Digital Legacy
What happens to your data footprint when you die?
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Client:
Playground Design for Health Care. In collaboration with museum Tot Zover.
- Team:
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Disciplines:
Concept, UX/UI, Visual Design, Speculative Design, Storytelling, Interaction Design, Product Design, Experience Design, Prototype testing, Usability testing
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Schoolyear:
2024-2025
Digital legacy refers to our online presence after death. Managing these digital assets has become challenging, leading to the rise of "grief tech" - AI-powered solutions to help cope with loss. While offering comfort, this technology raises ethical concerns about consent and privacy. This project explores supporting individuals in managing digital legacies and memorialising the deceased, while addressing the need for clear guidelines in this evolving landscape.
Echo
Echo reimagines the preservation and sharing of our digital lives, transforming scattered digital moments into a meaningful legacy. By allowing people to label content in a range of social and media platforms, Echo supports the creation of a highly personalised digital legacy experience. The project comprises three key components: The Echo System, a platform for curating personal narratives from existing media platforms; The Legacy Key, a secure and private vault for cherished digital memories; and The Echo Portal, a physical installation that allows loved ones to engage with the curated stories through an immersive experience. By collecting and securing significant digital fragments—such as photos, messages, movie archives and music playlists—Echo creates a connection between technology and human emotion, ensuring that individual stories continue to inspire and comfort future generations.
Everglow
Everglow is a poetic artefact curated together by a couple where one partner has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The Everglow artefact leaves behind a soothing presence of the loved-one by emitting a comforting glow when touched and sharing precious content such as audio, visual or video messages on pre-determined meaningful moments. Everglow considers the various stages of grief and supports the person left behind in their grieving process by slowly letting go. Everglow is a Hybrid memorial that helps you remember your partner in a healthy ritualistic manner.
Soul Story
Soul Story is an application that uses augmented reality (AR) technology to create an immersive way of preserving and sharing location-based memories. Individuals leave behind their stories and experiences tied to specific places. This feature creates a virtual connection between the physical world and cherished memories, allowing loved ones to explore and relive these moments in a meaningful way. Additionally, Soul Story incorporates a time-capsule functionality, empowering users to compile journals, time-based memories, and personal reflections. These curated collections can be shared with family and friends posthumously, providing a lasting legacy and a deeply personal way to connect across generations.
Conversations that matter
Conversations that Matter is a toolkit designed to facilitate challenging conversations about end-of-life planning and digital legacy. At its core is a thoughtfully crafted deck of conversation cards, available in both physical and digital formats. These cards provide a compassionate and practical framework to make end-of-life discussions more approachable and actionable for patients, caregivers, and their loved ones. Each card prompts individuals facing terminal illness to reflect on difficult yet essential questions in a kind and supportive way. They also offer structured guidance to caregivers and family members, equipping them to navigate these conversations effectively. Beyond facilitating dialogue, the cards serve as a tool to document decisions, ensuring clarity and helping proxies make informed choices during critical moments after a loved one’s passing.
