ux of goodbye
Week 5 & 6
Team: Karolis, Dahoon, Stav, Jin, Ellen
Research methods: Directed Storytelling, Affinity Diagram
The Brief: Design a novel way to say goodbye
brainstorming:
We analyzed various ways to say goodbye—through gestures, languages, body language, songs, and events. Using an X-Y quadrant, we categorized goodbyes by duration (short-long), mode (verbal-nonverbal), tone (formal-informal), and emotion (sad-happy), uncovering patterns and cultural nuances.
ideation
We realized that all goodbyes, no matter the type, carry a bittersweet feeling. This led to an intriguing question: how would we plan our own funeral? How would I say goodbye to myself in a meaningful way?
*Given the sensitive topic, we assured participants they could skip questions or stop anytime if they felt uncomfortable.
directed storytelling
We interviewed five people to explore funeral customs across cultures, covering guest traditions, emotions, atmosphere, beliefs about the afterlife, spiritual connections, and personal preferences for their own funerals. We dived into the diverse ways people honor life, cope with loss, and envision farewell ceremonies.
affinity Diagramming
We analyzed our notes, categorized the information, we do found many interesting thoughts, and gained key insights to guide our direction.
People usually say they want people not to be sad at their own funeral. But most still described funerals to be sad. Is it impossible to make funerals fun even if that’s the deceased request?
Mostly ‘happiness’ in funerals comes from sharing fond memories about the deceased individual. Nice to know someone you were close to lived a long life and was important to a lot of other people.
Funerals (the person dying) are viewed as less sad if the individuals had lived a long life (seen as fulfilling)
The closer you are to the person the harder the goodbye is.
crazy 8’s
We used the Crazy 8’s method to have more ideas, and I generated three ideas:
Leaving letters for loved ones after passing.
Creating an interactive video game where players choose options to "live longer."
Designing a puzzle where each piece represents others’ impressions of the deceased, symbolizing how collective perspectives reveal a multifaceted individual.
In a future without space for burials, we envisioned a communication room where mourners can interact with AI-generated projections of their loved ones. This concept offers endless opportunities to preserve memories and reconnect, providing a deeply personal and comforting experience. The small room allows people to spend time with these projections, creating a space that eases their longing and offers solace in their grief.
developed idea
design process
We began with a sketch using a puzzle as a metaphor for completing a person. We then envisioned a room designed as a memorial room, providing individuals with a private space to reflect, cry, and immerse themselves in a calming atmosphere—a peaceful retreat for emotional expression.
result:
We designed a memorial room where visitors can take a token from a board of names to access messages left by loved ones. This redefines farewells, allowing people to revisit and engage with cherished memories indefinitely, preserving meaningful connections. We chose to design the tokens as stars because Jin loves stars, and we believe that such elements should be personalized to honor the individual’s preferences.
reflection
I really enjoyed the atmosphere in our group—everyone was relaxed but dedicated to the project. We started by exploring "goodbye" from different angles and found a theme we were all excited about, completing the project happily. I learned not to fear taking risks and trying new things, like using NFC, even though we ran out of time for 3D printing. Crazy Eight brainstorming was also a great method. And I realized I needed to improve my English, especially note-taking while listening. Overall, I’m satisfied and enjoyed the entire process and learning experience.