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Introduction
When you’re a child, you count the days until your next birthday, were you will hopefully be
able to unwrap as big and as many presents as you have dreamed of. When growing up, this view on presents changes. How that view
changes and how to keep presents being special, is what this report is about.
More than as a product, a present is now seen as a proof and representative of a friendship.
To enable people to live up to that expectation, this report also provides you with a solution: Souvenir. As with growing up, this
report is not so much about presents as it is about friendship.
Table of Contents Introduction.................................................... 3
Design Goal..................................................... 5
Interaction Vision ........................................... 5
Design & Research Activities .......................... 7
Cycle 1......................................................... 7
Cycle 2......................................................... 7
Cycle 3......................................................... 7
Results .......................................................... 10
Cycle 1....................................................... 10
Cycle 2....................................................... 10
Cycle 3....................................................... 10
Conclusions................................................... 13
Inspiration..................................................... 13
Final Design: Souvenir .................................. 15
Question cards.......................................... 15
Instruction booklet ................................... 17
Blank cards................................................ 17
Storyboard .................................................... 18
How do users get in touch with Souvenir? ... 21
Recommendations........................................ 21
References .................................................... 21
Appendix .......................................................22
A: Results cycle 1 .......................................22
Conversations........................................22
Results from pilot research ...................23
Results from the workbook discussions 24
B: First concept directions cycle 1 .............27
C. Design & Research activities cycle 3......28
D. Testing the question cards ....................29
First test round: Do the questions trigger memories?.............................................29
Second testing round: making the translation to a product. .......................30
E. Categorising the questions: first clustering...................................................................32
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Design Goal
To begin with, I would like to start with the story ‘The Gift of Nothing’ from Patrick
McDonnell. It tells the story of a cat, Mooch, who wants to give his best friend, a dog named Earl, a present. However, no gift seems
to be appropriate for “a friend who is everything” and therefore, he decides to give Earl ‘nothing’. As there always seems to be
something, he has a hard time finding it. In the end, he finds ‘nothing’ and puts it in a box. At first, Earl is puzzled by the present, but when
Mooch explains that “there is nothing... but me and you”, Early is very touched by the present and they continue enjoying ‘nothing
and everything’ together.
This story contains the main elements I have encountered during this project. It is about giving a present to a friend, and wanting that
gift to represent the friendship you have with that person. ‘The Gift of Nothing’ also points out that the interaction of giving a present
does not stop when you have given it. On the contrary, the gift can strengthen a friendship. Therefore, my design goal for this project is:
“Enhancing friendships through the giving and
receiving of presents.”
Interaction Vision
The interaction elicited by my design should be like a cup of hot chocolate. It is something
you look forward to and that warms you. Everybody makes it differently, which makes it a personal experience. Combining this vision
with the design goal gives a clear view of what the interaction should include. The design should enable people to give and receive
presents that give them a feeling of warmth and personality and, in the end, enhance their friendship.
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Design & Research Activities
Cycle 1 The beginning of the project started with a lot
of informal conversations, to get an idea of how other people see the subject of giving and receiving presents. Those insights were then
used to create a workbook, which allowed people to describe their favourite and worst present, and finally how they go about buying
presents themselves.
Cycle 2 The design and research activities in the second cycle focused on detailing a promising
concept direction, a ‘present guide’, which would be created by people who are good at finding the right present. It became clear along
the way, however, that this concept would be extremely difficult to fit all kinds of users. Inspired by looking at what happens after the
present has been given, a breakthrough activity proved to be to ask some friends to photograph a present they had once been
given. They were then asked to describe what
it was, who had given it to them and if and
how they use it now.
Cycle 3
Once the final direction had been chosen, it had to be developed, detailed and, finally, evaluated. As this was an iterative process, it
contained a multitude of small steps, which alternated between activities and results. It is therefore hard to separate these while still
maintaining a clear overview of the process. A complete picture of the process can be found in appendix C and in the workbook.
The main steps included at first the design of
the questions. This included designing the visual appearance of the cards, but also the formulation of the questions themselves.
Every step in this process was tested. The users were asked to use the cards in a situation similar to the end use of the concept.
