How Can Designers Manipulate Digital Memories To Create New Alternative Realities'?

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 via a new mean of interaction in the future
assistance for shaping my thoughts in regardless physically or psychologically. No
this project. Especially Clive Hilton and matter what I am always supporting him as
Karen Bull, who both are intelligence and a senior sister.
incredible for guiding me through the — YURU CHEN
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
Figure 0. Timeline of Life (Author owns the picture)
Abstract
—
Since we have entered the era of information First one is observing the significance
explosion, what we would leave behind and composition of memory, which is
has been changed. Meanwhile, the digital the reason why this topic is valuable for
legacies as well as the recorded memories researching. Afterwards, the agreeable
are essential evidence as someone’s approaches for manipulating recollection
exists. Manipulating digital memories to as well as representing alternative realities
create new ‘alternative realities’ as a new are the essence for second stage. As a
experience for remembering someone is consequence, the final outcome is deduced
the contemporary insight in future 20 years. from the conclusions of above investigation.
Actually, this insight has already adopted Eventually, the final proposal as digital
and been developing by some digital legacy heirloom is embodying by the summaries
agencies and investigating organization in from above research as well as the evaluation
some case. by focus group.
To focus on this insight, the project is aiming In short, the intention of this project is to
to determine the acceptable alternative infer a solution as an ‘alternative realities’ in
realities by manipulating digital memory as future from manipulating digital information
a material in future 20 years. This project in future 20 years by the deducible evidences
demonstrates the investigation in three of people’s acceptances, technology
perspectives. possibilities and user’s segmentation.
CONTENTS
Introduction 01
Part
1
02 1.0 Design Research Activities 09 1.4 Various Requirements for
Diverse Users
and Methodologies
1.4.1 Research Objectives 09
1.1 The Composition and Value of 1.4.2 Method of Investigation 09
02 Memories 1.4.3 Conclusion 10
1.1.1 Research Objectives 02 12 2.0 Analysis and Summary

1.1.2 Method of Investigation 03 from the Research Detection
1.1.3 Conclusion 03
Composition and application of memories
Significance of Memories 3.0 Design Research
13 Conclusion Specification
and/or Final Design Brief
1.2 The Form of Memory being For
04 Users to Communicate With 3.1 Design Performance Specifica-
tion 13
1.2.1 Research Objectives 05 3.2 Design Brief 14
1.2.2 Method of Investigation 05
Case Studies
Questionnaires
1.2.3 Conclusion 07
1.3 The Approaches for Represent-
07 ing Recollection and Digital Memory
being
1.3.1 Research Objectives 08

2.3.2 Methodology 08
2.3.3 Conclusion 08
Part
2
16 1.0 Design Embodiment 22 4.0 Development of Ideas
Research
24 5.0 Final proposal

16 2.0 Concept Design
5.1 Functions 24
5.2 Operation 25
19 3.0 Selection of Concepts
27 6.0 Research Reflections
Section 1 19
Section 2 20
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 13 Concept 2 Narrative -----------------------------------------------------------------17
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 me-

