Rethinking Online Memorials

Problem

In a world of busy lives and increasing geographic distance, traditional memorials lack flexibility, making it difficult to share memories and celebrate loved ones in a comprehensive and timely way.

• Traditional memorials are limited. Obituaries are static and funeral services often condense a life, leaving loved ones feeling unsatisfied.
• Sharing memories can be difficult due to a lack of dedicated platforms and the pressure of finalizing arrangements quickly.
• There's no easy way to capture diverse perspectives on the deceased's life.

Goal

UX Research

Methods Used Timeline:

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Recruitment:

Due to the universality of loss, participant recruitment was efficient. Interviews focused on individuals aged 45+ to ensure a depth of experience with commemoration practices.

User Segment Justification:

The decision to focus on a middle-aged user segment was driven by two key factors:

• Life Stage Relevance:  Middle-aged individuals are more likely to have recent personal experience with loss and the associated planning processes. This firsthand knowledge provides valuable insights into user needs and pain points.
• Generational Perspective:  Middle-aged adults often bridge the gap between younger and older generations. Their experiences can inform the design of a platform that caters to a wider range of users.

Methodology:

Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews (60-90 minutes) were conducted. Open-ended questions explored participants' experiences with loss and remembrance. Importantly, the approach prioritized active listening and avoided personal opinions. The interview guide covered:

• Past experiences with loss (including both family and close friends)
• Adequacy of current commemoration methods
• Emotional response to sudden loss
• Differences in grieving for family vs. friends
• Challenges encountered during the commemoration process (e.g., competing narratives, delegating tasks)
• Preferred methods for remembering loved ones

Considerations:  The research topic of loss and remembrance is inherently sensitive.  To ensure a safe and respectful environment, I employed the following strategies:

• Empathy and Understanding:  Having personally experienced loss, I approached participants with empathy and a deep understanding of their potential vulnerability.
• Prioritizing Comfort:  Question design carefully avoided triggers and sensitive areas.
• Building Rapport:  By acknowledging the shared experience of loss, I fostered trust and facilitated more open conversations.

Key Insights from User Interviews: This research identified seven key themes and several pain points related to online memorials through analysis, which will be discussed in the following sections. All seven themes were addressed to different extents across all interview sections, with individuals naturally assigning varying levels of significance to each theme. This variation likely arises from the unique dynamics surrounding events. A broader study could provide a clearer understanding of which issues are most urgent to address in a prioritized manner. However, in this instance, developing a system that addresses, to some extent, each of the identified themes and pain points would be feasible.

• Importance of Personal Impact:  Users emphasized the significance of acknowledging a person's impact beyond their immediate family. They expressed a desire for memorialization solutions that capture the full scope of a person's influence on others.
• Family Dynamics and Time Sensitivity:  The research identified the emotional strain death places on families, particularly the time pressure associated with traditional funerals. Users highlighted the need for flexible memorialization options that accommodate families' needs during this difficult period.
• Inclusion of Friends:  A recurring theme was the exclusion of friends from the memorialization process. Users felt that friends play a vital role in shaping a person's life story, and their perspectives deserve to be included.
• Comprehensiveness over Regret:  Users expressed the importance of capturing all aspects of a person's life, even those that may seem insignificant or involve past regrets. The research suggests a need for memorialization solutions that encourage a holistic representation of the deceased.
• Beyond the "Black and White":  Users described the current memorialization landscape as overly minimalist, failing to capture the richness and vibrancy of a person's life. They desired solutions that allow for a more personal and colourful portrayal of the deceased.
• Varied Grieving Experiences:  The research underscored the diversity of grieving processes. Users felt that memorialization solutions should be flexible enough to accommodate individual preferences and varying timelines for grief.
• Multifaceted Perspectives:  Traditional obituaries and memorials were seen as presenting a one-dimensional view. Users valued the ability to gather diverse perspectives from various individuals to create a more complete picture of the deceased.