First, they were asked to think of one specific friend about whom they would answer the questions. Further along in the process, the
participants were told beforehand that it concerned a product that should enable people to always give their friends a perfect
gift. They were then asked to write down the answers to the questions and to elaborate on those answers as much as possible.
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Once the questions had been divided in the
three categories, the participants were given one question from each category. In every case, if the participants had trouble with a
question, they were given another one, rather than asked to pick another friend, as the questions would then lose their purpose.
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Results
Cycle 1 The results from the first cycle helped me see how other people experience giving and
receiving presents. The main insight derived from the research activities was that people find the message behind a present very
important. In addition to this, when people talked about the presents they really liked, they mentioned the fact that it had value to a
person, that the present brought up memories or that it allowed people to create memories. The results from the workbooks can be found
in appendix A.
Cycle 2 Cycle 2 focused on detailing the previously chosen concept directions. During the
Interaction Prototyping workshop, it became clear that everybody has a very different way of looking for presents. In addition to this,
people are very different on other aspects as well. Categorising them in separate groups proved to be extremely difficult. During this
process the question arose as to whether people and relationships between people
should be categorised if they are so diverse. Is
it not better to cherish this diversity and encourage it, rather than put them in a predetermined group?
The pictures on the previous page provided a
breakthrough insight. Although the participants were only asked to indicate what the present was, who had given it to them and
how they use it now, almost all of the participants added a memory of the friend to the description. The present triggered that
memory and reminded them of things they had shared together.
Cycle 3 The first results from a test session made it
clear that combining different questions made it easier to answer them and triggered elaborating on the answers, resulting in more
and richer memories. Some participants, however, had some difficulties with the more emotional questions.
The questions themselves worked really well.
Some of the participants had trouble answering specific questions, as they didn’t fit the friendship, but could always find another
that could help them trigger other memories. The participants came up with a lot of
personal stories, but were sometimes
reluctant to write everything down.
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Camille, for example, chose the question
‘which secret do you share together?’ When asked to write the answers down, she said “I’m not going to tell you that!” It was clear
from the way she said it that she knew exactly which secret she shared with her friend, but wasn’t going to share with the rest. Several
others participants had a similar reaction when seeing the card.
Along the way, it became clear that the participants needed some help with making
the translation from the memories to a product. When it was explained to them that they should try to think of a product that
represented one or more of the memories, however, they all came up with something within a few minutes. The participant from the
previous example, Camille, provided additional evidence: She was very happy to have used the cards, as she was having trouble
finding a present for a friend. Thinking about the memories and writing them down helped her find a gift she really wanted to give to her
friend. The complete results can be found in appendix D.
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Conclusions
The first report concluded with three possible design concepts or directions. The first
consisted of a kind of list in which you can fill in the characteristics of your friend and which then provides you with a list of possible gifts
based on your answers. The second concept was a ‘present guide’ which would be made by people who are good at making/buying/giving
presents. The third concept would be a random stimulus urging you to give a present to a friend, freeing you from the social
pressure. Initially, the second concept seemed the most promising, as it would solve the problem but leave enough space for
personalisation. This guide to the perfect present could, however, still take on a whole range of shapes, from a website, to a tangible
handbook to a kind of notice board where everyone can add their own ideas. There is one aspect however, that is not quite
addressed in this concept and that is the person receiving the present. From every analysis done for this project, be it the
workbooks in cycle 1, the Interactive Prototyping or the photographs of presents, it
becomes clear that the perfect present is not
universal. Somebody’s all-‐time favourite gift could be something that is immediately thrown in the waste basket by someone else.
The one thing that makes a present special, that makes a present more than just a product, is the memories it triggers. Almost all
the participants who send in a photograph of a present added to the description what it reminded them of about the person who had
given it to them. They were not asked to do that, but somehow they all thought it mattered to explain that present’s aspect.
Another thing that became quite clear from the Interactive Prototyping workshop was that there is not a fixed action plan that will lead
you to the right present. The variety of ways to come up with a present that will be loved is almost endless. In addition to this, the hitch in
making a categorisation of the characteristics of a person is that you end up with unoriginal examples of possible gifts and that the service
only works for a limited amount of people, as there will always be missing categories. The danger of the envisioned concept is therefore
that to make it applicable to anybody, it has to include an enormous amount of information. It will be more likely to make the user feel lost
in the profusion of possibilities than to find a
personal present with the message he wanted
to give. The challenge then, is to create a concept that will work for everyone who will be using it and more importantly, a concept
that is about the person receiving the present and not about the present itself.
