01/05 LIFELINE
YEAR 2022 CLIENT UNIVERSITY PROJECT ROLE EDITORIAL DESIGN, APP CONCEPT TEAM SINGLE PROJECT
Death is suppressed in our society and we hardly have any contact with it;
Therefore the topic is associated with fear, sadness and helplessness because it is a painful reminder of human vulnerability in a performance and consumer society.
In the Lifeline Project, I cover dealing with one's own death and finiteness. In doing so, I am examining the advantages of dealing with this topic openly and to what extent digital products can help in dealing with it. Based on these results, I designed a concept for an iOS-integrated app, which automatically collects digital memories and creates individual reviews. I dealt with this topic as part of my bachelor’s thesis in communication design and presented my investigations in a thesis.
Core Challenges I focused on
Bringing awareness with small steps
by integrating the topic more into everyday life
Not overwhelming anyone
for many, the topic induces fear and uncomfortable feelings
As few hurdles as possible
engaging with the already challenging topic should not be complicated
Visualizing the positive aspects of death
by encouraging reflection on current life and personal priorities
Providing an individual space for contemplation
that is easily accessible
Beyond exploring why death and finiteness are often repressed in our society, I analyzed existing digital and analog products that engage with this topic. My focus was to identify diverse approaches to educate about death. Two different ways emerged from the analysis: the direct confrontation with death itself and the indirect consideration of one's own life, where death plays a subordinate role.
To gain further insight into coping with one's own mortality, I interviewed experts in this field who regularly encounter death in their daily work. This experience gave me the opportunity to gain inspiring insights and encounter different perspectives.
»You have to look at it this way, we can't escape it. We're all going to die. And that's why I think it's important to think about it.«
LENA, HOSPICE WORKER
»I notice with my customers that they are sad that they never dealt with death beforehand because so many things are unclear.«
PETRA, STONEMASON & COUNSELOR FOR RELATIVES
»Death and dying are a part of life as well. And it is important, especially in the end.«
BARBARA, HOSPICE WORKER
»Nothing remains as it is. You have to be aware that nothing stays the same and everything is in flux and everything flows.«
BJÖRN, STONEMASON
I concluded that for many people, the most minor hurdle in dealing with death is to reflect on their own life. The aim of the digital product in the Lifeline Project is to capture users' memories in digital form with the help of automatically created reviews. These can be edited, shared with friends, organized as sections of life or combined with future goals.
The app does not act as a second data storage but only shows a compilation of data. Users can individually set which data is collected and presented as a review. It is possible to link all or individual retrospectives to the setting of Apple's estate contacts and thus create a digital legacy. The app is intended to help users reflect on their lives more often and gently remind them of death and finiteness.
Tools
Expert Interviews
User Flows
Competitor Analysis
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Illustrator
Miro
Figma