dia 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 long-
term 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 mem-
ory 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 recollec-
tion 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 dis-
tances (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 em-
bedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity which en-
able 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.
INTRODUCTION
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
DIGITAL HERILOOM
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 1
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
PAGE
creating new memories might be the insight in future 20 years.
HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES
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.
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
memory being; third one is the written resource assessment for possible technologies
of representing recollection and interactive memory being; the last one is personas
DIGITAL HERILOOM
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).
2
1.1 The Composition and Value of Memories
PAGE
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
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
In this section, the principle of memories’ composition has basically been collected by
literal and online resources, as well as the interviews summaries for assessing the value
DIGITAL HERILOOM
of memories.
1.1.3 Conclusion
3
Composition and application of memories
Generally speaking, it is declared that long-term memories are supposed to be divided
PAGE
into declarative (explicit) memories and procedural (implicit) memories base on the
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
themselves, which not just shape what they are, but guide how they do in their lives.
As an example of my last interviewee, who is over 50 years old, he declared that the
DIGITAL HERILOOM
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 4
(painful) memories affects their decision or behavior in some particular situation. More
PAGE
important, they both classify good and bad memories by emotions, which is a positive
verification for the memories’ composition research.
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
included at least either of visual, acoustic or tactile elements.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
Analyzing the appropriate form as a memory being is aiming to conclude an evaluated
a standard for assessing the design concepts in next stage.
5
PAGE
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
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
the famous entertainers by computer graphic technology for some movie productions
had been invented in 1980’s and maintain improving by now. (Novak, 2012)
DIGITAL HERILOOM
To sum up, there are four mainstreaming forms of memory being currently. They are
profile representation, avatar builder, physical robot and CGI facsimile.
6
Questionnaires
PAGE
As the result of case studies,
four basic forms of memory
being had been concluded
for questionnaires: personal
profile, digitally created
facsimile, 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
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,
profile and facsimile are more intend to be the ideal modes for interacting by users in
this case.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
1.3 The Approaches for Representing Recollection and Digital Memory being
The mediums for representing recorded recollection have been rapidly enhanced since 7
the digital revelation. In particular, one of the most effective platforms for recording
and sharing memories is social media, which is a computer-mediated technology that
PAGE
promotes the creation and partaking of information, ideas, thoughts and other modes
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.
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
In this sector, the methodology had been predominately only applied by assessing
evidences from written and online sources.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
2.3.3 Conclusion
In summary, the representation of recorded data and memory being demands at least
8
following elements:
PAGE
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
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 WI-
FI, 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
considered for the final outcome, they are Internet Of Things, wirelesses charge and
portable.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
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, 9
I.O.T and Wireless charge.
PAGE
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.
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.
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.
1.4.3 Conclusion
In this sphere, the user’s analysis I did was simply divided into female and male, also
children, adolescent, adult and senior elderly.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
10
PAGE
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)
Figure 4. Social Media Demography (York, 2017)
In conclusion of the survey and investigation base on two genders, the female is probably
the larger users group than male for the final outcome. Also female is higher possibilities
DIGITAL HERILOOM
to reproduce digital facsimiles since they might have more data about their appearance
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. 11
Furthermore, generally concluded of four personas (see appendix) base on four age range:
PAGE
children (<12-year-old) might attempt to learn the value of memories via playing or creat-
ing 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
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.
Figure 6. Diffusion of Innovations (Ubek, 2017)
DIGITAL HERILOOM
2.0 Analysis and Summary from the Research Detection
In views of all the investigations, there are four general aspects had been concluded below;
12
Firstly, memory is tremendously outstanding owing to its effect on mankind’s lives, which
PAGE
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 mem-
ory 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.
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 proj-
ect, 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 technol-
ogies for representing recollection and memory being is what the final proposal could
be achieved. Subsequently, the users’ analysis is who the target consumers of final pro-
posal are.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
3.1 Design Performance Specification
On account of the summaries of research, there are four fundamental processes could 13
be confirmed for the specification:
PAGE
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 pref-
erences by users.
In conclusion, the basic progress of final proposal illustrates below.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
Figure 7. Specification Flow Chart (Author owns the picture)
3.2 Design Brief

14
PAGE
Project Title
Digital Heirloom - How can designers manipulate interactive memories to create ‘alter-
native realities’?
Submission date - 21st August 2017
Introduction
With the rapid enhancement of internet, the means of capturing and recording memo-
ry have been more and more manifoldness. In the meantime, the way we recall recol-
lection even remember the deceased and grieve have altered since Big Data Era. Con-
sequently, 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.
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 oper-
ation way agree to the human factors. The other is the technologies of design is sup-
posed to meet the trend of technology development in future 20 years.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
Target Audience
The segmentation of target consumers base on demographic and behavioral could sim-
ply clarified as an early adopter with mid-high income and high education live in urban 15
area intend to purchase for general occasion or gift giving.
PAGE
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 embodi-

ment, concepts selection by focus group evaluation, design improvement and the final
proposal. Details of design agenda please see Appendix.
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-
ent preferences for memory being (Refer to Part 1
- 1.4.3); Memory Trigger is a combination of senses
DIGITAL HERILOOM
(Refer to Part 1 - 1.1.3). In the meantime, the four
trends demonstrate that: Digital Legacies is improv-
ing all around the world (BBC, 2016); Resurrecting
deceased celebrities by CGI will become normal in 16
movie producing in future (Justin, 2015); The num-
PAGE
ber of dead on Facebook is growing and aiming to
outnumber in near future (BBC, 2016); Trend of dig-
ital devices’ features in 20 years include AR, VR, IOT,
Figure 8. Insight and Trends Table (Author owns the Wireless Charge, etc. (Greenough & Camhi, 2016)
picture)
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 con-
cepts illustrated below by a flow chart and draft narratives. As the five particular pro-
cesses 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 se-
curity 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)
Concept one is a lotus urn, which bases on the in-
DIGITAL HERILOOM
sight 4 and trend 4. There are six different shapes
and colors of lotus for representing memories de-
pends on the emotion tag and data analysis. The
memories pieces will randomly play by visual, au-
17
dio and scent for activation. The ‘alternative reali-
ties’ as memory being could be selected by an icon
PAGE
Figure 11. Concept 1 Narrative (Author owns the picture)
or digital facsimile by users, which will be displayed
on a wide open lotus if memory data is enough for
reproducing a person.
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
person.
Concept three is a connection tree base among insight

