Preserving Emotional Connections for Elderly & Disabled Users Through Immersive Memory Experiences
ROLE
VR/XR Product Designer
Team Size
Skills
EXPERTISE
VR/XR Design
3D UX Design
Accessibility Design
Duration
36 Hours
User Flow
Enter Mixed Reality
Users start with a simple, guided onboarding process.
View Capsule Messages or Memory Palace
Users can view new immersive messages in the Capsule Bottle or watch past message in the Sand Castle "Memory Palace"
Select Capsule
Selecting a capsule triggers a smooth animation that opens the VR space, transitioning users to the memory environment tied to that specific capsule.
Enter Immersive Message
(0:15-0:52)
A 360° AI generated environment featuring music therapy audio and a recorded video
message from loved ones.
The user enters a personalized VR space with a generated scene in the background. At the center, they can listen to a recording, view visual elements of the memory, and even create their own recording to add to the capsule.
Select Sand Castle
Selecting the Sand Castle triggers transition to the Memory Palace, where they can explore past capsules with immersive messages.
Enter Memory Palace:
3D VR Space
Selecting the Sand Castle triggers transition to the Memory Palace, where they can explore past capsules with immersive messages. Each capsule has special artificatns representing the memory (e.g. snowman, cake, seashell, etc.)
Past Memory Capsules:
Immersive Messages
A 360° AI generated environment featuring music therapy audio and a recorded video message from loved ones.
Design Process
User Personas
Competitive Analysis
User Flow Overview
Designed 3D Assets
Immersive Message:
A 360° environment featuring music therapy audio and a recorded video message from loved ones
3D VR Memory Palace:
(0:53-1:07)
3D Model Capsule Bottles
& Special Artifact
How We Built It
Technology:
Development: Unity
Programming: C#
VR Headset: Meta Quest 3
Artificial Intelligence: OpenAI's Skybox AI for generating memory environments, Whisper for audio transcription.
Design:
FigJam for product management
Figma for 2D Interfaces
Blender, Unity, SketchFab, and Meshy for 3D model assets
Challenges & Lessons Learned
Challenges:
Learning Unity and Meta Quest 3 with limited experience.
Designing accessible, intuitive interfaces for elderly users.
Curating suitable, free low-poly assets to reflect intimacy and empathy.
Creating smooth scene transitions for a seamless user experience.
Lessons Learned:
Collaborative problem-solving can overcome steep learning curves.
Empathy is key to designing impactful technology for vulnerable groups.
VR and AR offer transformative potential for addressing real-world challenges like memory loss and loneliness.
Accomplishments & Future Directions
Accomplishments:
Won Meta Award in the Stanford XR Hackathon "Immerse the Bay"
Competed against 180 hackers
Showcased to Industry Sponsors: Meta, NVIDIA, Amazon Web Services, Snapchat, and more
Designed a fully immersive VR experience for elderly users.
Developed a human-centered, accessible product that reduces loneliness and aids memory recall.
Overcame technical hurdles and built a meaningful solution in a short timeframe.
What's Next:
Chatbot Integration: Add an LLM-powered chatbot for memory-focused conversations.
Therapeutic Enhancements: Incorporate audio-visual mementos combining voice recordings and imagery to support users with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Onboarding Improvements: Enhance spatial awareness for easier onboarding.