UX Research VI

Prototype & Presentation Iterations

UX Research V

Over the past two weeks, I mainly worked simultaneously on branding and the prototype.  As you can see from the wireframe from the previous post, I found this wireframe template on Figma and found several frameworks and typography suitable for my project.  Finding the right template helped accelerate the process;  I used the saved time to design the logo and set up a brand guideline. 

Wireframe

Branding

In addition to the initial branding idea, the final logo features two asymmetrical shapes that connect to form the letter "S" and a rectangle, symbolizing imbalanced and hurt individuals connecting and creating a beautiful shape and growing into a community; incomplete thoughts are engaging and forming a shape; unstable shape becoming a complete form of letter —reflecting the essence of our product.
The typography uses the Work Sans font family for enhanced readability, while the color palette incorporates earthy sand and a touch of green via photography to give a sense of nature, tranquility, and the serenity of a forest.

Prototype

Click the image above to check out the Solace Journal Application Prototype.

Due to the technical incompatibility between the GoDaddy server and Semplice, embedding a clickable Figma link on my website is not feasible. After this semester, I am considering migrating the server to a service provider that is more optimal for Semplice and WordPress. For the Figma, I have learned that I cannot share the project publicly unless I become a professional member- which is not free for my personal/free account but will be free under my NYU student email. To resolve this, I joined it with my student email. While moving the project from the personal account to the student account, I learned that the copy-and-paste function between accounts doesn't retain the image assets used on the project. I don't usually use Figma at work, so learning about hands-on experiences like this felt valuable.

 

Presentation Preparation - Click Here To Google Slide Draft

1. Look and Feel

The presentation follows the product's brand guidelines for design consistency. I started by adapting the key color—sandy gold—for the background, black and white for the text, and green for the tertiary point color. Black on gold is usually easy to read, so I chose white for the title and black for the main text color. 

2. Story-telling

I like defining the section bar indicator on top, like the Instagram Story bar for story-telling. It's helpful for audiences to get an idea of the journey of the presentation. At first, I started with this order: 

Overview- Ideation- Persona- Maps & flow- Wireframe- Design- Takeaway

I initially planned to showcase the product in the overview section and explain the ideation process and journey, but it didn't seem to align with the following statistics and research. Therefore, I settled on this order: 

Overview- Topic & Research- Statistics- Persona - Ideation- Wireframe- Prototype- Takeaway 

3. Details 

Overview - Introduction, opening up with a question to spark the audience's interest. 
Topic & Research - Addressing the subject and the backing research results 
Statistics  - Empathy Map, Interview results with statistics
Persona - Persona, POV, HMW
Ideation - Hypothesis, Affinity Map, Journey Map, Competitive Analysis
Wireframe - Showcasing wireframe
Prototype - Showcasing Prototype
Takeaway - Improving points, additional services, idea debugging 

I am still debating whether the statistics should be considered "research" and the persona should be included in the ideation. It will be great to get feedback on the definitions.  

UX Research IV

Short Inspiring Story

From the interview, Question #18: Have you ever seen someone around you experiencing social death or appearing to be going through it?

"...my closest friend passed away due to severe depression, being outed, and the intense stress of college entrance exams. They left without a will; they had made several (suicide) attempts before and started showing signs of putting their affairs in order about a month before their passing. Since they left no written farewell, it felt like I had become their will, as I was the only one who knew everything that had happened to them. What lingers more vividly in my memory is witnessing the impact on those left behind after my friend's social death that led to suicide. This experience made me realize that if laws regarding assisted suicide or euthanasia are to be established, there should also be social mechanisms in place to ensure that those left behind have ample time to grieve and are provided with the necessary support to prevent trauma.

...the friend once mentioned that if they were ever to pass away, they wouldn't want anyone who wasn't following their personal social media account to see their posts. Respecting their wish, I couldn't show (their digital legacy) to their family anything from their accounts after their passing. I remember showing their family a poem that my friend had quoted right before they died, and their father uploaded the poem on his social media profile picture for a long time. The words someone leaves behind can become a lifeline for those left behind." 

Journal examples by the people experiencing social death 

A record left by a homeless woman, a ‘useless and shining’ world (https://n.news.naver.com/article/007/0000007508) 
- a column covering a Japanese homeless woman's journal, 'Koyama san's Note' (https://etcbooks.co.jp/book/koyamasannote/)

"...To soothe her anxiety from the violence, ridicule, and poverty around her, when she had some money and time, Ms. Koyama would go to her favorite tea house, order cheap coffee, and write for hours, reading her old writings, and thinking about the world, getting herself back after being torn apart by peoples' gaze."
 
"The dozens of small notebooks that Ms. Koyama, who lived in the park, carefully kept by her side were wrapped in layers of plastic to prevent them from being damaged by rain or the park's moisture as if they were waiting for someone to read them someday. As I turn the pages, I realize that what I felt - these were waiting to be read- may not necessarily have been an illusion."

The book 'Koyama san's Note'
December 29, 2003
"At noon, feeling lonely and without energy, I read three notebooks from the fall of 2001. I have been living in poverty for more than two years, and it is difficult to endure the situation that is getting worse. How long will it have to be this hard? As I muttered ‘I don’t like it,’ my dreams and hopes faded and I became buried in a narrow-minded consciousness. Time goes by moment by moment. I don't even have the energy to prepare myself to go out. After eating lukewarm coffee and biscuits, and finishing reading my notes, it was 3 o'clock. The southern sky is dyed a faint purple today as well. As I wait patiently for my emotions to subside, I cannot help but resent the inequality that inflicts so much harshness on each human being. I can't think of anything now. The silence deepens even further, sinking into the source within me."


The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

"As long as this exists, this sunshine and this cloudless sky. and as long as I can enjoy it. how can I be sad?"
"Paper has more patience than people."
"I can't hear any birds outside. A deathly silence covers the place. It feels like I'm being dragged deep into the ground. I feel like a bird with broken wings, protecting its nest and singing alone in the dark night."
"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death,"
"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."


More Examples & reference links: 

1. Hamel's Journal and a Description of the Kingdom of Korea, 1653–1666
(https://www.amazon.com/Hamels-Journal-Description-Kingdom-1653-1666/dp/8972250864)
2. North Korean defector's testimony
(https://www.nkhr.or.kr/publications/%ED%83%88%EB%B6%81%EC%9E%90-%EC%A6%9D%EC%96%B8%EC%88%98%EA%B8%B0/)
3. Journaling for Emotional Wellness
(https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentID=4552&ContentTypeID=1)
4. Efficacy of journaling in the management of mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis
(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8935176/)
5. Journaling and Mental Health during COVID-19: Insights from the Pandemic Journaling Project (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322000810)

Empathy Map

POV

Persona
Nuri Min, a 35-year-old asian immigrant woman, has been living abroad since age 10. She recently went through a traumatic experience of losing her mother and feels physically and emotionally distant from her father and sister.

Needs
Nuri is looking for ways to establish a daily routine and organize her thoughts by journaling about her trauma alongside her everyday activities. She wants to share her experiences with others who have faced similar challenges and understand her cultural background. At the same time, she seeks to listen to stories from those who have successfully navigated similar struggles. It's important to her that this all happens in a private, respectful environment.

