Conceptual exploration

• ‘Why did I choose a chair?’

I chose a chair as a sample outcome to test the concept and demonstrate interactivity. It should be pointed out that the concept can manifest itself as any physical object as long as it fulfils the core principles

1.       Conveys presence

2.       Communication between two people

a.       Can be secret or public: aimed at a single person but ‘visible’ to bystanders.

3.       Communicates memories in real-time

a.       No communication where both members are not present

4.       The device can collect data actively or passively: with or without user intent

• ‘Can you buy it in a packet with instructions?’

Yes, that is a possibility: the concept is an architecture or framework that can have multiple applications depending on the characteristics of the users.

It is important that users know how to interact with the device.

• Expand to more scenarios

• Narrow down to 3 scenarios and sketch them

• Do a dozen relationships: chair - device, object - person etc
• Person as the interactive device-Person
• Wall object-Wall object
• Chair-Chair
• Cuddly toy-Cuddly toy
• Kitchen interface-Kitchen. Why? Cooking together
• Portable device-portable device
• Cushion-Cushion
• Kit object-kit object
• Lamp-Lamp
• Toy-Toy
• Ideas: the release of a smell, sound, object or other hardware like tuning the radio or tv or even opening the curtains etc.
• Pet-Pet
• Table-Table
• Person-Chair
• Cushion-Cuddly toy
• Thinks about where it is and who is there
• The location would depend on the context, user and functionality
• It would be between two people: the idea of an ‘active’ memento. A memento is a reminder of a memory, but this develops new memories.
• Home? Work? Place of leisure i.e. a bar or even a public place i.e. between two isolated people waiting for a bus stop.
• Think about security
• If it is in a corporate environment, security is crucial as it may be used to exploit other security systems. It may also be abused. Referring back to the New Street Square project, considerations might have to be made for censoring content or physical protection
• On the other side of things, if it was used in the home security is probably less important unless memories are being shared that are especially between two members. If multiple people want to use things, should there be different ‘keys’ to unlock the device and notify the end user who is on the chair i.e. by different coloured lights or a different piece of music being played.
• Think about possibly creating adverts for it, film it being used and do documentation
• Media could be more immersive for users and help to visualise the idea
• Would have to be planned & designed thoroughly
• Who is the 'conversation'
• Between who?
• Although pairing is ‘one to one’ at any space in time, it could also be many-many. For example a three person family connecting to another three person family: only two people can communicate at any given time through the ‘pivot point’ which is the device, any of those family members can communicate.

• Filling in a space that doesn’t exist
• 'Walkie talkie'
• This concept doesn’t yet exist: what is its place within academia and design

Terminology

• Define terms properly:
• ‘Transient memory’
• In this project this is currently defined as ‘Memories which have a short-term existence within an electronic device’. The memories however are just electronic data until they are experienced by another person: until then it is just electronic pulses. ‘If a tree falls in the woods does it make a sound?’.
• The aim is to create memories by interaction with the device, as much as it is about being able to share memories. This is very important.
• There are multiple parts to the memories in this project: the memories themselves, and then how they are interpreted by the device and the users.
• Computer memory? Is it both?
• Refer to ‘Computers and Brains’, ‘The cognitive Artefact of Designing’, ‘neural computing’.
• Computer memory is different to human memory: everything can be stored and recalled perfectly but when the space is full, nothing else can be stored at all until something is deleted. Human memory theoretically has no limits, there is no point when no more information can be stored and there is no capability of deletion.
• There is the concept of ‘chunking’ in human psychology first introduced by Miller in 1959 in his book ‘ The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information‘. This is the idea that in recall tasks, people can only really remember between 5 and 9 ‘bits’ of information or 7±2. The amount remembered or forgotten depends on the familiarity of the information.
• The ‘forgetting’ of data can be emulated in computer science where, to save disk space, only 7 ‘spaces’ for data are assigned, and once the limit of 7 is reached, the program rights over the first element then the second etc. This emulates the ‘forgetting’ of old information. An ‘array’ of information can be used to store data in this way, and an algorithm can be used to over-write the oldest elements. In this way transient memory is like computer memory where there is only one ‘space’ for data and it is being constantly written over.
• This is observed in the film ’50 first dates’ in a man called ‘ten second tom’ who can only remember information for 10 seconds, and then it is forgotten. The concept relies on memories only existing in an object momentarily. However, these memories are experienced by users and may become part of their long-term memories.
• In this concept, the memories are short-term computer memories, but long-term human memories
• Everyone needs to understand it
• Don’t just simplify it, however
• A complex system can be explained simply through props or media?
• ‘Is it embedded in props in everyday life?’
• What is a prop??
• Is it everything that is an object??
• Would it be in everyday life or is it for special occasions? Would it only be used when the situation requires?

Communication 

o    Making things talk: book suggestion

o    Tell people what it’s about and remind them

WHY is it always transient memory?

·         It is transient memory wherever the users are not able to retrieve any data from the past, or save data for the future.

Why is the project about transient memory: relevance to the field

• Justify use of concept
• Lack of existence currently
• Subversion of current interaction style: the ‘hoarding’ of information through increased capability of data storage.
• Is it similar to the way you leave a note on a fridge?'
• No, this is not an active memento: you cannot create any new memories
• What if it was an electronic postage note that only activated when both people were present?

Testing the thesis

• When concluding and analysing reflect on examples of transient memory theories, people you have spoken to, published definitions
•  
• Informed analysis of how well you've represented that idea in a defined system or service or event
• Heuristic testing with system in place
• Some level of prototype or system with full or simulated functionality early on and throughout
• Target audience: who for?
• Couple, parent/child
• Make it appropriate

·         There are some things that can be done immediately for example defining terms, and others that can be done in the next few weeks for example user testing with a system in place. I will conduct a user test with a system in place this week, and the feedback this week has helped me make that decision.