3, 4 and trend 3. Since the dead users on social media
are outnumbering alive in the future, the connection
DIGITAL HERILOOM
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
18
PAGE
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 devel-
oped technology in the future, the VR system for inter-
action is the core of this concept. However, it could not
be randomly playing memory pieces in a standby mode
Figure 17. Concept 4 Narrative (Author owns the
picture) of the device. The memory being will be displayed as a
gold fish if the data is enough for reproducing a person.
Figure 18. Concept 5 Flowchart(Author owns the picture)
Concept five is an hourglass devices base among in-

sight 2, 3 and trend 1, 4. There are six colors of tiny
cubes will be appeared in the hourglass after uploading
memory pieces. The selected memory document will
combine together like the image pixels to represent
DIGITAL HERILOOM
the memory. The memory being will be a digital fac-
simile if the data is enough for mind-cloning a person.
3.0 Selection of Concepts

19
PAGE
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 discus-
sion.
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 demon-
strates 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 effi-
ciency sense as 50% respectively. Third efficiency sense as memory trigger is all differ-
ent from four participants, touch, hearing, sight and smell had been mentioned. Fourth
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.
Therefore, the second question for assessing
in focus group is the most relevance color re-
DIGITAL HERILOOM
flect the specific emotion. Refer to the six basic
Figure 20. Emotion - Colour (Author owns the picture) emotion I had mentioned in Part 1, the result
of this question illustrated below. (See Figure)
20
The last question in this section is the most relevance object reflect the specific emo-
tion, which is advantageous examples for embodying the design concepts. The first
PAGE
participant listed happy - cupcakes, sad - water, excited - amusement park, anger - an-
gry birds, scared - ghost house, tender - hello kitty. The second participant listed hap-
py - 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 gen-
eral impression, appearance, operation way, privacy, using experience and memories
being representation, also questioned the most impressed features they suggested to
Figure 21. Concept Evaluation (Author owns the picture)
PAGE
21
HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPUL ATE DIGITAL MEMORY TO CREATE NEW ALTERNATIVE REALITIES 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 fea-
tures 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-
tioned by at least 2 participants.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
In summary of all reflection (see Appandix), the best solution is able to be a combi-
nation 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
22
4.0 Development of Ideas
PAGE
interaction with available selections of VR or Hologram systems.
The development of final outcome includes analysis of focus group, elements determi-
nation, sketching improvement and CAD assessment.
After analyzing the result of discussion group, there are three elements had been deter-
mined 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.

DIGITAL HERILOOM
Figure 22. Concept Sketching (Author owns the picture)
23
PAGE
Figure 23. CAD Development (Author owns the picture)

5.0 Final Proposal
DIGITAL HERILOOM
Figure 24. (Author owns the picture)
24
Heirloom is a family possession handed down from generation to generation. There-
fore, digital heirloom is supposed to be a home device for people to pass down their
PAGE
memory data or digital legacies and manipulate these information to create new expe-
riences 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 but-
Figure 25. (Author owns the picture) ton and hologram system. It could randomly play a certain user’
music list or recorded audio file for activation as memory trigger.
Moreover, roll screen as another essential trend of technology develop-

ment 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 connec-
tion between speaker and VR system.