Inspiration
There are three things that, although in another field, possess the needed qualities. The first is ‘the book with all the answers’.
Every page contains one answer that will fit almost every yes/no question and can be inspiring and motivating. The second is a small
website called ‘Emergency compliment’. Every time you visit the website, another compliment pops up. Most of the
compliments are weird or funny, but they help to make you feel better. The last item is the Tinytask project from Hans Ruitenberg from
the TU Delft. The project consists of a series of small tasks meant to make you step out of your daily routine by performing a ‘tiny task’.
The result of doing the task is ultimately that it makes you happier. The shared qualities of the three stimuli is that they are very low-‐
threshold and that they trigger the user’s mind and imagination. The book might not provide
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the exact answer to your question, but it
might well put you on the way to the right solution.
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Final Design: Souvenir
Combining all the previous results brings us to the final design: Souvenir. Souvenir is the
French word for ‘memory’, and in English indicates “an object that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event.” Both meanings
explain the final concept and its intended interaction.
Question cards Souvenir is a series of cards that each contain
one question. The questions are meant to trigger memories the user shares with the friend they want to find a present for. What
the photographs and the collages have shown, is that from something that seems ordinary, such as a framed holiday picture, people can
form the most beautiful memories and feelings. All they need is something that they have shared to trigger these associations.
To help the user find the ‘perfect present’, the
questions are ordered in three categories: factual, general and emotional. As users can get discouraged by words as ‘emotional’, the
categories are represented by three different colours, rather than words: blue, green and
orange. The warmer the colour gets, the more
the questions become personal.
To begin the process, the users pick one card
from each category, starting with blue, then green and finally orange. This way, the user is gently led to the most personal questions. If a
question doesn’t fit the particular friendship, another card from that category can be chosen. By answering several questions, the
memories can influence each other and be expanded. The picture on the previous page shows an overview of the different questions.
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The timeline on the left shows the current
process of giving and receiving presents. In orange, the improvements to the interaction made by Souvenir are added.
Instruction booklet
In addition to the question cards, the Souvenir package contains an instruction booklet, to guide the user through the different steps. The
users are encouraged to write the memories down while answering the questions. This makes it easier to add details later and to find
a pattern in the answers. The instruction booklet also guides the user through the translation step. The user is asked to think of a
product that represents one or more memories and that could bring back those memories to the friend as well. Although this
step is explained in very few words, the test sessions made it clear that this simple instruction was necessary to make the concept
work. The added benefit of the booklet is that it gently guides the users through the different steps, giving them the impression that they do
not have to think of everything themselves.
Blank cards
The last component of the Souvenir package is the blank cards. The users are invited to use one every time they use the question cards, to
write the memory that inspired the present down and add it to the present. With this simple gesture, the friend receiving the
present can keep this reminder of the shared memories, even if the present is not a lasting or tangible one. The design is simple and
neutral, leaving room for personalisation and allowing the memory to make it colourful. The small hole in the card can be used to easily
attach the card to the present. Once all the blank cards are used, the users can buy cards themselves, but will already have the habit of
writing the memory down.
Figure 1. The blank card to write the memory
that inspired the present.
Figure 2. Cover of the instruction booklet.
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Storyboard
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How do users get in touch with Souvenir?
To be able to use Souvenir, the users should first get in touch with it. An obvious solution
would be to sell it in a store like Expo, as this is a store that typically sells presents. It is therefore a logical place to look when you
want to find a present. The range of possible gifts, however, by far exceeds Expo’s product offer.
It is therefore a better idea to expand its range
to shops that sell products that could potentially be gifts, encouraging people to appreciate the emotional value their products
can have. An example that would benefit from such a partnership is the ‘Stichting Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek’, which
encourages people to give a book as a present. By offering Souvenir in their stores, brands could benefit from users associating the brand
with a possible present.
