For my Master’s Thesis I’ve been conceptualising a Genealogy App with a twist. It’s not just about tracing family trees; it’s about creating a digital space where families can connect, share stories, and preserve their legacies for future generations in a way that’s meaningful and accessible to everyone, regardless of age or tech-savviness.
The idea sprang from my personal and a deep-seated belief in the power of storytelling. It’s a project close to my heart because it’s about more than just technology; it’s about capturing memories, bridging generations, and celebrating what makes each family unique. For me, this project is personal. It’s about cherishing memories of my late father and ensuring that future generations know his story. But it’s also about capturing the wisdom of our elders, like my partner’s 96-year-old grandfather, so that his legacy lives on for our future children.
At its core, the app is all about inclusivity and storytelling. It goes beyond the traditional family tree format by allowing users to upload photos, videos, and audio recordings of their relatives, ensuring that their stories are preserved in a rich and immersive way and that their legacies lives on. And it’s not just about the past; it’s about recording the present too – from milestone moments like graduations to everyday joys like family gatherings.
Privacy is a major concern, especially when it comes to sharing personal family stories. That’s why the app would incorporates robust privacy features like password protection and tiered access controls, giving users full control over who can view their content.
But creating this app isn’t without its challenges. From ensuring the app works seamlessly across different devices and operating systems to ensuring it’s easy for everyone to use, there’s a lot to consider. Plus, there are privacy concerns, security vulnerabilities, and regulatory hoops to jump through and with that, there’s a lot to consider.
However, I’m confident that with careful planning, user feedback, and interdisciplinary collaboration, I (we) can overcome these challenges and create something truly impactful.
So, while the app itself is still in the conceptual stage, I believe it has the potential to make a real difference in how families connect and preserve their legacies in the digital age. And that’s what I hope to explore and demonstrate through my Master’s Thesis.
Some specific problems I might encounter that I (yet) might not know how to solve:
- Complex User Interface Design: Designing an intuitive and user-friendly interface for a genealogy app that caters to users of all ages and technological proficiencies can be challenging. Balancing simplicity with comprehensive features while ensuring ease of navigation for both tech-savvy and less experienced users might pose a difficulty.
- Cross-Generational Usability: Designing for diverse age groups with varying digital literacy levels presents a significant challenge. Creating an interface that is accessible and engaging for both younger, tech-savvy users and older generations who may be less familiar with digital technologies requires careful consideration of usability principles and accessibility standards.
- Multimedia Integration: Integrating various multimedia elements such as images, videos, text, and audio recordings seamlessly within the app could present technical and design challenges. Ensuring consistent user experience across different media formats and optimising performance while maintaining visual appeal may require innovative solutions. (but this one is also on the developers)
- Privacy and Security Concerns: Implementing robust privacy and security measures to protect users‘ personal data and family stories is paramount. However, striking the right balance between ensuring data security and maintaining user-friendly access controls without compromising usability could be a delicate task.
- Feedback Management: Gathering and incorporating feedback from users, advisors, and stakeholders throughout the design process can be challenging. Synthesising diverse perspectives, prioritising feedback, and iteratively refining the design based on user input while maintaining the integrity of my vision may require effective communication and negotiation skills.
- Prototype Iteration and Testing: Iteratively prototyping and testing different design iterations with potential users to gather feedback and validate design decisions is essential. However, conducting usability testing, analyzing user feedback, and iterating on prototypes within the constraints of time and resources could be challenging.
- Presentation and Documentation: Effectively communicating my design process, rationale, and outcomes in my master’s thesis presentation and documentation is crucial. Ensuring clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness in articulating my design decisions and the value proposition of my genealogy app concept might require strong storytelling and presentation skills.
How I think I should approach prototyping and why:
- Paper Prototyping: I would start by sketching out rough designs of each screen (at least the fist few ones) and interaction on paper. This method allows for quick iteration and exploration of different layout ideas. I could then gather feedback from peers or potential users before moving on to digital prototyping.
- High-Fidelity Prototyping: As I refine the design, transition to high-fidelity prototypes using tools like Figma. Add visual elements, colours, images, typography etc., to create a more polished look and feel. I think that this stage is crucial for getting a realistic representation of the final product.
- User Testing: Throughout the prototyping process, conduct user testing sessions to gather feedback and identify areas for improvement. Observe how users interact with the prototype, listen to their feedback, and iterate based on their insights. This iterative approach ensures that the final design meets user needs and expectations.