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The discussions proved valuable and, at times, it was required to allow participants to collect themselves emotionally. The subject of loss, often intertwined with sensitive family issues, initially seemed challenging to broach. To my surprise, despite tears being shed during interviews, those I spoke with were willing to openly share their experiences of loss. In this instance, I found that revealing more about myself than usual during interviews was exceptionally beneficial.

Alongside the discovered themes, an equal number of broad pain points to address with a potential design were found:

Time Constraints and Pressure:

• Limited Time Frame: Users expressed frustration at condensing a person's life into a brief ceremony or service. Feeling rushed to encapsulate a lifetime of experiences in a short time-frame creates emotional strain.
• Quick Turnaround: The pressure to finalize arrangements within a week intensifies the emotional burden of loss. Users desire more flexibility and support during the initial grieving period.
• Expediting the Process: The sentiment of "getting it over with" was associated with negative emotions. Users crave a more mindful approach that acknowledges the importance of grieving and remembrance.

Exclusion and Unrepresented Perspectives:

• Overlooked Relationships: Users highlighted the exclusion of friends and distant family members from the memorialization process. Important connections are often missed due to oversight during a stressful time.
• Unintentional Neglect: The emotional state following a loss can lead to unintentional exclusion of individuals who held significance for the deceased.
• Malicious Exclusion: In certain cases, users reported the intentional exclusion of individuals from grieving and memorialization.

Lack of Diverse Narratives:

• Limited Sharing: Users expressed a desire for more opportunities to share diverse perspectives on the deceased's life. Traditional formats often restrict participation and storytelling.
• Closed Dialogue: The current system creates barriers to open dialogue and restricts shared understanding of the deceased's personality and experiences.
• One-Sided Obituaries:  Obituaries were perceived as presenting a limited and idealized portrayal of the deceased's life, failing to capture their full complexity.

Emotional Management and Coping:

• Post-Event Grieving: Users highlighted the need for support in processing grief beyond the immediate aftermath of death.
• Open and Safe Space:  A safe and supportive environment for open dialogue about loss was identified as crucial for healthy grieving.
• Allowing Time for Healing: The research underscores the importance of allowing individuals time to process their emotions and share their memories over an extended period.

Preserving Legacy and Memories:

• Fading Memories: Users expressed fear of forgetting important aspects of the deceased's life as time passes.
• Unshared Stories:  The research identified a desire to capture and share lesser-known stories and facets of the deceased's life.
• Open Space for Remembrance: Users requested more open-ended ways to remember and honour the deceased outside of structured ceremonies.

Triggered Memories and Connections:

• Unshared Post-Event Triggers: Everyday encounters with objects, locations, or music can evoke strong emotions and memories long after the loss. Users desired a way to share these experiences and keep the deceased's memory alive.
• Spontaneous Sharing: Users emphasized the importance of having tools and opportunities to share stories and memories about the deceased in the moment, when triggered by external cues.

Incomplete Life Portrayals:

• Fact-Focused Ceremonies: Users felt that current memorialization practices overemphasize factual details about the deceased's life, neglecting the richness of their personality and how their actions impacted others.
• Undervalued Characteristics:  The research suggests a desire to capture lesser-known but meaningful aspects of a person's life, not just major milestones.

Testing & Results

Drawing from the interviews and the insights gained, 3 critical design solutions can be integrated into an overarching design to directly address certain issues while also indirectly mitigating others.

Establishing an Interactive Timeline.

Interactive Timeline:

• Users can create a visual timeline of the deceased's life, capturing key events in chronological order.
• This feature not only provides structure for the memorial page but also encourages visitors to understand the life journey of the deceased.
• Unlike existing platforms, users can add multiple entries to a specific year and month, and easily adjust the order for a more accurate representation.

Placing a new Card into an Existing Timeline.

Stress-Free Timeline Altering:

• This feature recognizes that remembering everything immediately after a loss is overwhelming. Users can easily add memories and stories to the timeline over time, without disrupting the existing order.
• Unlike platforms like Facebook (where adding to timelines can be cumbersome) and existing memorial sites (which often lack timelines altogether), this solution allows for seamless additions, ensuring all cherished memories can be captured and shared.