Insight
The intense loneliness and isolation overwhelm Nuri, and she doesn't want to remain in this suffering. Her ultimate goal is to regain a sense of normalcy in her life.

Pain Point
However, she struggles to find a safe, supportive space where she can connect with others who share similar experiences.

How Might We?

1. How might we prevent individuals from feeling isolated and help them avoid staying in a state of suffering for too long?
2. How might we help someone to process their thoughts after a traumatic experience?
3. How might we help someone maintain their daily routine?
4. How might we make people feel that the space they are in is safe and secure?
5. How might we create a space where people can share with others with similar experiences while ensuring privacy?

Hypothesis

 A private, story-sharing, selective social platform for people who feel a sense of social death can be helpful for their mental health.

1. Target audience: Individuals who experience feelings of "social death," which can include the loss of loved ones, social isolation, rejection, or social identity. 
2. Platform Characteristics:
 • Content: Sharing stories, check-in calendars for daily routines, answering questions that help to process thoughts
 • Privacy: Permission-base member registration, mobile-authentication is required to join 
 • Selective social interaction: selective access to posts & profiles, check-in notifications on users, pigeon-letter mode (no interaction with the public, journaling with friends only) 
3. Mental health Improvement: gaining emotional support, reducing the stigma of being alone, feeling a sense of belonging

The platform will positively impact mental health by providing a safe, private space for selective social interactions and story-sharing, addressing feelings of social disconnection and loneliness.

Affinity Map

Updated Persona

 
Competitive Analysis

1. Good Grief - Social networks for people with loss, accurate goals, feel safe, challenging to sign up, and under-developed

2. BetterHelp - specialized in therapy, can only interact with doctors safely, and has a long service cycle. Since specialists often listen to patients and help with thought processes, gaining wisdom to overcome the obstacles from a first-person perspective is difficult.

3. Facebook Private Group - low safety, no distinction between anonymous and real names, risk of information leakage, excessive information, over-saturated

4. X, Thread - lowest safety, risk of information leakage, cyber-bullying, excessive marketing and information, over-saturated, fascism, materialism

5. Bsky- feel safe, not crowded, hard to socialize, unstable and under-developed

Branding

Product Name: Solace Journal
Colors: gold, black & white, green 
Mood: Warm, cozy, welcoming, comforting, cordiality


According to the Cambridge Dictionary, "Solace" means providing help and comfort to someone who is feeling sad or worried. The word “Sol” in Latin translates to “sun,” which inspired the warm and uplifting imagery behind the brand. The logo incorporates the essence of summer sunlight, bright green to symbolize vibrancy and energy, and golden tones reminiscent of beach sand.

The "S" in the logo is formed by two broken circles coming together, symbolizing how users can connect with one another despite not feeling whole—whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. This design reflects the idea of finding strength and healing through meaningful connections.

Moodboard

Wireframe

UX Research III

Evaluation 

After the previous research, I refined the interview questions and sent them to 214 Koreans living around the world, from whom I received 16 meaningful responses. One of the communities involved was a Slack channel for an online magazine targeting Korean women living abroad. I considered this group a more focused target audience because they have experienced, either voluntarily or involuntarily, a break from a familiar life and a new beginning in a foreign country—experiences akin to social death. The interviews were conducted via Google Forms and in Korean.

Here are the statistical results:

Audience

100% Female
88% Over the age of 30
81.3% Left the city where they were born and raised
62.6% Have lived abroad for at least 3 years
56.3% Currently living overseas
Over 30% have lived abroad for more than 10 years

Death, and Social Death

30% have had a near-death experience, and 18.8% have experienced something similar to social death.
56.3% are willing to volunteer for those experiencing social death, and 43.8% are willing to donate.

For the other section, 18.9% responded that they would recommend psychological counseling as a form of support.

Types of social death they have experienced or observed

Living abroad, death of a friend, depression, being outed, schizophrenia, chronic bipolar disorder, the sudden death of someone and the impact on their family, and intense exam preparation (e.g., equivalent to United States' bar exam, USMLE, etc).

The relationship between social death, documentation, and connection

When asked what they would take if they were suddenly isolated on a deserted island:

56.3% mentioned essential items, including books.
25% mentioned a journal to keep records.
43.8% would take a phone or laptop.

Opinions on digital legacy and internet records after death

Interestingly, none of the respondents chose the currently methods offered by popular social platforms which is automatic complete preservation with selective viewing - Facebook (customizing friend group for visability) or Instagram (private group selection for IG Story, private mode for account)

Only 6.3% wanted their digital records fully preserved with full public access.
12.5% preferred selective preservation with full public access.
31.3% wanted complete deletion with no public access.
50% preferred selective preservation with access only for close contacts.
64.3% were open to their records being fully accessible in the distant future for anthropological research.

Messages that are left behind 

The answers about their last words, last days, and childhood reflected themes of passion, sorrow, regret, gratitude, happiness, doing their best, and liberation.  I decided to take words from the posts and create a word cloud to get a clear perspective on the result. 


 

Conclusion

Through the interviews, I discovered that people understand that experiencing social death directly or indirectly divides people because the victims, the family, or close friends who are impacted by traumatic experiences are usually distant from their surroundings due to their struggles. Yet, despite this isolation, they still wish to spend time being around their loved ones and be accepted by people. They also manually stated that receive counseling was helpful, and would recommend it to others in similar situations, hoping it would be helpful along with donating and volunteering.

Interestingly, more than 30% of respondents shared detailed personal stories (though I am not sure if it's right to share here to respect their privacy), highlighted their openness to discussing difficult experiences in spaces where privacy is protected and anonymity is ensured. This suggests that even if they don't receive responses, people want a place where they can confide in their struggles.

In fact, they expressed that if they were ever to become isolated, they would focus on survival and spend their remaining time keeping journals or reading other people's stories through books and movies. Before leaving the world, they wanted to selectively leave their posts online with those who could truly understand them.

Aristotle said that humans are social animals. People who have experienced or witnessed social isolation, as well as those who purely wish to help others, can interchangeably take on the roles of supporting and saving one another. Therefore, I decided to explore ways to create a platform where these individuals can freely communicate about heavy topics such as pain, grief, suffering, and death.

Hypothesis

 "A private, story-sharing, selectively social platform for people who feel a sense of social death can be helpful for their mental health."

Persona

Prototype Ideation


Features

1. Primarily focused on content uploads but requires moderate interaction.
2. Writing and posting pictures, videos, and audio that certified psychologists or therapists can access (Upload limit 1 for each) 
3. Individual posts have adjustable levels of privacy.
4. Sharing resources that are helpful to go through their lives
5. Notifications system on daily routine, record in calendars. (Emphasis on maintaining fundamental routines is essential for users) 
6. Section for a life goal, and a bucket list for a hopeful future, a will for preparation 


Format

1. Application
2. Blog
3. Digital template (Notion etc)  
4. API 


Benefits to stakeholders 

1. Patients - able to feel safe to share their stories, diversify their process of healing 
2. Therapists, Psychiatrists - easier to understand patients, can help patients with efficiency 
3. Mental health institution- Managing patient care and raising awareness for isolated people
4. Government - gather information and build legislation to help isolated people 

Branding

1. Name:  Pigeon Letter 

2. Story: A Pigeon Letter is delivered by birds. Initially, the idea started by defining a person who experiences social death as a temporary or permanent camper in a log cabin in the deep forest. Living won't be easy; they will feel isolated, but the distance is too far, and they will not be sure who to reach out to or get out of the forest. Therefore, I wanted the product to contain the idea of hearing the news from the outside world like a pigeon letter. 