Possible stores in which Souvenir could be offered are:
-‐ Selexyz -‐ Free Record Shop
-‐ Dille & Kamille
-‐ Rituals
-‐ Simon Lévelt
Recommendations A quick and independent way to offer
Souvenir could be by making it into a website. Three things should then be taken into account:
-‐ Users should get one question from
each category. This can be randomly generated, but if the user wants to change one question, the other two
should remain the same. -‐ The instruction booklet should be
included on the website.
-‐ The hardcopy blank cards cannot be included in a website. However, a field with a printing option could lower the
threshold to add the written memory to the present.
References
http://emergencycompliment.com/
http://www.io.tudelft.nl/en/cooperation/stud
ent-‐projects/individual-‐graduation-‐projects/showcases/tinytask/
http://web.cpnb.nl/cpnb/campagneoverzicht.vm?template=campagnes
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Appendix
A: Results cycle 1
Conversations Gertrude (grandmother, 86 years old) – From
the discussions with my grandmother several things became clear. As she has already had a lot of birthdays, presents do not really matter.
The fact that she turns a year older doesn’t really interest her either. What she finds very important, however, is to have the whole
family together for this occasion. My grandmother is the person that always brings the family together, as that is what she values
most. “For me, the real present is that you are all there.”
Huib (student, 21 years old) – “I think getting presents becomes less important when you
get older. You already have a lot of stuff, so additional products do not add much. However, there are other things you can give
as a present. When my parents turned 50, they didn’t ask for any presents but asked their friends and family to give them money
instead. With this money, they went on a trip together. When they came back they could tell everyone what they had encountered and
done. This way, all the people that were important to them had given them not just money, but an experience. When giving other
people presents, I always want them to give
something that is from me specifically. This
doesn’t always have to be something expensive, as long as it brings the message that it is from me. I also want the present to
have a surprise element.”
Bastiaan (student, 23 years old) – “I think finding presents is really hard. I usually do not like it, as it often is a social obligation. That
really takes away the fun of giving presents.”
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Results from pilot research
Maik:
“I described getting a present for my friend Esther. I have known her for a long time and we always give each other the same present: a
book. Therefore, it isn’t hard to find her the right present. I usually look at the new books and pick the one that appeals to me most. She
does the same for me. It is true that it is always in effect the same present, but it is the gesture that counts, that we still think about
each other.”
Jon:
“When I have to find a present for a friend, I first think about the interest of the person I am buying the present for. I like to give people
gadgets, as it is my area of expertise. Usually I put money together with several other friends from the group to be able to afford a better
present. The aim for me is always to find something that the person wants to have but doesn’t know it. It is easier to find presents if
we have the same interests. Then I like to give my friends designer books. When I give a present together with other people, I also like
giving something the person would like to
have but can’t afford to buy himself.”
Chenchen:
“I first think if I can make something for my friend myself. If it has to be in combination with buying, I walk around in the shop to see if
I can find something within the budget. I prefer buying online, as I then have more choice. Especially if I buy a present instead of
making one, I put extra effort in the wrapping, to make it more personal. The present has to be precious and have some meaning. In China,
we don’t give big parties for our birthdays, so when I give the present, I make a nice dinner as well, to create a moment to give it.”
Eric:
“When I’m looking for presents I do not have a
special routine. When it is within my circle of friends, we usually team up so we can buy something more expensive. If I give a present
on my own, I make dinner or a cake, or buy concert tickets to go to a concert together. If I have time I make a mixtape with songs we
shared together. I always add new songs my friend might like as well. Then the tape is not only about our shared memories, but about
making memories too. Music is a good thing to
share, I really like doing that. It is different to buy a present for a friend because we know each other, you then know what they like but
you also want to put effort in it.”
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Results from the workbook discussions
Evert:
“A nice present I got was from my girlfriend. She gave me a dressing gown with a leopard print. I liked the present because it fitted really
well with the kind of jokes I make with my housemates. I really appreciate that my girlfriend joins in on those jokes.
The present I didn’t like was when I thought I
got my favourite food, but it then turned out to be marzipan. It was especially the fact that I had such high expectations when I had
unwrapped it, that made it so bad when it wasn’t what I thought it was.
