Comment 2: http://angel-at-chi.blogspot.com/2011/02/paper-reading-8.html
Thanatosensitively Designed Technologies for Bereavement Support
Michael Massimi
Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
This paper the author talks about if there is a possible role for technology in the bereavement process of people who have lost loved ones. He discusses that technologies are not designed with the idea of the eventual death of their users and simple design ideas can assist in the bereavement process of users. His work is going to focus on what he calls "thanatosenstivity" in design of technology and the creation of "online memorials" to help users cope with the passing of others. He wants to help users preserve memories with psychological satisfaction and has done research in digital artifacts and technological heirlooms. He says that he can also look at cultural practices and incorporate these into his design and have variations for the program based on age, religion, origin and other factors. His dissertation would be broken down into three parts: 1. where he does online surveys of how the bereaved use technology, this will help him to get a better idea of what a support community would be looking for in tanatosensitive technology. 2. Is to use this info to better articulate his challenges, this will involve interviews and case studies of participants to help him to clearly measure and understand what users would be looking for that would meet their needs and uphold the honor and dignity of the individuals. and 3. Is to examine new technologies for the home that help in this process, for this he suspects that he will get to create a novel in-home computer screen that will act as a "shrine" to the deceased. The system will have a few kinds of functionality such as creating a display for sharing that will allow family members to discuss and support each other. It will also be able to take pictures of various items that help to represent the person and incorporate them into the picture, thus helping the users to believe that they are honoring the persons memory and preserving items that help to remind users of them. He will then use a known bereavement firm and other surveys to analyze the effects and usefulness of the system. He will have users test the system in their home for 8-12 weeks and then use these two methodologies to help see if the users were satisfied with the experience or what could be done to help improve it.
This article while interesting and very understandable as to why someone would be interested in a study like this but I question is overall usefulness to the user. I think it s a good idea to think that users would want some way to honor their deceased friends and relatives but I do not think a computer-generated shrine would necessarily help anymore than an entire funeral would. I believe that a system like this would be better suited to not help the user with bereavement process but to be sold as a digital picture that can be hung in the household to honor the memory of the fallen. It wouldn't be seen so much as a bereavement tool as it would a tribute to the person that could change based on the season and could preserve items, photos, videos and other tributes to the deceased that would serve as a constant reminder to the person of the good aspects of the persons life. I think trying to force technology into this process is a novel idea but I have a hard time believing that people would turn to this as a suitable replacement for having a standard family gathering or going to a support group to be able to talk to others about how they feel. I also considered that if this was connected to a support website whereby the user would be able to purchase one of these and then display it on the web and have forums and other support to talk with users who are going through the same things. They could form relationships and then their friends online could post items to their shrine to help encourage them and honor their loved ones memories as well. The system seems like a very good idea but with this topic I feel like it needs to be considered very carefully and the researcher needs to make it to where any form of technology does not need to be forced on the user but suggested as a way to help remember the person.
I agree with you that it would function better as an image to sell rather than as the presented application.
ReplyDeleteThe part I don't understand is why there'd be any role for this. Surely there's existing software that can someone can use to set up a memorial, and it the intention is to set up an auto-generating memorial, that just seems wrong.
I looked up the research site to see how the project has advanced since the Doctoral Consortium, and the resulting product seems a little bit like Facebook- more or less a forum with picture of the person being remembered. I think the altar idea may have been ditched...
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