3. Look and feel: Light blue and white with a touch of green leaves, giving calm, soothing, tranquil vibes. (Note: avoid Twitter, Telegram or Duolingo color/image)

4. Moodboard: 

I plan to continue on wireframes next week. 

UX Research II

In recent research, I delved into the foundational concepts, types, and allowable parameters of euthanasia. Notably, many countries have increasingly recognized the right to assisted dying for patients suffering from terminal illnesses like cancer or whose physical limitations due to their health condition severely impact their quality of life, with legal frameworks supporting these decisions as a human rights consideration.

Amid this exploration, I developed a more profound interest in "social death." In countries like South Korea and Japan, terms like Godoksa, or Kodokushi in Japanese (lonely death) describe a phenomenon wherein older individuals.  Especially the "boomer" generation, who prioritized economic growth over family connections, find themselves isolated after retirement and often discovered only after death. Today, similar social isolation affects younger generations as well, especially those absorbed in online life, who may succumb to illness, poverty, or even suicide. South Korea’s persistent position as the OECD country with the highest suicide rate, coupled with social divides such as gender and regional conflicts, economic inequality, and tragedies (e.g., the Sewol Ferry disaster, presidential impeachment, and Itaewon tragedy), highlights the experiences of social isolation and fragmentation across ages.

While social media technology brings us closer in some ways, people paradoxically talk more about social isolation among individuals. I am thus compelled to study further mental health, social isolation, and “social death.”

What is Social Death?

When a person passes away, loved ones keep their memory alive by sharing stories, tattooing the deceased one on their skin, visiting graves, or marking anniversaries. For example, on Mexico's Day of the Dead, the departed are believed to find happiness in the afterlife through being remembered. Social death, however, is the opposite: it describes living individuals who become socially disconnected and lose their social identity due to various circumstances. In Jana Králová’s “What is Social Death?”, three characteristics commonly appear in definitions: a loss of social identity, a loss of social connectedness, and physical and mental decline.

Even before the Industrial Revolution, instances of stripping people of social identity were common. The transatlantic slave trade, colonial invasions, and the forced assimilation and language changes in colonized Latin America and Africa all represent historical examples of social death. Today, instances like refugees of civil wars, victims of the war in Gaza, families grieving COVID-19 losses, and the bereaved of significant disasters are at risk of social death, potentially leading to both mental health issues and physical illness.

How Often Do Mental Health Conditions Lead to Assisted Dying?

According to the study "Physician-Assisted Death for Psychiatric Suffering: Experiences in the Netherlands," only 1.3% of PAD (Physician-Assisted Death) cases in 2020 were due to psychiatric suffering. The majority of PAD cases involved physical conditions, with cancer patients making up over 60%. However, the number of requests based on psychiatric suffering far exceeds the number granted.

Most of these applicants had endured more than a decade of treatment, with over 70% facing multiple psychiatric diagnoses, such as depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and PTSD, making recovery challenging. Interestingly, almost 90% of PAD requests related to psychiatric suffering are not approved: 20% of applicants withdraw their requests, while 68% are denied.

The 20% withdrawal rate is noteworthy; while patients with physical illnesses typically remain in a more definite state, making PAD their only option except for medical miracles, patients with mental illnesses may more readily retract their PAD requests and continue life. However, the study also mentions that eight patients died by suicide after their PAD requests were denied, and there's a need for a cautious and thorough approach to this issue.

Questions

1. Is there a way to help individuals experiencing social death, a state akin to dying while still alive?
2. How can we alleviate the suffering of those nearing social death?
3. What roles can society, government, and technology play in addressing this issue?


Research Methodology

I aim to equate euthanasia and social death in terms of importance. The social acceptance of euthanasia for severe cases and respect for autonomy is growing, with many countries improving relevant legislation. However, significant social events can lead to collective trauma, often accompanied by grief, sorrow, and loss, even if indirectly experienced. To foster empathy and understanding for ourselves and others in such situations, I believe it is essential to hear personal stories, hence I will utilize interviews, observation, and cultural probes in my research.


Interview

I listed the questions, a mixture of asking their personal opinions about euthanasia, social death and personal preference questions disguising the situation of isolation or social death to easy out the seriousness of th subject. Considering of the topic being serious, I wanted them to take their time and contemplate the answers. Other than calling & talking, written interview seemed suitable for the occasion. I  reached out to 5 people, received the consent to send the questions from 3 people and am still collecting everyone's answer. 

Questions

• Do you support or oppose euthanasia/assisted dying?
• Why do you support or oppose it? If you support it, why? If you oppose it, why?
• If you could choose, how would you want to die, and what kind of funeral would you like?
  
• Have you had a near-death experience?
• Have you ever been hospitalized, undergone surgery, or experienced anesthesia?
• What do you think about leaving behind your posts and photos on the internet after death? Would you want people to remember you through what’s left online, only remember what you choose, or have it all eventually deleted?
• How long do you think you could last if you had to live alone as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island? (Food, money, and internet provided)
• What are five things you would take to a deserted island?
  
• Social death is the concept of losing connection to society while still alive. Have you ever felt similar emotions? If you have, when? 
  
• Have you seen anyone experiencing social death? If so, what kind of people were they?
• If you wanted to help or comfort someone experiencing social death, how would you approach it? (e.g., donations, volunteering, participating in advocacy)
  
• What message or wisdom do you want to share with the world upon your death?
• What do you want to say to your younger self?

 Observation

 As mentioned earlier, euthanasia and social death are deeply personal and heavy topics, not easily discussed in open settings. Sometimes, when I search for these keywords online, I find interesting posts and experiences that help me understand people’s perspectives on euthanasia. For this observation research, I decided to include searches on Quora and Reddit. On Reddit, threads like AskSocialScience, Pessimism, and Therapist contained related posts—personal, often sad, yet realistic and compassionate stories. Some examples included:

"28yo scheduled for euthanasia. Their psychiatrist said "there’s nothing more we can do for you. It’s never gonna get any better."
"Suicide ideation can be contagious."
"In the Netherlands, only 138 out of 9,000 euthanasia cases were related to mental health."
"I had a friend, a therapist with bipolar disorder, who had attempted suicide numerous times. They chose euthanasia in Switzerland and felt relieved to die humanely and predictably."