What I liked about giving a present was that it was something unique. With my brothers and
sisters, we gave our parents a tour in a hot air balloon, with the balloon picking them up at our home on the day of their 25th anniversary.
We had the idea ourselves, and it was special because they could see their own house and everything they know from another angle.
Everything was perfect and it was a real experience. The reaction from the people getting the present is very important.
It is easier to find a good present for someone
you know, because then you can give something personal. Especially with my housemates, I know what they think is funny.
Then you can pull pranks without hurting their feelings. The most important about giving a present is to make the person receiving it
happy. This can be achieved by the moment you give it, but also when somebody needs the present. Looking for is present isn’t nice,
but when you have found something special the reaction is nice/important. Also, when you give a present to someone you don’t know
very well, it isn’t that special, because you just give the present and then the moment is over.”
Bastiaan:
“One of the best presents I got was from the
father of an ex-‐girlfriend, who is a big fan of Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes strip series. He gave me a set of Calvin & Hobbes books
that were no longer in print. I consider this a great present because the present was of value to the giver personally, and I guess he
knew that I would have similar appreciation for it.
Presents I don’t like is when people find it
more important to add a surprise element than give you the thing you actually want. My father always does that. You know you
shouldn’t be disappointed but because you know what you really wanted it is hard not to be.
Presents are usually given on special
occasions, such as birthdays and therefore are an obligation. Because it is expected that you give something, it loses its personal touch. A
present can be nice because of the actual product you give or because of the message behind it. Because in our society we don’t
really need products, you therefore can only really give the message. Because the giving is more an obligation, you lose the message as
well and then there is not really something left.
It is easier to find presents for people when you know them. I often have help when
looking for presents. It’s easier to know what someone wants. With more people you can find something when you don’t really know
the person.
The kind of present I like is the one we gave when a new member joins our fraternity
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group. It is not something they expect and
they do not need it, but it is a kind of symbol of what binds you and serves as a memory.
When looking for presents I first think of the possibilities and make a list of them. They are
more directions than specific products. Internet helps, it is more efficient than searching in stores.”
Elmer:
“I have two photo albums which were given to
me by my parents. One when I was 19 or 20, it was an album about me growing up until that age. The other was on my 24th birthday and
was filled with pictures from my trip to South America. The memories those photo albums evoke are great and it is nice to look at all the
things you have done and how much fun you had with family and friends. The present is more about the experience and the memories
than about the physical product.
Presents I don’t like it is more the fact that people have forgotten it or didn’t take time for it. Experiences and memories is what it’s
about, the material product you can buy yourself.
The most important part of giving is putting
effort into it. This can be done by making something yourself. I made a present for my girlfriend once, and we both liked it because it
was handmade. When it is not something you buy in the store it has more value both for the person receiving it and for the person giving it.
Personally I think it is more difficult to find the
right present for a friend than for someone you don’t know that well, because you want to give something special, put time in it.
Something that person didn’t know he wanted to have. For people you don’t know very well it’s easier because you care less.
Mostly I go looking for presents alone. It is
then easier to put something personal in it. To find presents, I use a combination of ‘methods’ and ask in a subtle way what they
would like. I like walking around in the city centre, just looking around at other stuff as well.”
Huib:
“The first present that comes to my mind is
the present I got from my parents when I turned 18. They ‘gave’ me my driving license. I liked it so much because it was really a
milestone. My father loves cars and he was really proud when I passed the exam. The moment they told me what the present was I
was really pleased, but I only understood afterwards how important and special it is.
Presents in general should be useful, otherwise it’ll just gather dust at the back of a
cupboard. I also remember a present that had a lot of value to me, it was a watch that was given to me and had belonged to my
grandfather. Of course I liked it because it was beautiful, it wouldn’t have been as special if it was, let’s say, a mickey mouse watch. But the
fact that it had belonged to my grandfather added value to the present. It was special because of the combination of these two
factors.
My mother usually gives us an entire load of presents. When she was pregnant with me she bought a toy duck. It was my favourite toy for
years and it made me collect ducks. For my graduation from high school, she gave me a
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backpack that was filled with all kinds of
rubber ducks. I didn’t use it for a long time, then in my new house, I found a good place for it in the bathroom. I liked the gift before,
but only really appreciate it now I have found someplace where to put it. When I don’t know what to do with a present, I usually keep it
somewhere, as it can always become useful or meaningful later on. However, there is a chance that you just forget it.