Lastly, the VR system is an upgraded units for digital heirloom device as an
DIGITAL HERILOOM
option, which could be removed from the top of roll screen. The 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.
25
Consequently, there are two part for the VR system, one is charging base,
PAGE
and another is VR goggle.
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
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
Amusement Park (Both gender and Urban).
DIGITAL HERILOOM
Furthermore, they all have specific objects for representing the categorized memory
base on six primary emotions respectively, which reflect to the main research Part 1-1.1
and focus group assessment. As the example of lotus lake scene, the purple lotus rep-
resented happy, blue represented excited, pink represented sad, red represented an-
26
ger, 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
PAGE
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 de-
tails on representing and interacting with memory being.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
27
PAGE
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 threat-
ened in the development of digital legacy as well as its augmented product. Thirdly,
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
periodical achievement as the result of digital heirloom.
DIGITAL HERILOOM
28
PAGE
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%3Apro-
grammes%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
• Anderson, J. (1976). Language, memory, and thought. Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum
DIGITAL HERILOOM
• 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/ 29
• Carlson, N. (2010). Psychology. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education
PAGE
• Coltheart, M. (1980). Iconic memory and visible persistence. Perception & Psycho-
physics, 27(3), pp.183-228
• Matt Novak (2012). Resurrecting the Dead With Computer Graphics. [online]
Smithsonian. Available at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/resurrect-
ing-the-dead-with-computer-graphics-77706610/ [Accessed 20 Aug. 2017].
• SCHWIER 1994 Schwier, R. and Misanchuk, E. (1994). Interactive multimedia in-
struction. Englewood Cliffs N.J.: Educational Technology Publications.
• YORK 2017 York, A. (2017). Social Media Demographics to Inform a Better Segmen-
tation Strategy. [online] Sprout Social. Available at: https://sproutsocial.com/in-
sights/new-social-media-demographics/#facebook.
• FIG 6 Graham, K. (2015). The Diffusion of Doctrinal Innovations in Tort Law. SSRN
Electronic Journal
APPENDIX
• Ethitical form
• Agenda
• Research frame
• Feedback from Tutors
• Interviews
DIGITAL HERILOOM
• Survey
• Personas
30
• Concepts
• Focus Group Evaluation
PAGE
)03
Exported on June 19, 2017 2:40:36 PM WEST Page 1 of 1

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/media-

network-blog/2014/oct/08/how-we-made-audrey-hepburn-galaxy-ad
2. Peter Cushing – Rogue One http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-
entertainment/films/news/rogue-one-cgi-grand-moff-tarkin-actor-peter-cushing-
princess-leia-carrie-fisher-animated-a7483991.html
http://variety.com/2016/film/news/rogue-one-peter-cushing-digital-resurrection-cgi-
1201943759/
3. Paul Walker – Furious 7 https://www.polygon.com/2015/10/20/9577863/furious-7-
used-350-cgi-shots-of-paul-walker
REF https://filmschoolrejects.com/7-films-that-could-be-headlined-by-creepy-dead-cgi-
actors-9a59475ff0a7/
http://www.strangerdimensions.com/2014/06/11/8-dead-celebrities-virtually-brought-back-
life/
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-to-
tweet-for-you-after-death
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jun/07/web-immortality-social-media-sites-
alive-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-interpret-
profile-analysis/
4. Holography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography
Research Methods
 Interview – mainly 2-3 people to ask flowing questions individually

- Age range / Role player / generation life / genders / comfort
- 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 £6 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.
 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.
 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)
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.
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.

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.
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.

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)

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.
Photography and the dairy. Second remind-able thing is taste.
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.
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.
Sculpture. Sculpture can exists for long time, and in china, only the famous people have sculpture.

Face-to-face communicate. Text messages.

Yes.
Because it is an invisual properties of you, it could represent that I am alive. And recall the best
part of my life.

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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Face-to-face communication. Physically seeing is good.
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.

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)
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.

I still prefer face to face conversation. I use email a lot, because you can’t always see the others face-to-
face. 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.
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.
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  Required
Male
Female
Prefer not to say
2. Age Range  Required
<18
18-25
26-32
1 / 5
33-40
>40
3. Nationality Optional
4. What social medias do you use frequently?  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?  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?  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.  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 29 (56.9%)
Prefer not to say 0
2 Age Range
<18 0
18-25 41 (80.4%)
26-32 8 (15.7%)
33-40 2 (3.9%)
>40 0
3 Nationality
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?
facebook 35 (21.9%)
twitter 9 (5.6%)
Tumblr 2 (1.3%)
Instagram 34 (21.3%)
snapchat 13 (8.1%)
viemo 2 (1.3%)
google+ 10 (6.3%)
wechat 29 (18.1%)
weibo 17 (10.6%)
linkedin 9 (5.6%)
none of them 0
i don't use any social media 0
5 How often do you post on social media?
1-5 times in a week 14 (27.5%)
once a week 8 (15.7%)
1-5 times in a month 12 (23.5%)
barely post / once a month 8 (15.7%)
i don't post anything, just 1 (2%)

watch other's
i don't use any social media 0
depends on preference 8 (15.7%)
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
a digitally created facsimile 10 (19.6%)
a personal proﬁle 12 (23.5%)
an icon 5 (9.8%)
a physical robot 4 (7.8%)
I just want to be displayed on 8 (15.7%)

gravestone
I don't want to leave anything 7 (13.7%)