On Quora, searching for euthanasia mainly yields legal or definitional explanations, making it less suitable for personal stories. However, searching for "social death" provided more relatable stories. Many people shared their struggles and received empathetic responses. Some particularly notable questions included:

"Can a cancer patient keep up with socializing?"
"If my social life has stopped, how can I recover from here?"
"Can social isolation lead to death?"

https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-recover-from-mental-social-death
https://www.quora.com/I-have-been-socially-dead-for-a-few-years-How-do-I-build-a-new-life
https://www.quora.com/Can-you-die-from-social-isolation
https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-cope-with-losing-social-life
https://www.quora.com/Could-a-dying-person-still-be-concerned-about-socialising
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-it-that-since-my-brother-died-Ive-found-it-hard-to-socialize-with-friends-and-family
https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1bxtsth/28yo_scheduled_for_euthanasia_their_psychiatrist/?rdt=56524 https://www.reddit.com/r/Socialism_101/comments/1dkkgr1/why_is_euthanasia_wrong_from_a_socialist/ https://www.reddit.com/r/NEET/comments/1dxmhib/social_death_is_the_true_death/ https://www.reddit.com/r/selfimprovement/comments/1diz64p/my_social_life_is_basically_dead_what_should_i_do/ https://www.reddit.com/r/lonely/comments/1eqs62h/looking_weird_is_a_social_death_sentence/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Adulting/comments/1f4w4g8/is_it_normal_for_social_lives_to_essentially_die/


Word Cloud

Since the observation contains various stories and threads, I decided to take words from the posts and created a word cloud to get the clear perspective on the result.  I will continue work on this for the next process. 

Cultural Probes

My intention for this kit is to listen to the interviewee's personal story in multi forms of medium (digital/analog text, calender, photography etc), sharing fictional stories of people considering Euthansia and/or experiencing social death and understand their responses. 

1.DVD, Gift card for online purchase or tickets to the movie to watch the movies related to Euthansia and social death:
- The Sea Inside (2004)
- Me Before You (2016) 
- Land (2021)
- The Room Next Door (Dec, 2024)

2. QR Code invitation to online Notepad, pen to write down about the movies above

3. A box with 30-50 flash cards with non-direct quizzes asking about the interviewee's daily life, support system, actions to make themselves happy etc

- Who is your "Wilson" from Cast Away?
- Tell me your happiest/saddest memories from childhood, within 1/5/10 years
- What type of social protests you wish to attend? 
- What hobbies do you want to learn if there's no limit with funds? 
- 5 things you want to do if you won a lottery 
- I was proud of myself when I did...
- I feel isolated when...
- I feel accepted when...
- I want to disappear from the world when... 

4. Polaroids with 2 film boxes to capture the memories you wish to contain if you have only 3 months to live on earth

5. Physical calendar and a mood sticker - record your mood for the day with stickers
- Happy, sad, joyful, angry, grateful, calm, full, loved, depressed, hungry, cheerful etc 

6. Pen, colored pencils set

7. Dark Chocolate bar for their comfort
 
I am still in the develpment process for this one...


Cultural Probes Box Sketch

Stakeholder Map

Initiall stakehold map based on the previous researches- I am considering to make another one for social death.

Reference Links: 

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/health_glance-2015-11-en.pdf?expires=1730934588&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=3A16ADAEC6B77EBA80AB2174C7A9FC0E
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/soc_glance-2008-33-en.pdf?expires=1730934686&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=E0AB9C043D7E9C3C06D688EB70AB6B93
https://time.com/archive/6949722/japans-lonely-deaths-a-business-opportunity/
https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/110/1/5/2638390
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-18528-4
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8080517/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9251055/
https://www.academia.edu/22153139/What_is_social_death

UX Research

5 Social Phenomena topics I brainstormed: 

• Euthanasia: The word means in Greek "Good Death", a right to die with Dignity. We cannot choose to be born, but can we choose our departure in a circumstance where being alive is painful? Wouldn't that also be a human right?
• Media exposure fatigue: Being unknowingly photographed or having one's face used without consent. Although public spaces are assumed to be open to everyone, if these images are uploaded online and used for someone's profit, isn't this an invasion of privacy?
• The end of remote work culture: Is it not economically inefficient and unfair for employees? Remote work has allowed those who must stay at home to gain equal opportunities to work.
• Dopamine detox: It involves giving up overstimulating, pleasurable activities to “reset your brain” and live a happier life. Does it work?
• Mental health awareness for seniors:  Many Boomers in Asia or Latin America who grew up after war and hardship still see taking care of mental health or therapy as a sign of weakness. Is there an effective system that could encourage these older generations to seek counseling?

Euthanasia 

I selected the topic "Euthanasia" as my topic because it’s a heavy, serious issue that isn't often chosen for open discussion due to its controversial nature. This limits the amount of accessible information, but I believe it might be easier to find factual, realistic, unbiased, and non-saturated information.

Definition

The word "euthanasia" comes from the Greek words "EU" (good) and "THANATOS" (death). It refers to the act of ending a life voluntarily or nonvoluntarily to uphold human dignity when the patient’s condition is so severe that they are experiencing unbearable suffering and are unlikely to live a humane life.

As soon as I started researching, I had to consider changing my topic because what I had in mind was closer to "assisted suicide". It is expected to have terminological confusion between the two, as assisted suicide is a part of voluntary euthanasia. Euthanasia involves a medical professional actively ending a patient’s life, with or without consent, based on a medical conclusion. Assisted suicide, however, consists of the patient ending their own life with the assistance from a physician. It is typically called PAS, a physician-assisted suicide. Due to the stigma surrounding the term "suicide," it’s also referred to as "physician-assisted dying" or "physician-assisted end-of-life".

Type of Euthanasia

There are three types of euthanasia: voluntary, non-voluntary for dignity, and involuntary, based on a theory called "Eugenics," an anti-humanitarian motive. Voluntary euthanasia includes cases where a conscious patient intends to make the decision and gives consent to a doctor’s help to end their life, either in an active or passive method. Active methods involve chemical treatments like drug injections or nitrogen gas in a capsule, and passive methods include discontinuing medical treatments, life support, or palliative care. Non-voluntary euthanasia applies in cases where a person cannot communicate, such as chronically ill infants, animals with incurable diseases, or patients in persistent vegetative states. Involuntary euthanasia refers to anti-humanitarian practices like Nazi Eugenics, where life-ending decisions are made regardless of a patient’s wishes.

Controversy

Today, most countries permit euthanasia under strict medical conditions, often allowing only passive methods when continued life would severely undermine a patient’s dignity. The most debated aspect is the criteria for active euthanasia. Even when patients are in irreversible conditions and wish to end their lives, there are objections that life-ending medical interventions would violate the sanctity of life.

A life that feels like death

However, the reasoning behind patients choosing to end their lives is more complicated. Think of patients facing physical illness. For instance, patients with cancer or a hip fracture may experience daily discomfort, prolonged treatment-induced stress, and social isolation. This lack of support often leads them to self-isolation, impacting their mental health. If these conditions persist due to permanent physical impairments, patients may face economic hardship, affecting their families and loved ones.

Now, consider patients with mental illness. For example, someone who has lost their entire family in a tragic accident and struggles with severe trauma may lack a support system and will most likely develop physical illnesses. Long treatment journeys often come with limited understanding or support from their extended families.

Most people struggle to accept life-altering pain, personality changes, and loss of independence. They often choose isolation over dependency. Some reach a stage of "Social Death" where they feel alone and isolated. This can also be experienced by elderly individuals with limited mobility or those with disabilities as well.

