too much tagging) |
Tracking themes, recurring topics | Privacy vs. Collaborative Filtering |
Personal narratives are really important | Cultural Bias or Echo Chamber |
Themes to Explore
Physical VS Digital
Relationships to others
Sharing with others
Journey to where we are today
Living in the moment
Elements of self
Designated roles
Looking forward
Sharing sweetness
Sensory stores
Everyday life
This research was used to support dexter, a digital tool to help organize your information.
How can you redefine journaling or record keeping in an age of infinite, instant, and digital memories?
Preserving Information
Recording history has always been a valuable part of human existence. There are the first records dating back 5000 years and finding ancient ruins, and we spend time searching old government and family documents. Society has always valued this recording and recalling information.
Information Age
Now more than ever, we are dealing with information overload. The stacks of papers and print outs are now stored on tiny flash drives but just hard to find. We have so much new content being created and consumed every day, not to mention our digital photos accumulating on every smart device.
SAVING EVERYTHING=SAVING NOTHING
Generative Research Goals
Understand the motives for keepingmemories (encoding)What are the different types of memories and methods for keeping them?What are the reasons for each memory and method?
Understand they see the world of preserving memories (storage) What role does recording take place inimportant memories?What is the ideal world of memory keeping?
Understand how they see themselves / envision their own future (retrieval)How do they use their past to shape their future?What would help them in the future?
Interview Participants
Journaler | Leadership Consultant | PhD Student | Medical Resident | Storyboard Illustrator |
Stay at home mother | Recent empty nester | Away from her home | New knowledge and opportunities | Following her passion |
Photographer | Family home and parent memories | Spends time researching | Talk through experiences to revisit | Enjoys spending time with others |
Keeps records and photos of everything | Tyranny of time | Known as the memory keeper | Relies on others to help capture | Silent observations of others |
Best Practices in Industry
Author | Freelance Designer | Photographer | Graphic Designer |
Novels, short stories, | Constant Notetaker | Keeps her very favorite personal photos only | Commuter / In the shower ideas |
Scrivener | Filtering physical notes in the process of documenting / preserving | 2 hard drives, cloud, computer | Too lazy to set up Rocketbook Dropmark & Bear tools |
Records everything as a brain dump Sort between valuable to save and useful in moment Private thoughts to be destroyed | System that won’t lose invested time Reactive system | To see progression and growth Consistent records | Bridge between a desktop and phone Browse a sketchbook after the fact |
Expert Insights
Clinical Social Worker | Founder & CEO / Lumin AI |
Therapy can be:Supportive - Basic “problems” Insightful - Deeper level of thinking | Topic Drift (pre tagging or too much tagging) |
Tracking themes, recurring topics | Privacy vs. Collaborative Filtering |
Personal narratives are really important | Cultural Bias or Echo Chamber |
Themes to Explore
Physical VS Digital
Relationships to others
Sharing with others
Journey to where we are today
Living in the moment
Elements of self
Designated roles
Looking forward
Sharing sweetness
Sensory stores
Everyday life
This research was used to support dexter, a digital tool to help organize your information.