Rememory

— AI Guided Emotional Memory UX Case Study

Duration: Aug 2025 – Jan 2026
My Role: UX Researcher · UX Designer · Interaction Designer
Tools: Figma, Miro, Dovetail, Python, Unity, TouchDesigner
Deliverables: UX Research Report, Personas, Journey Map, Figma Prototype, VR Concept Demo

Project Summary

ReMemory explores how people can preserve and reconnect with emotional memories through an AI guided interactive digital experience.
The project combines mixed-method UX research, product thinking, and immersive interaction design.

UX Research

Product Thinking

Mixed Methods

Emotional Design

VR Concept

Background & Problem Context

Context

People record thousands of moments across photos, videos, and notes, but rarely revisit them with the same emotional intensity. Emotional context gets lost as memories spread across platforms and time.

Problem Statement

How might we help people preserve and emotionally reconnect with their memories in a way that feels meaningful, interactive, and easy to maintain over time?

Product Opportunity

  • Create an AI-driven emotionally intelligent system that visualizes memories as interactive experiences.

  • Support users with gentle AI prompts and guided reflection flows.

  • Increase engagement and retention through emotional connection.

User Pain Points

  • Memories are scattered across different devices and apps.

  • Most tools focus on storage, not emotional experience.

  • Users rarely have time or tools for reflective revisiting.

  • Digital Hoarding dilutes human value

Research Plan & Methods

Research Objectives

  • Understand how users currently store and revisit personal memories. 

  • Explore emotional triggers and how people describe meaningful experiences.

  • Identify opportunities for digital tools to support emotional reflection.

Methods

  • 1:1 Semi-structured interviews (8–10 participants).

  • Online survey to validate behaviors and preferences.

  • Diary study to capture real-life memory recall moments.

  • Lightweight focus group to test early concepts.

Survey Questionaire

  • Distribution/collection: Sent to 86 people; 65 valid responses collected over 2 weeks (online form).

  • Sample split:Record a lot but seldom organize(25);record not enough(18);record a lot and organize(22).

Survey Results

  • Recording scale: Large number of photos and the sheer volume of information are becoming a source of stress.
    55.4% of users have more than 5000 photos in their phone's photo album (5000–10000: 38.5%, >10000: 16.9%).

  • Organization habits: Most people have inconsistent organization habits.
    Detailed organization: 21.5%, Occasional simple organization: 30.8%, Rarely/Never organize: 47.7%

  • "Review" frequency: Most people don't frequently review content from 6 months ago.1–2 (low frequency review): 46.2%; 4–5 (high frequency review): 24.6%

  • The biggest obstacles to retrieval: Forgetting when it happened: 43.1%; Screenshots/irrelevant information: 30.8%; Difficulty recalling details: 26.2%

  • The demand for precise search is very strong.4–5 (Strong demand): 60.0%; 3 (Neutral): 23.1%; 1–2 (No need): 16.9%

  • "Sensory Reconstruction of Memory": Only visual aspects can be recalled: 49.2%; Details cannot be recalled: 32.3%; Complete recall: 7.7%

  • Privacy and Psychological Protection: Private memory environment: 49.2%; Encountering deceased loved ones/past relationships: Nostalgic sadness 44.6%

  • Sharing/Externalization of records: Social media: 50.8%; Notebook: 49.2%

Key Research Insights

Insight 1

Physical triggers (touch, sound, environment) often recall stronger emotional memories than digital images alone.

Insight 2

Users' usual behaviors of "accessing", "searching", and "reviewing" their memories

Insight 3

When users "return to their memories," they experience concerns about privacy, comfort, and psychological protection.

Insight 4

Users feel overwhelmed by the volume of photos and content; they want curated, meaningful highlights rather than endless scrolling.

Insight 5

Not everyone shares, but there is a psychological meaning behind the act of sharing，“when”,”who”,”why”.

User Persona & Journey

Persona — The Nostalgic Storyteller

Pain Points:

  • Feels overwhelmed by endless photos and digital clutter.

  • Struggles to find emotional moments among noise (too many distractions).

  • Feels guilty for “forgetting” important memories.

  • Lacks a calm, safe environment for introspective memory revisiting.

  • Cannot organize memories by emotional meaning, only by time or folder.

User Journey (High-Level)

User Persona & Journey

Persona — The Nostalgic Storyteller

Pain Points:

  • Feels overwhelmed by endless photos and digital clutter.

  • Struggles to find emotional moments among noise (too many distractions).

  • Feels guilty for “forgetting” important memories.

  • Lacks a calm, safe environment for introspective memory revisiting.

  • Cannot organize memories by emotional meaning, only by time or folder.

User Journey (High-Level)

User Persona & Journey

Persona — The Nostalgic Storyteller

Pain Points:

  • Feels overwhelmed by endless photos and digital clutter.

  • Struggles to find emotional moments among noise (too many distractions).

  • Feels guilty for “forgetting” important memories.

  • Lacks a calm, safe environment for introspective memory revisiting.

  • Cannot organize memories by emotional meaning, only by time or folder.

User Journey (High-Level)

Ideation & Concept Development

How Might We...

Interaction flow diagram

Core User Flow: Capture Guidance → Multi-angle Collection → Auto-stitching → Keyword Tagging → Immersive Playback → Social Sharing

Lo-Fi Wireframes

UX & UI Design

Information Architecture

LOGIN PAGE

  • Home — VR headset showcase and panoramic memory timeline browsing

  • Capture — Six-direction shooting guidance and panoramic content creation workflow

  • Groups — Friends and group management, shared memories and social connections

  • Me — Personal information, statistics, and settings management

  • Browse & View — Panoramic memory browsing, keyword cards, and VR immersive viewing

Home

Capture

Groups

Me

Key Screens

  • Six-Angle Capture Guidance — Visual progress indicator for multi-directional shooting

  • Immersive Panorama Viewer — Gesture interactions + Keywords card overlay

  • VR Glasses Mode — Dual-view split screen with device connection animation

Friends & Groups Management — Memory sharing and relationship network visualization

VR Mode

Connect your VR device and experience memories in an immersive way.

Usability Testing & Iteration

Testing Setup

  • 6 participants from target group.

  • Scenario-based tasks (create, revisit, and reflect on a memory).

  • Think-aloud protocol + post-test interviews.

Metrics

  • Task Completion: 90% for core flows.

  • Perceived Emotional Connection: Rated 4.2 / 5 on average.

  • Usability (SUS):Average score 82.

Outcomes & Learnings

Metrics

  • Engagement: Prototype tests showed 24.86% longer session time vs. baseline gallery pattern.

  • Emotional Recall: Users reported a stronger sense of connection in 29% more sessions.

  • Retention Intention: 5/6 participants said they would use this weekly.

Key Learnings

  • Emotional design requires careful balance between interaction richness and cognitive load.

  • Mixed-method research is crucial to capture both measurable behavior and nuanced feelings.

  • Translating an artistic concept into a product requires reframing around user and business value.

Next Steps

  • Explore AI-assisted reflection: sentiment analysis across memories.

  • Build social layer for shared memory spaces among close relationships.

  • Test potential partnerships in digital wellness and mental health.