Interacting with meaningful memory objects in the home context

Personal objects have meaning to people, beyond the functional meaning they often have emotional meaning, being related to memories and a person’s identity. These objects play an important role in our direct surroundings, especially in the spatial contexts of our homes. People increasingly interact with these memory objects and memory media through interactive devices, an area of design we call “reminiscence design”. Adopting a human- centric view of spatial context and interactions would benefit design for reminiscence. Broadening the view of interaction between person and cue to include the context and related devices would do justice to the complex memory cuing process. In addition, a memory perspective could provide value when designing ubiquitous systems in the home context by taking into account that object orientations and locations are not only functional but also meaningful for people. An ego-centric approach that is not only about the person’s present but also their past, which could enable more engaging and meaningful interaction.