07 Design for Development: Memoir - App for patients in palliative care
Description
We were given the brief to design a mobile solution that is targeted towards an audience with a specific impairment. Special attention should be given to the constraints and curtailments presented by the assigned disability. Through a process of dialogue and dialectics the solution has to consider how which disabilities to cater for, and which to leave out. In teams, we had to conduct primary and secondary research into our given target audience to understand their physical and mental state whilst looking for insights that may inform a digital solution.
*This was a group project consisting of Marguerite Turpin (u17106398) and Jan-Dirk Visagie (u15249222). Both members worked on all aspects of the application and research, switching responsibilities and tasks. Therefore there is no identifiable individual work for this project, but a seamless collaborative collected work.
Deliverables
- Process work documentation
- Final app (Adobe XD prototype)
- Reflection documentation
Rationale
We were given the opportunity to create a solution for patients in palliative (end of life) care. Through interviewing Megan Strydom, a palliative nurse, and listening to her experiences and stories from working in the field we noted two pain points. Firstly that many of her patients are void of family or friends for emotional support during this time and are left isolated and detached from society at the time of their passing. Secondly, many of her patients feel they have nothing to leave behind and that they will be forgotten.
Our solution lies in the belief that every person has one inherent gift they can part with before they go; a message. To manifest this belief, we created Memoir. Memoir is a digital vault of voices that are kept in a timeless, digital format. The solution provides patients a two minute long window to leave a message for the world. This serves to connect palliative patients with those that have been in their position before, although they have passed on. By adding their voice, the world is allowed a clearer vision of a position we will all find ourselves in one day and Memoir guarantees that we will never be forgotten.