A present I didn’t really like was a book I got
from some friends. On the outside, the book seemed nice and I expected it would be just the book for me, as it was filled with weird
facts and I love that, but in the end the content of the book was really disappointing. I wasn’t disappointed with the people giving it,
however, because they had shown that they knew where my interests are. If I buy a book as a present, I don’t first read it entirely before
giving it, so I don’t blame them.
Books are presents I always really like. There is one series I particularly enjoyed when I was younger and I still sometimes read those
books, although I’m much too old for them, but it brings back memories. The same goes for a book of Nijntje I got when I was 16.
When I got it, I was much too old for it as well,
but it made me remember when I was young
and loved those books. I knew them by heart and had my grandmother read them to me all the time. This present brought those
memories back, it was a link to my grandmother.
When looking for presents, it depends on the person for which I’m getting the present how
it goes. When I was younger, I loved to give useful gadgets, I usually teamed up with several friends to be able to give something of
better quality. It also depends on the kind of group what kind of presents we give. There is one group that never gives ‘sentimental’
presents. When we were young we gave each other very childish presents. Now we are grown up it had changed a bit, but we still
start by giving a ‘funny’ gift. Then we gave a more serious gift, but still with the funny touch. Only after that do we give the ‘real’
present. When searching for those presents, we always keep in mind the person for whom we are getting it. It has to be personal and the
reaction is also very important.
I think it is much easier to find a present for someone you don’t know that well than for a good friend, because then it matters less if you
make a mistake. For my parents, for example, I
always find it very hard to find a good present.
My sister is much better at making presents for them. For example, for my mother’s 50th birthday she bought a book that described a
lot of important people. She then added an entire description of our mother and put it in the book as well. When I gave the day to the
spa which I had bought for her, I didn’t like it that much anymore, because I thought my present was less personal: I could have given it
to any friend.
When I was younger, I used to make presents myself more often. It was a bit because I had less money then, but also because I had more
time. However, if I have a good idea for a present, I always make time for it. Time is not necessarily a guarantee for a good present,
especially when looking around in stores, luck is also an important factor. If I really don’t find something suitable, I give something later. In
the past, I did give impersonal gifts, but I only realise that now. They were always given with the intention of being personal, like a
magazine about cars for my father because he loves cars.”
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B: First concept directions cycle 1
The first direction comes from the conversations with people that do not always know what kind of present to get for their
friends. They do know the character and likes of their friends, but do not know how to translate this into a present. A concept for this
direction could be in the shape of a website or an application that makes this step after they have filled in some characteristics about the
friend they have to get a present for.
Another direction can come from the other
angle: the creative people, that do know exactly what to get for their friend and make it themselves, could help the people for whom
this is not so evident. This doesn’t necessarily have to be in a direct way. It could simply be by having the ‘creative’ people develop a
method or a guide that others could then use.
Finally, the last direction focuses on the issues
brought up by the people who do not give or do not like to give presents on the moment when it is socially expected. A possible
concept direction would be to allow people to give their friends something special, a present or an experience, to give them the personal
message they mean but do not always say.
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C. Design & Research activities cycle 3
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D. Testing the question cards
First test round: Do the questions trigger memories? Stina: “We laugh a lot about cats. It reminds us of the time we went to Sziget. There was a
group of girls next to us, who were really crazy, and they had a cat. After a few days, the cat disappeared, and they spent a lot of time
asking everyone if they had seen their cat. Now, every time we see a cat, we think of those crazy girls and have to laugh again.
The last place I saw Loes was 3 weeks ago in
the ‘Wassalon’ bar, it is our favourite bar. We spent a lot of time catching up.
We went to a lot of places together, as we have known each other for a long time now.
We went to Switzerland, to Sziget, London and she came to visit me when I was studying in Finland.
I miss Loes most because she is really funny,
she is always joking around. I also miss the really small things, like drinking a beer together and watching stupid TV shows. The
special things I do with Loes are really simple
things, like drinking (too much) beer and just
being stupid without thinking about it.”
