Everletter

2024, Design Entrepreneurship, Hong Kong

The Intersection of Memory and Space: Redefining Hong Kong's Memorialization Practices with Everletter

fig 1.The Everletter Phone booth, one of the three physical touchpoints of the service

CLIENT

Graduation Thesis, BA (Hons) in Communication Design

TEAM

Katrina Ngan - Interior & Space
Grace Moon - Brand, UI/UX, Digital Delivery
Carmen Man - Systems & Customer Behavior
Heidi Tam - Culture & Urban Planning
Raymond Wong - Marketing & Story Archival

deliverables

Explore:
Determine:
Design:

Table of Contents

1_Introducing Everletter
2_The City’s Silent Needs
3_Key Findings & Blueprint
4_Execution Roadmap
5_Final Thoughts

To achieve greater sovereignty when preparing for (and experiencing) grief and longing.

Everletter is a senior capstone/thesis project in which five designers from three different disciplines explored the topic of grief—a universal human experience that is often underexamined. We initially observed that while many aspects of life, such as relationships and daily activities, are frequently studied, grief—especially in societies with strong traditions and cultural norms—presents a unique challenge that many of our peers tended to avoid. This hesitation is understandable; grief is a deeply personal experience heavily influenced by individual circumstances and environments, making it a topic that is often overlooked as too complex to address.

However, through our investigation of the memorialization and end-of-life industry in Hong Kong, we identified a common pain point faced by today’s generation as they come to terms with their loved ones—and their own—mortality. Throughout the academic year, we researched and designed to contribute to a deeper understanding of the growing resilience of a city that emerges from sharing intimate stories, preparing for one’s end of life, and celebrating memories through the power of contemporary technology.

fig 2. Two stories that illustrate the Everletter Experience

We created a storyboard to illustrate how our target users experience the problem space and pursue their goals while using Everletter for the first time. This storyboard reflects our research findings on the challenges faced by the Hong Kong public and highlights how Everletter addresses an unmet need.

The Challenge

In the bustling urban landscape of Hong Kong, the sandwich generation struggles with the complexities of grief and longing, feeling overwhelmed by societal taboos surrounding death. Key inhibitors include a lack of time due to the city’s relentless pace, societal pressures discouraging open discussions about mortality, anxiety about future uncertainties, and the fear of offending family members by addressing grief. These factors create significant barriers to emotional expression and healing.

The Process

Recognizing these challenges, our team explored the needs and experiences of the sandwich generation through design thinking methodologies, including user interviews and empathy mapping. This collaborative effort revealed an opportunity to facilitate intergenerational conversations without the pressure of immediate face-to-face interactions. By leveraging existing urban infrastructure, we conceptualized a solution that allows individuals to engage in meaningful dialogues about grief at their own pace.

The Outcome

The resulting initiative, Everletter, transforms public phone booths into private spaces for heartfelt conversations about grief and loss. This innovative approach enables users to leave messages for their loved ones, fostering ongoing dialogue that transcends time and physical presence. By providing a platform for these essential conversations, Everletter empowers urban dwellers to confront their grief and longing, promoting emotional resilience and connection within families and communities.

fig 3. introduction of the project by the Communication Design Program Lead, Brian Kwok, alongside Acesobee's Founder, Albert Au.

Introducing Acesobee

Acesobee is a startup based in Hong Kong offering development and deployment services for HealthTech community care solutions. Their in-house products include Teamcare, eClaim, and eHR Service Provider, all focused on supporting healthcare service providers in coordinating patient care, streamlining the medical claim processes, and providing end-user support for client management systems.

As Acesobee turned its eyes to the the hospice and elderlycare industry for new opportunities to bring about positive intervention, it reached out to my university, PolyU. That conversation soon became a collaborative project between three entities: Acesobee, the Jockey Club Design Institute of Social Innovation (J.C. DISI), and the School of Design’s Communication Design Program.

The big ask of the project was simple: How may we create a mobile app that mitigates a lot of the communication hardships that arise between foreign domestic workers, their direct employers (children of the elderly), and the elderly cared for?

fig 5.Pharmcare UX Analysis performed our team, visualizing its strengths and weaknesses

PharmCare

Acesobee initially approached us with their own prototype for the solution called Pharmcare. After discussion and studying the app's offerings, however, it was agreed that independently from Pharmcare, our team can research and design a new product that still tackles the big ask as mentioned above.

