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Fleeting Family Portraits

Documenting family members one moment at a time

Background

What is a Fleeting Family Portrait?

Ancestry documentation often focuses on the past, specifically on older family members who have already lived much of their lives. This project focuses on the present moment and acknowledges the ever-changing nature of both children and adults.

Fleeting Family Portraits captures a family at a single moment in time. This portrait is meant to record current routines, opinions, and favorites, and could be repeated in the future.

 

Guiding Question

How might I document a multi-generational family in a fun and meaningful way?

Audience

In this case, my primary audience is my family, who is the subject of this fleeting portrait, but my secondary audience is anyone who might also want to document their family in this format.

Fleeting Family Portraits: A Digital Booklet

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Fleeting Family Portraits exists in an e-book format, consisting of dedicated spreads for each family member based on short-answer questions. Data visualizations and summary pages at the end serve to synthesize and connect family members through both unique and shared characteristics.

This booklet, focused on my own family, includes twelve family members and spans across six generations. Each person, spanning from ages 91 to 10, filled out an online survey, sharing their favorite places and memories, their history, and how they relate to our family dynamic and their generational group.

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Prototyping and Feedback

Ideation:

My main goal throughout this project was to find a way to connect intergenerational family members in a fun and lasting manner. Inspired by ancestry documentation, I began sketching ideas for games, posters, and interactive experiences.

 

As I researched existing products and designs, I found that intergenerational interactions focused largely on the past experiences of older family members. Of course, this is important, but I realized that few documentation methods include the opinions and views of younger family members, as they change rapidly and do not have as much experience to draw upon. This observation was a turning point in my process, as I began to think about how I might capture a singular moment in time, where everyone's experiences mattered equally.

I started out with an interactive survey that included lighthearted and fun activities, including "Would you rather..." and "Who's most likely to" style questions, on a Miro board. I added an optional Google Survey link with more personal questions as well. After presenting this to my mentor and peers, and testing the Miro board with an older family member, I pivoted away from interactive surveys and surface-level questions, opting for an easy platform with more personal and experiential short-answer questions. I also decided to take the data from the survey and turn it into a booklet, where each family member would get their own personalized spread.

Sample Questions from Interactive Miro Board Prototype

Summary:

  • The platform can't be too complicated.

    • The initial interactive survey on Miro proved frustrating and too technical for all ages.

  • The questions needed to feel more meaningful.

    • Silly questions and superlatives seemed fun in theory, but introspective questions proved more interesting and informative.​

Main Takeaways:

 

  • Simple Google Survey

    • The online survey was easy to access and took less time

    • Short-answer questions were more accessible to older family members
       

  • Different Questions 

    • The new questions sought out unique characteristics of family members and highlighted any similarities and connections.

    • Questions about personal favorites, daily routines, generational groups, and memories felt more personal.

Changes Implemented:

Next Steps

The final version of Fleeting Family Portraits received positive feedback from peers as well as my own family members, for whom this project was created. 

Many family members remarked on how the survey helped them to reflect on their past and present in a way that they haven't before. Additionally, some were surprised and interested in the information they learned about their relatives. All in all, this digital booklet was successful in bringing the different generations of my family together in pursuit of a common goal.

That being said, there are a few changes that could bring this project to the next level:

  • Data Visualizations on Summary Pages

    • The Top Hits and High Score pages are text-heavy at the moment and could benefit from images and/or iconography.

  • Photos and Personal Touches

    • Adding family photos would help put faces to the many names and relationships in the family.

    • Profile pictures or family members’ names in their own handwriting would also help differentiate between spreads without breaking uniformity.
       

  • Standardization for Future Applications

    • The process of surveying family members could be standardized in order for other families to take part in this activity in the future.​
       

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