When both physical and mental suffering are unbearable, patients must weigh their dignity in life against dignity in death. The sanctity of life has been upheld through religious doctrines like Catholicism and medical codes of ethics such as the Hippocratic Oath, the Geneva Declaration, and the AMA Code of Ethics. But are humans meant to live in suffering severely? We cannot choose to be born, but could we decide not to suffer? 

Concerns

There are concerns about euthanasia’s potential for misuse. Disability advocacy groups have raised fears that legalized euthanasia might eventually pressure individuals with disabilities into euthanasia. These concerns are rooted in history, as humanity has witnessed eugenics-based atrocities such as those carried out by the Nazis.
 
One of the major concerns many have is described by terms like “mission creep” or the “slippery slope”. The idea is that once euthanasia is permitted, it might become difficult to stop, leading ultimately to disastrous consequences. In a world where medical miracles also exist, statements like “unbearable pain” or “social death” could be temporary or subjective. Allowing voluntary and active euthanasia without leaving room for further treatment options might lead patients to make decisions without thorough contemplation and could potentially open doors to direct criminal activity.

For instance, while physical pain or immobility can be promptly assessed medically, judgments around mental suffering and anguish take more time and generally involve a more extended treatment period. As a result, there is significant debate in many countries today around the legal ramifications of medical professionals who assist young patients in ending their lives due to chronic depression or severe mental disorders. While more countries are allowing voluntary, passive euthanasia under specific medical conditions, the number permitting voluntary, active euthanasia remains limited.

Conclusion

Euthanasia emerged as a 20th-century social phenomenon alongside advances in life sciences and longer human lifespans. As the period spent suffering from illness and disability grows along with life expectancy, society has become increasingly aware of euthanasia as an issue. Humanity now faces what is arguably the most prolonged, slowest death in history. Modern philosophy interprets the value of human life as stemming from our equal right to respect for our ethical beliefs and autonomy over our lives. In his book "Theory of Justice", John Rawls argued that a fair society should allow individuals the freedom to choose between life and death.

In the 21st century, as infant mortality has declined and the lifespan of the elderly has extended, death has become a more distant destination in the medical world compared to the 20th century. Today, the global population is the largest it has ever been, and society is heading toward an era where the elderly population will surpass the young. Instead of reacting to this issue with extreme apprehension, it may be more constructive to discuss it openly and freely.

Reference Links: 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/euthanasia
https://medicine.missouri.edu/centers-institutes-labs/health-ethics/faq/euthanasia#:~:text=Euthanasia is the practice of,“thanatos” (death).
https://news.gallup.com/poll/648215/americans-favor-legal-euthanasia.aspx
https://www.government.nl/topics/euthanasia/is-euthanasia-allowed
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jul/15/euthanasia-and-assisted-dying-rates-are-soaring-but-where-are-they-legal
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-50115-2
https://search.library.nyu.edu/permalink/01NYU_INST/1d6v258/alma99008304937010787
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)64289-4/fulltext
https://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(18)30339-7/fulltexthttps://www.proquest.com/docview/212118127?parentSessionId=PRPmiIWj7wUb2%2BMhYkI7sP660wO0spO4lUXQmAQ0GBY%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=127681
https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/euthanasia
https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/against/against_1.shtml#:~:text=Top-,Devalues some lives,beings while they are alive.
http://www.dignitas.ch/?lang=en
https://deathwithdignity.org/news/
https://koreartd.co.kr/news/?mod=document&uid=10
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rawls/
http://proxy.library.nyu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=282760&site=ehost-live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_95
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5870282/ 

Mind-Mapping

I initially created this skeleton of mind mapping. After reading articles and papers, I realized I needed to change a few main branches.

Questions and statements I wrote in the process of creating the mind map below :

1. Should the main topic be "Assisted Suicide", not Euthanasia?
2. Concerns are based on the dignity of human life.
3. Chronic illness is not the only cause or reason to consider Euthanasia.
4. Most countries ban or do not take action regarding Euthanasia, and some countries apply related laws in different ways; it will be better to define one branch as "Countries" and categorize them into these two sub-branches: legal and partially legal.
5. Legal means country-wide, proper legislation, both Voluntary and non-voluntary. Partially legal means regions only, with limited legislation or jurisdiction. 

Click the image or HERE to visit the mindmap on Mural.co 

More questions: 

1. Should the "alternatives" be part of the methods?  
2. Should I branch out the "Ethics" part? 
3. Should I mention people or groups? (Dignitas, Dr.Death, John Rawls, Jean-Luc Goddard, Alain Delon)
4. Should "animal" be included in the maps? Or is this human only?
5. What can be added more? 

Reflection

This experience helped me discern information, define sections (branches and sub-branches), and compartmentalize them. I started by learning many medical terms and discovering stories about the topic. I felt empathy for the patients’ desperate situations and started adding each branch to understand the causes and concerns, ethics, and alternatives. As I read more and learned more in-depth, I connected sub-branches inter-sectionally.  It was interesting to look at a tiny organism I created with the elements and helpful to reflect on what I have read and learned better. 
Mural.co was a little funky for me as each branch moved around and ran away from the other. My canvas width ended up being 10k pixels- I am unsure if it's okay to make creatives and share an image of this size in the UX field. (maybe it's OK since it's not a flattened image?)  

References

Mind mapping 
https://simplemind.eu/how-to-mind-map/basics/
https://edrawmind.wondershare.com/mind-map/how-to-make-mind-map.html
https://blog.alexanderfyoung.com/the-perfect-mindmap-4-step-framework/

Post Y2K
Glitches 
Unleashed

A time capsule, believed to be the possession of a person who lived about 125 years ago in the southern part of Long Island City before it was submerged, was discovered on a hot summer Friday.

Time Capsule III

I created a fictional photo-essay called "Post Y2K Glitches Unleashed" for this week's project.

Based on the NYC Flood Hazard mapper, I set the hypothesis of a natural disaster called "2101 NYC The Great Flood," which wiped out the financial district of Manhattan, Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, and the north of Greenpoint. Therefore, Long Island City only existed as LIC Lighthouse Island (the south tip of the Hunters Point South Park with a lighthouse and the memorial cornerstone) and Vernon Island (near Vernon/Jackson Blvd). Greenpoint also existed as Greenpoint Island in the year 2145.  

Taking the perspective of an NYC resident and a columnist for the New York Times (32 y/o, F) in the year 2145, I set the article's tone to be factual yet personal, amazed, and exciting. 

Here's the empathy map based on the columnist's perspective: 

Storyboard: 

Photo-essay layout ideas

Storyline: The story starts with the image of the device found in the time capsule. It leads to the NYT Video article about how LIC used to be, how the flood happened (with screen-captured video), and explains how unearthing relics in the area started. A second character- the exploration team member who found the devices- delivers the discovery story more of a personal narrative. They found the serial number of the iPhone 1, which helped to identify the device's owner, me, who was living in the 2020s.  In conclusion, she contemplates what we want to preserve in a new hypothetical time capsule ("Lock Your Time" Box) product, considering the valuable artifacts of their era of the 2140s. 

