Japanese Philosphy on "Death and AfterLife"
EXHIBIT EXPERIENCE
Case Study
Immersive spatial experience exploring Japanese beliefs on afterlife
Role
Interaction designer
Timeline
4 weeks
Unsettling
Reflective
Sad
Sensitive
Complex Feelings
Acceptance
Scary
Context
Different cultural perspectives
When we think of Death, it can be
But in Japanese culture
Life and death are connected, and death is not the opposite of life, but the beginning of "another life". We need to think about how living people reconcile themselves with facts that cannot be changed.
Create an immersive experience to explore Japan's cultural perspective of death while maintaining a subtle balance between culture and emotions
Design space
So how might we?
Solution
video walkthrough
My Contribution
Where I made a difference
Interaction 4
Helped in ideation of Interaction 4 and created the 3D renders and GIFs for the interactions. Also, inspired from Sumi-E paintings, designed the signages
Interaction 2
Conceptualized interaction 2. Created 3D models, GIFs of the kiosk display and rendered them using Fusion 360
Interaction 1
I came up with the idea of using cherry blossom trees as a metaphor for death. My teammates created the artworks, but I was the one who suggested the interactive floor and wall concept.
Case study
Let's kick off our adventure by taking a quick glance at research insights, all our designed interactions and then uncovering the reasons behind our choices
Let's begin
Research
Text descriptions are too long - want visual help to grasp more information
Separate sections - each theme is divided and segregated into different rooms
Visitors are excited to experience new interactions
Primary
3x interviews
4x user Interviews
Museum employees
Museum visitors
Research
Secondary
Cultural significance
Cherry blossoms - Metaphoric representation of life and death in their literature
Lanterns - Used to honor the deceased and to guide them to the spirit realm
Cultural Art - Sumi-E, Stamps, Ukiyo-E paintings, Calligraphy, and history
Afterlife
Reunion - With ancestors and be one with God
Obon festival - Souls revisit the living family
Death
Attitude - Neutral. Public display of intense emotions is restrained
Funerals - Cremation to free the soul. Ashes, kept in urns, are buried in cemeteries
Continuation - A journey journey after death
exhibit layout
Starting with the layout
Entrance
Serves as a medium to put our users into the context of death.
Lets look at the final layout and then dive into each interaction in each section of the layout. Each category can be expanded to see the iterations and design rationale
Feel free to expand the layout and each interaction to see the iterations and design rationale
exhibit layout
Death
Showcases artifacts depicting death according to the Japanese culture. Interactive display kiosks to explore more details about the artifacts.
Tunnel
Separates the Death and the Afterlife Phases. It has the fire sparks interaction through cherry blossom petals.
Afterlife
Artifacts depicting Japanese afterlife beliefs and the Obon festival. Interactive display kiosks and Lantern Interactivity
Expand to see iterations and design rationale
Interaction 1
Entrance tunnel
Cherry blossoms
The walls of the entrance gradually depict cherry blossom flowers falling from the trees, immersing users in a natural representation of death. The floor is interactive; stepping on it causes cherry blossom petals, which have fallen from the wall trees, to appear beneath your feet. As you move forward, more petals appear beneath your feet while the trees on the walls show fewer blossoms.
View wall
artwork
View Floor
artwork
Where?
Expand to see iterations and design rationale
Interaction 2
Interactive lanterns
Multiple sections
Interactive kiosks and lanterns
In Japanese culture, lanterns are highly significant, used to honor the dead and guide spirits to the spirit realm. We incorporated these gestures into our interactions. Our users pick up a light weight lantern at the entrance, and keep it on the Display Kiosks as a representation of honoring the dead. Placing Lanterns on the kiosks activate the displays. Users carry the lantern with them throughout this exhibit and drop off at the final interaction(explained in Interaction 5) before exiting.
Interactive kiosks
Kiosks offer our users information about the artifacts in a visual way, replacing the traditional text descriptions. Users can zoom in on the display to view hidden details of paintings and sculptures. The digital format allows us to showcase more information than is possible in the limited size of text descriptions.
Where?
Display Kiosk
Signage
Lantern
Interaction
Where?
Display Kiosk
Signage
Lantern
Interaction
Expand to see iterations and design rationale
Interaction 3
Transition tunnel
Fire sparks wall
The transition tunnel marks the end of the death phase and ushers users into a new phase. Users pick up cherry blossom petals kept near the tunnel and place them in a designated spot at the entrance, triggering a fire animation. Fire sparks transform into light at the tunnel's end. The petals symbolize the deceased's body, the fire represents cremation in Japanese rituals, and the light signifies entry into the afterlife.
Watch Video
Where?
Expand to see iterations and design rationale
Interaction 4
Entrance tunnel
Lantern pool
During the Obon festival, Japanese people float lanterns down the river to guide their ancestral spirits back to their realm. We incorporated this tradition into our final interaction. Before leaving the exhibit, users place lanterns in a pool filled with water. The pool has lights at the bottom that illuminate the water surface near the lanterns when they are placed.
Interaction
Signage
Where?
Expand to see iterations and design rationale
Diversity
I learned how to work efficiently with a diverse group of people. I got to work with an awesome, diverse team—Indian, Chinese, Taiwanese and American all together—trying to crack the code on Japanese culture. It was such a fun experience! We didn’t just explore the Japanese perspective but also got to compare our own unique cultures along the way.
Traditional art
Even though I already knew what Sumi-E and Ukiyo-E paintings looked like, I finally got the chance to dive deep into their origins and history. It was such a cool experience, and now I’m totally inspired to explore even more diverse art styles!
Accessibility
Though I couldn't include every differently-abled individual, it still gave me a chance to think deeper and make it as accessible as possible. This included user-testing and iterating with different people, learning and adapting each time to make designs better. Sure, I had to tweak some of the interactions from the original way but I managed to keep the essence same.
Reflections
What did I learn
Where?
Display Kiosk
Signage
Lantern
Interaction
Significance
Why it mattered to me
Interaction design
Besides creating beautiful and user-friendly UIs, I’m also really passionate about Interaction Design, which led me to pursue a Master’s in HCI. This project is special to me because it’s focused on interactions. It involved understanding different user groups, cultures, and contexts to design interactions that are not only fun but also accessible to most. We put a lot of thought into each interaction, testing them with various users to ensure the final design worked well for all.
Challenges
My favorite part of this project was finding the right balance between respect and playful interactions. It was challenging but also fun and exploratory. Since death is a sensitive topic, we focused on creating interactions that reflected the neutral tone of Japanese philosophy while still being enjoyable for users, without triggering strong emotions.
Where?
Display Kiosk
Signage
Lantern
Interaction
Thank you | ありがとう
Where?
Display Kiosk
Signage
Lantern
Interaction