Ability to Add to & Evolve an Existing Thought.

Evolving Memorial:

• This feature acknowledges that a single person's perspective may not capture the full essence of the deceased. It allows loved ones to contribute their own memories and stories to the timeline over time, enriching the overall portrayal.
• Unlike static memorials, this solution fosters a collaborative experience, allowing friends and family to add details and anecdotes at their own pace, without pressure.

Reasoning & Hypothesis:

This interactive timeline tackles user concerns by moving away from a static, text-based interface. Users can easily add cards to the timeline without hassle, allowing for a more expansive understanding of the person being memorialized. Multimedia elements, supported by text context if desired, create a richer portrait of the deceased. The interface automatically adjusts when adding new cards, eliminating the pressure to have everything perfectly planned out in advance. Furthermore, communal editing allows for collaborative storytelling, fostering a more impactful and comprehensive memorial. I theorized that users would find the core ideas appealing. The focus on ease-of-use, with effortless card placement and seamless timeline adjustments, aims to alleviate the stress often associated with creating memorials.  Adding multimedia elements alongside text allows for a more nuanced and engaging experience, fostering a richer understanding of the person being remembered.  Overall, the emphasis on user-friendliness and collaborative storytelling has the potential to create a positive user experience.

Results

Usability Testing:

• A streamlined prototype of the proposed design solutions was presented to interview participants.
• We conducted short usability testing sessions, focusing on user perception and potential usage of the functionalities.
• The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. All participants, except one, expressed enthusiasm for the proposed solutions.  Even the participant with a neutral overall response acknowledged the value of the timeline feature.

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Prioritizing User Needs:

• While a comprehensive system test would be ideal, I focused on testing core functionalities to gain deeper insights into user perception and emotional response. This approach allowed for a more iterative design process, ensuring the core features resonated with the target audience.
• It's important to acknowledge that my primary focus lies in user research and information architecture, not visual design. This focus informed my decision to prioritize usability testing over high-fidelity prototypes.

Design Exploration:

To avoid preconceived notions about potential uses, I presented a high-level design concept to the 10 participants after initial discussions.  The key question was: "How could you see yourself or your loved ones using a platform like this?"

Evolving Memories:

The feedback revealed several exciting use cases:

• Celebration of Life Events:  Participants envisioned using the platform to create a collaborative memorial page for celebrations of life.  Guests could contribute media and memories, enriching the timeline with a collective narrative.
• Ongoing Remembrance:  Beyond immediate gatherings, participants saw value in using the platform to continue adding memories and stories to the timeline throughout the year. This could be done during holidays, family reunions, or any time a cherished memory surfaces.
• Public Sharing:  Some participants expressed interest in using the platform for public memorials (e.g., church services) where attendees could contribute or simply reflect on the provided content.

The positive user feedback regarding the proposed design solutions strongly validates the initial research hypothesis. User-generated use cases, such as collaborative memorials at celebrations of life and ongoing memory contributions, align perfectly with the project's core objective: reducing time pressure and enabling a richer portrayal of the deceased through collective storytelling. This enthusiastic reception underscores the potential for this solution to make a meaningful difference in the grieving process.

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Development

Empathy and Understanding

This project presented a refreshing challenge that honed my interviewing skills in a unique way. To build trust with participants discussing this sensitive topic, I had to be adaptable and break down some of the traditional researcher-participant barriers.  I believe navigating this dynamic environment has allowed me to develop a more natural empathy and become a more effective interviewer.

This project presented a refreshing challenge that honed my interviewing skills in a unique way. The subject matter held deep significance for all participants, revealing inadequacies in current mourning practices and the complexities of family dynamics.  It became clear how different groups perceive loss, and how, unintentionally, people can be left out of the grieving process. This experience highlights a broader point: we're often unaware of the impact of our actions, a principle that extends far beyond UX research and into design in general. We may believe our designs are clear, but those who experience them can only interpret them through their own lens. As a UX researcher, I relish uncovering these hidden aspects to design solutions that bridge this gap and ensure user experiences truly reflect our intentions.

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