Development: My original plan was to mix stop-motion animations using After Effects and GIFs from Photoshop. However, AE kept crashing with errors after I finished the first frame, so I moved to Photoshop to create a GIF frame animation. The challenge was to make the composited picture look realistic and ensure the photos showed the story's key points in a way that flowed well with the layout I had in mind. The WordPress plugin I used, "Semplice," has great preset modules for editorial design that are similar to my idea; I implemented them to structure each section. For the NYT article frame animation, I gathered photos from Adobe Stock (AI-generated), Google Images, and NYC.gov. The portrait shots of the models (except myself) are included in the Semplice Modules.  

Reflection: I spent too much time writing the fictional part because it was fun, so I had to trim it down to fit it into the visuals I could deliver that matched the story. Creating an NYT article GIF felt like making a mockup project on a typical day at work, so it was a lot of work but easy to get done. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about the history of my current neighborhood and how much I love living here, so I genuinely worried about the sea level increase and concerned about the hypothetical flood I made up in my head (lol). Lastly, it was also a great chance to reflect on how I want to be remembered by future generations and wonder if I have been living up to my expectations as a woman, immigrant, designer, and artist. 

Time Capsule

Brainstorming 

Ideation 
1. Electronic Devices
2. Music Equipment
3. Health supplies
4. Coffee gadgets 

Topic

I decided to proceed with the "my electronic devices" idea and narrowed it down to those with more personal meaning. 

Storytelling

1. Introduction: The relationship between me and the electronic devices
2. Meet the Fantastic 4: CD player, Electronic Dictionary, Camcorder, iPhone 1
- Talking about my experience and how some are still on active duty - battery-powered emergency kit! 
3. Outro: They were/are my support system, and I hope to make my own devices after finishing my education at IDM. 
 
Mood: upbeat, fun, nostalgic, hopeful

Medium 
A digital video, uploaded to my YouTube channel, as I have created many YouTube videos with some of the devices. 

Specs 
H.264 1920x1080 HD with video graphics, background music, and voiceover; total length will be min. 3min, max. 5mins, English Captioned

Location
Round Coffee Table

Main Cast
1. Sharp Electronic Dictionary RD 6500M (ENG, KOR, JPN, CHN) 
2. Sony HDR-HC3 NTSC Digital HD Video camera recorder
3. Sony CD Player D-EJ785 Portable CD Player
4. Apple iPhone 1 8GB

B-roll shot list

Intro: Overhead shot of the old electronic devices

CDP: Full shot, close up of CDP, CDs, connecting with headphones- insert new batteries and try to operate, maybe?
Electronic Dictionary: FS, CU 
Camcorder: FS and CU of the camcorder, tapes, try to operate and show the background through the viewfinder, play the old recorded tapes
iPhone 1: FS and CU of the iPhone 1 and all the phones I've kept and used 

Outro: A random collection of the 4 devices' b-roll footage, a shot of the window view from the camcorder viewfinder 

Production
Tripod: Neewer Tripod with ring light for the overhead shot
Camera: Apple iPad, 4K 24 fps 
Voice-over: iPhone 11 Pro max

Pre-Production
Apple Macbook Pro 2.3 GHz Intel Core i9 32GB RAM
Editing, Color correcting: Adobe Premiere Pro
Video Graphics & final rendering: Adobe After Effects

Distribution
Youtube, unlisted 

Images from the shoot

The shooting was smooth. Although the weather had been cloudy, the shoot day was sunny, and I got a decent amount of natural light. Years ago, I migrated from using a DSLR or a mirrorless camera to an iPad camera when I shoot videos at home during the daytime. The iPad's automatic exposure settings are immaculate; they work in any lighting situation I encounter at home. 

Visual direction

I wanted to fill the frame with the coffee table tile and the devices. Cassette tapes and unrelated old devices were the best props. For the individual parts, I focused on showing the whole sides of the materials, including the old-school display with light and retro-style text features. I envisioned adding wavy fonts in white for the device introduction, so I started with the clean table shot and added the devices along the way. 

Technical Difficulties

The four devices featured are at least a decade old. The last brief reunion I had with them was packing them in 2021. Therefore, I experienced some difficulties when attempting to operate them.

First of all, I found out that my ED was officially dead.

Secondly, I initially intended to fill the background with CDs for the CDP section. However, it tripped multiple times and did not play, which had never happened before. I made it work after dusting off the lens several times and playing a newly burnt CD and an old CD back and forth. I panicked slightly and skipped layering CDs on the table to protect them from getting scratched.  

The camcorder's cassette videotape slot automatically closes after I manually insert it. After watching some cringy old footage of me and my friends from the old cassette tape for a minute and changing several tapes, the slot wasn't closed anymore and gave me an error message for about 15 minutes. Just like the CDP, this never happened to me before. I turned it off, waited until the machine cooled down, and tried to close the slot, and it finally worked (and it will stay like that till I die). I am happy that I got the shot of the active viewfinder, at least. 

Sounds

Recording the voiceover was late at night, and I wanted to finish it quickly. I've been using a minimal setup for recording these days, and the iPhone microphone is an excellent option to capture crispy sound.  I intended to make the video's tone upbeat, but my natural voice is dark and gloomy. Therefore, I tried to add audio effects and discovered that Adobe Premiere Pro 2024 has an "Apply Preset." When you right-click the audio wave on the timeline, you get a quick voice effect such as a phone call voice, podcast voice, etc. I used the "balanced high tone voice" and "phone call voice", and the outcome was a little more upbeat than the original. 

For the background music, I used Epidemic Sound. 


Reflection

I was happy with the final output. It came out as I planned and directed, and I had fun revisiting my old memories and thinking about how far I have come. I wished I had more time to work on the project and the devices could cooperate more, even though I know they have passed the time for retirement. I am ready to give the devices a lovely gift wrap (time machine box) to honor their hard work and for giving me great memories. 
This experience also motivated me to create more videos, using video graphics and voiceovers to share my stories and experiences. I used to put so much effort into one video and was bummed out by the amount of work and energy I had to put in. Writing the stories felt very easy this time as I constructed them following the structures from the Zoom call video about storytelling cards.  The 3-5 minute video didn't take long to create; I will continue working on my writing and make them into videos. 

Time Machine Prototyping


After experiencing the deterioration of some devices, I decided to design the time machine in an airtight sealed form so that the machines could be protected from dust, moisture, and oxygen. The materials I initially thought were a stainless steel box, acrylic boxes, and a food vacuum sealer. I plan to seal them individually using a food vacuum sealer and place them in an acrylic box or a big stainless can.  

Sketch  

3D Modeling (single, double stack, steel can with lid)

Final Production 

Dusting off the electronics

 Opened the airtight sealing machine, and packed the devices in an individual bag.
I decided to include an old cellphone and a Sony MD player in the capsule as well.

L: Started vacuuming and sealing the bags 
R: finished products

Assembling a single acrylic box 

Completed Time Capsule!

