Alive Memoir is a voice-only social interaction platform designed for the elderly in the shape of a tangible planter. It enables the elderly to share and perceive experiences and stories from people around the world. These stories are expected to range from their daily experiences or some bundled memories of different emotions from their past, things they cherish, love, or hate.

Outcome

In a 2-week user testing period, the initial conversation started on a user’s story about his immigration adventures to Germany, the USA, and many more in his youth. This conversation grew and initiated a common connector between the users. The users extended this conversation further to how their initial days and their struggles were at the time as immigrants. Interestingly, none of the users yet know each other yet nor did they ask about personal details of one another.

Another exciting conversation that emerged through the initial user testing was about their memories and experiences in their early marriage years and the places they traveled with their respective spouses. The conversations had a joyful tone and an untold emotion as if they were reliving their past memories as they narrated.

Future Work

Another angle I want to explore through Alive Memoir is inter-generational storytelling which can be preserved for ages to come and have future generations know their great grandparents through their voice and life experiences, a form of intergenerational storytelling. This can also become an archive of stories by locals, which can be preserved for generations to come. Alive Memoir can also be extended and repurposed for health risks that require a companion(s) for the healing process to be fully effective.

Want to know more?
Visit Project Documentation