behind to make others remember
me
Other 5 (9.8%)
6.a If you selected Other, please specify:
Showing all 5 responses
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 283566-283558-24192969
"usual" part of death; the latter a strange and new approach to remembrance (i.e. what type
of "interaction" could this be?).
Legacy 283566-283558-24301440
7 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 31 (26.7%)
BBS (comment and reply) 3 (2.6%)
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 ...)
3 / 4
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 283566-283558-24163755
remember me by.
4 / 4
memories being reprsentation appearance CONCEPT 1
CONCEPT 2
CONCEPT 3
FOCUS GROUP - 1
GENERAL IMPRESSION
CONCEPT 4 5-2-4-3-1
using experience operation way CONCEPT 5
privacy
memories being reprsentation appearance
CONCEPT 1
CONCEPT 2
FOCUS GROUP - 2
CONCEPT 3 GENERAL IMPRESSION
1-2-4-3-5
CONCEPT 4
using experience operation way
CONCEPT 5
privacy
CONCEPT 1
CONCEPT 2
FOCUS GROUP - 3
1-4-3-5-2
using experience operation way CONCEPT 4
CONCEPT 5
privacy
CONCEPT 1
CONCEPT 2
FOCUS GROUP - 4
using experience operation way
5-4-3-1-2
CONCEPT 4
CONCEPT 5
privacy
FEATURES: SENSES CATEGORISE FOR MEMORIES TRIGGER:
1. Interaction with memories being *3 SIGHT

2. Uploading profile from social medias *2 HEARING/TASTE
3. 3D represented memories *2 TOUCH
4. VR representation *2 SMELL
5. Color categorise emotions *2
6. Hologram representation
7. Comprehensive environment
8. Infomation categorise by connection level
9. Floating bubes
10. Small Objects
EMOTIONS:
HAPPY - WARM COLOR

SAD - COLD GREY
EXCITED - PURE COLOR
ANGER - RED
SCARED - DEEP COLOR
TENDER - 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

How Can Designers Manipulate Digital Memories To Create New Alternative Realities'?

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Titolo originale

Copyright

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

How Can Designers Manipulate Digital Memories To Create New Alternative Realities'?

Caricato da

Copyright:

HOW CAN DESIGNERS MANIPULATE

DIGITAL MEMORIES TO CREATE NEW

Huge gratitude also to Luiza Bontos, Liang

Similarly, much appreciated for my parents

1.1.1 Research Objectives 02 12 2.0 Analysis and Summary

1.3.1 Research Objectives 08

24 5.0 Final proposal

Fig 0 Timeline of Life --------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract

1. Facebook - Facebook is an American for-profit corporation and an online social me-

This report illustrates the fundamental methodologies of research via assessing

1.0 Design Research Activities and Methodologies

The predominant research methodologies of this project is conducting from four

According to the overviews of forms and functions

1.1.2 Method of Investigation

In terms of involuntary explicit memory occurs from precious fragments, which is

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

1.2.1 Research Objectives

In summary of above result, alternative realities as memory being could be adopted

Observing the possibility of technologies for representing recollection and interactive

1.4.1 Research Objectives

1.4.2 Method of Investigation

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

Figure 6. Diffusion of Innovations (Ubek, 2017)

l The activation as an engagement of interactive memories requires emotive and

l The elaboration as the action of creating memory being should be processing on

l The memory being as the recreated alternative realities is supposed to be at least

3.2 Design Brief

Project Management is basically go through of initial research of concepts embodi-

1.0 Design Embodiment Research

2.0 Concept Design

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

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

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

Concept two is an heirloom light base on insight 1 and trend

Concept three is a connection tree base among insight

enough for reproducing a person.

Concept four is an aquarium VR system from insight 2

Concept five is an hourglass devices base among in-

3.0 Selection of Concepts

Afterwards, since the motivation of activation

Sketching and CAD improvement illustrates below.

Figure 23. CAD Development (Author owns the picture)

Secondly, the speaker base is the foundation of the device, which

Moreover, roll screen as another essential trend of technology develop-

Figure 26. (Author owns the picture)

Figure 28. (Author owns the picture)

6.0 Research Reflections

For manipulating digital memory to create ‘alternative realities’, a completed procedure

Exported on June 19, 2017 2:40:36 PM WEST Page 1 of 1

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

1. Audrey Hepburn – DOVE AD https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-

This trend of resurrecting deceased celebrities is only beginning. As technology improves,

 Case studies 2 – Companies / Agencies of digital legacy

 Grounded Theory / Background Research – Interactive multimedia instruction

1. Minds Clones https://www.lifenaut.com/mindclone/

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

-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?

-how would it works?

-that's why we're the past, and she is the future.

-hi boys, hey, how's it going/

A few things to consider.

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