Reflections

This time, I focused more on the practical part for the preservation and felt like I was being less creative. Later, I found more things I want to fix: 
1. To avoid the box to get heavy in case of carrying, I am planning to add cushioning peanuts, after wrapping them with bubble wrap for the extra safety. In addition, I am trying to find a better way to seal the acrylic box and make it sturdier - glue gun? Gorilla glue? Corner connector? 
2. I picked the acrylic materials because I wanted to see the devices from outside. It will be nice to see if I put them on an individual pedestal so they don't overlap with each other. For the real presevation, steel can might be the best option overall.  
3. Putting them in one box was one of the original idea. Later, I moved towards the idea of assigning individual space for each device. It was hard to find a smaller size of double stacked acrylic box, especially the one that is smaller than the current size but wide enough to fit from CD to camcorder. I hope to be able to make my own box, optimized for individual sizes of the devices.
4. I have realized that I tend to focus more on the aesthetics over function or efficiency while learning that the aesthetic goal was not even fully achieved. I should balance it out...

Affordance

Brainstorming & Research 

Before I began working on the idea, I wanted to learn more about the tangible user interface, and I found these links.  

Definition of TUI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangible_user_interface
TUI Examples from Google https://uxdesign.cc/what-are-tangible-user-interfaces-and-how-do-they-enhance-the-hci-experience-3be92f167131
Game Design https://padmayyang96.medium.com/translating-affordances-from-digital-to-physical-a51a09fc8b1b (maybe one of the students from the previous class?)
A Thesis of TUI https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/13/4258
Cooper Hewitt Museum https://www.cooperhewitt.org/new-experience/ - When I visited in 2019, there was an interactive piano keyboard with a screen, with each note assigned to color dots. As you play the key, you create a live visual art on the screen filled with different colors of dots. 
Harry Potter newspaper in a flexible display https://x.com/jav6868/status/1836672348851687712
More examples of TUI:
https://uk.pinterest.com/adsmithdesign/tangible-user-interface/
https://www.behance.net/search/projects/tangible%20interaction
https://www.pinterest.com/effectivetim/tangible-interaction/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/629378116706683388/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/49539664648658376/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/490259109453239478/

After reading these and checking out the references, I was convinced that the idea of the Ableton Live Play/Record button keyboard would work for this project. As a bedroom singer/songwriter who records alone at home, this idea could improve my experiences on recording. Then, I had a chain of thought about making digital functions that I've used into a tangible interface such as: 

1. P5.js command or bracket keyboard? not sure how much it's worth to separate them from the original keyboard
2. Hex code detector? can't find the use of it yet 
3. Word puzzle or Wordle that lights up? What is more exciting than just making it light up to confirm the answer?
4. TouchDesigner modules in physical pieces - would it be possible even to manufacture this in real life? 
5. Speaker/visualizer lamp?  Certain audio frequencies are assigned to HEX color codes, and the multi-colored lights turn on and blink to the music playing in sync.


I decided that the Ableton Live keyboard and Speaker/Visualizer lamp had potential and started sketching. 

Left:  The initial idea of Ableton Live Keyboard. I wanted a keyboard patch of a somewhat large size with Velcro in the back (written in Korean in the image) so I could attach it to a vocal reflection filter or a vocal booth with a soundproof foam wall. There's a function bar on Ableton Live, and I wanted to make it a tangible keyboard. The idea was simple and firm. 
Right Top, and bottom: The initial idea of the speaker/visualizer lamp. From the sound modular function class, I learned that sound frequencies have different wavelengths that could be assigned to HEX codes. I envisioned a sphere or planet with some sensory surface that could feel the vibration from the rhythm of the music. Then, I realized it would be hard to see the lights from the lamp.  Then, I wasn't sure my interest was entirely in researching the surface materials, so I gave up on this idea. 

Moving forward with the Ableton Live Keyboard idea...


Introduction

Recording is usually a 2 -3 people job. There should be a studio engineer who operates recording functions on the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation i.e. Logic, Protools, Ableton Live), and a recording gear engineer who sets up hardware (computer, cables, microphone etc) between the station and vocal booth, and there's a vocal who sings. When you have a home recording system, you do everything alone. Pressing the record button, moving your head to a microphone /reflection filter to sing, then coming back to the station and hitting the stop button are typically not smooth steps, especially when you want to be in somewhat an isolated space or corner to record your voice to prevent the sound from being scattered. I wish I could have an extra keyboard specialized in Play, Stop, and Record. 

The top red box is the bar with the current measure information, play, stop and record button.

This usually happens; you must remember where your left finger landed on the keyboard to hit stop, play, and record while your right hand is not doing anything. And the right arm might feel burdensome; if she wants to work on more than a few simple keyboard presses, she has to move to her left to bring her right arm, making sure that she does not accidentally touch the microphone, the pop filter, or a reflection filter with her right hand so the original microphone setup is not ruined. Trust me, it happens all. the. time. Let's say she has a hypothetical tiny corner next to her recording setup, so she moves one to two steps to record in that corner. She might wish her arm could get extended like a hand-pulled noodle. 

So, I came up with the idea of designing a small set of keyboards or keyboard patches to reduce the vocal's movement path and provide functions to the right hand so the vocalist can finish recording their voice in one sitting, preferably.  


Sketches

Basic shape:

I wanted to explore both rounded square and rounded rectangle shapes. The square shape made more sense initially since I wanted to include only essential functions; I tried to mimic the "talkback", a tiny square box with a press/hold button box in a professional recording studio that connects the studio and vocal booth for communication.  

Buttons:

1. Plus: the button adds additional vocal tracks with the existing setting for different takes or adding harmonies.
2. Rewind and Fast-forward, Backward and forward Play with bar : << and >> , <| and |>

I originally thought the rewind and fast-forward buttons jump bars left and right, and the button with the backward play with a small stick returned to the beginning. Jumping bars to the beginning and the end would be beneficial because the vocal arrangement usually contains lots of overlapping harmonies and adlibs. 
Later, I changed the rewind and fast-forward buttons to relocate the Playhead to the beginning or the end. Then, I added both sides of the backward and forward play with a stick to jump a bar from left to right. The stick (or the line) seems more intuitive in that it indicates each bar that hops.  

I contemplated adding a play/stop button, as we usually use the space bar to play and stop a session. When we hit the record button, the play button automatically turns on. Rarely does it get pressed, as the spacebar takes up a significant amount of real estate and is quite handy. However, the play button is an essential indicator to show the current status of the recording session, so I included it along with the record button and the spacebar. 

Lights: 

Three lights on the keyboard indicate the status of its use:
1. Orange: cable connected but not working
2. Green: Playing
3. Red + Green: recording
Red is not on by itself, as the session plays when it records. 

The keys also light up when active, letting us know that the functions are correctly conducted while the device is live. I envision an internal lighting system with a transparent symbol on the surface, but an interactive backlit key will do the job.  

Backside:

The backside of the keyboard is probably the critical point of this product.  Given the explanation above, the product has to be portable. Therefore, adding something a material that makes the product temporary adhesive to the surface (like velcro)  was one of the vital points I wanted to feature on this product from the beginning.  Soundproof walls and panels typically use the fabric "felt," which is suitable for velcro.  

However, most singer-songwriters or producers with a home studio don't own a soundproof wall or panels. It could also be attached to soundproof reflection filters that use felt or foam, but the shape usually comes in pyramids or furrows, so sticking the product to the surface will be hard. 