Understanding the Digital Divide: Adoption & Fluency

During our initial research, we discovered that many local seniors and domestic helpers alike possess strong cognitive abilities but face challenges in fluently navigating today's technology. Their rapid adoption of smartphones allowed them to quickly grasp basic functions like calling, messaging, and taking photos, which were familiar from earlier digital devices. However, they remained hesitant to embrace features that have transitioned from physical objects to digital formats, such as digital calendars, maps, and document management.

fig 6. Three stakeholder personas directly reflective of interview participants

Sources of Stress in Elderly Care: A Venn Diagram Analysis

With contextual interviews and an initial round of user tests, we looked into the leading causes discomfort and anxiety amongst our target stakeholders. We were able to conclude that missing key information was a valid concern in all groups uniquely, specifically regarding information being too unapproachable or information being too scattered around. For example, paper calendars had medicine prescription scheduled, but to find the right medication in the preferred language (and without visual aid) often led to confusion from the helper's side. With this, we identified that our solution must support the elderlycare experience via interlanguage communication aid, record-keeping of information beyond the pen-on-paper experience, and reminding of schedules while streamlining daily routines.

fig 8 (a, b).metro posters and Instagram advertisement, all showing a new couple and their Filteroff matching experience.

A small app doing big things.

Love runs the world. So what better way to share a new way of putting yourself out there than to sprinkle the campaign around all physical (and virtual) corners around the city? As the campaign planning took place, looked into how our three-panel Filteroff journeys can be placed in traditional advertising spaces like the metro station and wildposts all the way to virtual platforms such as Instagram or even, LinkedIn.

fig 8 (a, b).metro posters and Instagram advertisement, all showing a new couple and their Filteroff matching experience.

fig 4. photoshoot & concept sketch emphasizing the human faces behind the interest-based matchmaking process

Technology As A Helping Hand

The strategy of the campaign boiled down to make this relatively new app’s AI algorithm less intimidating and reveal the interdependence between its users and successful matchmaking. It seeks to bring in more users, which provides more specific inputs with personalized filters. This gives all users better curated "sets of interest" for matching.
By making the AI algorithm seem collaborative, not complex, the campaign aims to show how the algorithm empowers users to embrace personalization, not portray it as an opaque system.

fig 5.”Filteroff, Reality On” Strategy Report

The Dating World’s Missing Piece

With Filteroff not yet being a major player in the online dating world, the lack of accumulated reviews and press coverage made the app look less credible than its market competitors. To prove that the online service could walk the talk, the campaign aimed to highlight real-life testimonials and success stories from a diverse range of couples spanning various ages, interests, sexual orientations, and beyond. And to further promote the app’s “one match at a time” approach, we suggested to show a linear journey of a single match rather than promoting the notion of endless options—something that’s been tried and true by apps such as Tinder and OkCupid already.

Developing the Narrative & Design Vision

We were inspired to reinforce the message of equitable exchange (the mutual benefit between Filteroff and its users). We sought to translate this ethos by incorporating real potential users of the app in the brainstorming process of our campaign.

fig 6. moodboard capturing the composition and mood, presented to Filteroff pre-photoshoot.

The Art Direction of Filteroff, Reality On

Key identifiers of our moodboard included bubbly yet mature color tones, and an active interaction of each subjects between either the environment or themselves. Below is a sample anatomy of our final campaign content in print matter:

A small app doing big things.

fig 8 (a, b).metro posters and Instagram advertisement, all showing a new couple and their Filteroff matching experience.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

On Finding Love

Filteroff's long-term goal is to cultivate a vibrant community that embraces the principle that one should not judge a book by its cover. I would like to add a personal caveat—finding love is not solely about sex and romance. If you step back and broaden your perspective, it also manifests in the invaluable interactions between you and the individuals you encounter daily. Whether they are in your life through familial ties or shared interests, take a moment to appreciate your community and the people around you. Whether they be in your life by blood or by shared interest, take a moment to appreciate your community and the people around you.