Alternatives: 
1. Plastic handles that connect the sides and the back could be the solution. It can be hooked on top of the music stand.
2. A small magnet at the bottom to make it stick to a music stand 
3. A metal clip that can be attached to a mic stand 

Affordance 2

Custom Keyboard Research

• Basic Process to make a custom keyboard:
1. Layout Design : https://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/
2. Plate and Case Design: http://builder.swillkb.com/
3. Switches and Arduino configuration
4. Get Keycaps (Order from Etsy or 3D Printing )
5. Order the plate from https://jlcpcb.com/
6. Assembling & Soldering
7. QA Testing

References for customized keyboard making :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7azQkSu0m_U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_oSLBZABGA&t
https://www.youtube.com/@BenVallack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-c8Fw96aFg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcXycScePHM
https://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/
https://jlcpcb.com/
https://worklab.tistory.com/3
https://gura7060.tistory.com/2
https://diy-project.tistory.com/146
http://builder.swillkb.com/


Prototyping

1. Create a digital 3D model
2. Design the layout, plate and box
3. Create a research survey page for the industry peers - https://kayla.design/play-and-stop
4. Make a paper version of the plate & box
5. Backside: attach velcro, or a C- clamp or heavy-duty rubber band with a button in the back
   - Maybe make the width the same as the iPhone Pro Max so people can use a mic stand phone holder?
6. Learn Arduino & switches configuration 
7. Get customized keycaps, order from Etsy or 3D printing

 
After researching more about making a customized keyboard, I started setting the layout on the keyboard editor website, a great starting point for custom keyboard layout design and blueprint. After learning basic terms and the mechanical process, I realized that many steps I wanted to achieve in my prototype had to be on hold to match the deadline. Instead, I developed more ideas for the backside and started 3D modeling the product to visualize the original idea I had in mind. 

Config: 
Play | Record
Rewind | Fast-Forward
Skip Bar Left | Skip Bar Right
Add tracks
Play/Stop

 
Size: 
2u | 2u 
2u | 2u
2u | 2u
4u
4u

After finishing the 3D modeling on Blender, I drew the paper draft for the tangible prototype. I attached durable sticker papers to cover the box for the surface and used heavy-weighted cardstock for the keycaps. I wanted to roll the sticker paper down to round the box corners. However, when I cut it out, the button section was too tiny and fragile, and the frame was not sturdy enough to hold. I moved forward with the regular rectangle shape. 

The sketch of the keyboard box draft

Left: The box and the button frame cutout
Right: The box and the frame wrapped, the keycaps cutouts

The cardstock was perfect for the keycaps. Installing them would've been more complicated if I had used regular print paper. The shape doesn't look perfect, but it's surprisingly stable. While I took the mic stand photos below, I dropped the box several times, and the keycaps remained intact.

Final Prototype

The space between the mic stand and the pop filter neck is not the best or most secure place to place any electronic, but if I could tie it to the stand with an adjustable silicone belt with a button in the back, it might work??...

Feedback from musicians
Later on, I received feedback from 2 industry peers. Both of them have been using DAWs for about 20 years. Their occupations in the music industry are music producer, live playback engineer, sample library developer, and music production teacher in colleges. They both record at home most of the time alone and found this product to be very helpful for the process. One mentioned that it could be useful for guitarists who use instruments and live performers who use playback backing tracks. The functions they want to add are an "Undo" button and a "shortcut to jump on different takes (on different tracks) that are recorded.". They prefer big keycaps in sizes 2u and 4u over regular ones (1u). They would also like to purchase the product if it gets manufactured in real life, even if it costs above $100. One mentions that Elgato Sound has a small USB studio controller/audio mixer that conducts multiple apps with buttons on a box but is pricier. Overall, they believed this product would reduce unnecessary steps in their job and are open to testing the working prototype. 


Reflection
Although this is not a working prototype with the application or mechanically connected, creating a tangible prototype gave me a better idea of what I wanted to refine in the next step of the customizing process. It added much more depth in envisioning product use in real life, filtering ideas, and being firm with what I wanted to carry on for the features and the aesthetics. 3D modeling was also helpful in visualizing the product, sharing the idea with others, and making them understand the product concept. Hopefully, I can move forward from the current step and create working prototypes one day. 

50 Shades

Peach is my favorite fruit. I love it so much that I created my sticker shop brand. Peach represents sweet, happy, cute, fun, dynamic feminine energy. I wanted to add that personality to my brand. My current logo is peach-shaped, using soft pink and pastel green for the leaf and the bite-out part filled with digital pixels as I create digital products such as social video content, AR filters, and printable designs. (Click HERE to see the image ) Though it is a familiar shape and colors, I realized I had done less than 15 sketches before I finalized the current logo. The issue with the current logo is that it is more like a fun, quirky design sticker than a logo that could represent personality. Therefore, this was an excellent chance for me to explore more options.

In this assignment, I ventured out and adapted a tertiary color (orange), simplified the peach shape and green leaf shape, mixed and divided the colors, and jumped back and forth from an abstract, dusty look to a slick and clean-cut modern look. I also tried to use different color schemes, such as black/white, sky blue, yellow, and even purple to see if there was an opportunity to be more creative in that route, but it did not work. I quickly settled in the original colors and decided to move beyond by rearranging the color and shape elements and selecting different pen tools to change personalities and emotions. For the shapes, I moved on from using ellipses and differentiated the main object by adapting a piece of peach, square, and triangular peach juice box, replacing the leaf with a straw.  

For the tools, I used an iPad and the drawing app ‘Procreate’ for the sketch. I am not proficient in Procreate, but exploring pen, marker, and eraser tool options was surprisingly easy and handy. Marker sketches turned out great as they added more personalities to the shapes. I used Photoshop gradient palettes for the color gradient, as they have a great collection of gradients. I used Google Images and Pinterest to get more ideas for the image references.  

When I first started, exploring 50 options might be excessive because the maximum number of sketches I've done for one concept was about 30. I thought I could only refine some of them to make them usable. After finishing the sketch, I've learned that this is not about making usable pieces; it is a training practice meant to run out of my creativity so that I could push my limit, bring out more ideas and solutions, and see how far I could go with my creativity and imagination. I was able to come up with some ideas that could be worth refining for the following process. Whether I proceed or not, the practice helped me navigate the creative paths with the brand logo, which I hadn’t done enough. It was a much-needed constructive process, and I will adapt this step in my branding design process from now on.

9/5

Syllabus: https://wp.nyu.edu/ideationandprototyping/class-schedule/

Slack: https://app.slack.com/client/T01KSF6SYMV/C01LDDDHBV2/directory

Mural: https://app.mural.co/t/ideationprototypingfall20237711/m/ideationprototypingfall20237711/1725489248873/51fd6d08b4f0b3c93ecc3ac2b37d436763f6fb36?sender=ue716fffe38be7cd6a5a21430

Brightspace: https://brightspace.nyu.edu/d2l/home


Homework:

• The Horizons of the Artificial
• Tony Fry: Futuring, the City & Sustainment - the Remaking of Design
• Design For The Real World
• The Creative Process