Gyan: “The most crazy memory I have is a drunken night out. Sharing this experience really created a bond between us. Sharing the
hangover the next morning too, by the way!
The first time we met she asked what music I was playing. The friendship really only started a year later.
I help a lot of people without expecting
anything in return, it is part of my culture. When I need help but am afraid to ask, my friends always offer to help, this still surprises
me and sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable.”
Tom: “What I admire most about my friend is
his honesty, that he is always ready to help his friends, that he shows his appreciation and especially the fact that he always has an
incredible amount of energy, even after partying all night!
We can always laugh about stories from when we were drunk and did stupid things. We
often party together and can share epic stories about entire evening, and about epic fails, too!
Our secret is the location of really big party we are organising. It is an illegal location, so the
police can’t know about it! We are really looking forward to it and are putting a lot of time in the preparation, to make the
decoration look as good as possible.
The last song we listened to together was Waterdrops from Requake.”
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Second testing round: making the translation
to a product. Véronique: “The last time we saw each other was last November. I went to Paris to see
Astrid for a day. We spent the day shopping, going to our old church together and eating delicious food in nice restaurants. We talked a
lot the entire time, it was really nice to see her again. We talk about a lot of things: about our children, our families, our homes, religion,
sewing, and about cooking and recipes, too. Her most characteristic aspects are her readiness to help and her kindness. When she
was still living in Holland, we met every Tuesday at her house to sew, she taught me a lot of things and always made me a delicious
lunch with the leftovers she had in the fridge.
I would buy her a nice plate to serve food on, as she loves cooking and she taught me a lot of recipes.”
Camille: “We often talk about TV series,
because we like the same ones and we have the same taste. Otherwise we talk about school or things we are planning to do
together. We often laugh when we talk about the TV series, and often quote from them or
from movies. And stupid teachers are also a
subject! Lysanne always helps me when I have a dilemma and need a second opinion from someone who understands me, or when one
of us is in a bad mood, the other helps and we talk a lot. The best thing about it is that we both help each other.
I am going to buy her the soundtrack of the
‘Merlin’ series! I had bought another soundtrack, but she already had that one. ‘Merlin’ is a show we love to watch together,
we always sing along to the opening theme.”
Baptiste: “We travelled a lot together actually! Most of them were school trips, like the camp in our first year at high school, the survival
camp in our third year, after we both had to re-‐do that year, the trip to Rome in our fifth year. There was also the first trip we organised
ourselves, when we went to Mallorca with a group of friends after we had finished our exams in the last year. The first time we met,
we didn’t really get to know each other, it was at the first years’ camp from school. Three years later, we both had to repeat our third
year. At the start of that year, the whole class always goes on a survival camp, and that second time we got to know each other.
Kyman is really good at making quality
pictures. He is also really funny.
I would buy him a poker game or another game, as did a lot of games during our last two trips together and it was always really fun.”
Anwyn: “We did not travel a lot together, as
we are colleagues and mostly know each other that way. However, I did travel to Munich to be at his wedding. The good thing about
Michele is that we can talk about almost everything. We usually talk during our lunch and coffee breaks. Michele is good at a lot of
things, but most specifically, he is a very sociable person, and has the talent to make others enthusiastic as well.
I would give him a special kind of coffee, as
most of our shared memories were created during our coffee break, and he likes special kinds of coffee.”
Charlotte: “One of our shared recipes is
tiramisu! I made it one time we had dinner together with our group of friends. We talk about a lot of things, like shared memories
from ‘the old days’ when we were at the same high school together, or stupid things we did. Her most characteristic aspect is connecting
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people together and making contact with
other people. She is a very social person who enjoys the company of others.
I would buy her Amaretto! Besides the fact that it is a nice drink, it is also really good to
put in the tiramisu. At her housewarming a few years ago, I also drank a lot of the Amaretto there...”
Hanneke: “We met because we played
badminton together. We were very young and at first I didn’t want to play with her because I didn’t want to play with someone I didn’t
know. The last song we listened to together was ‘Femme like you’ from K-‐Maro, when we were sitting in the bus going to the swimming
pool. What I admire most about her is her perseverance, especially when things aren’t going very well.
I would buy her badminton shuttles, to remind
her of the time we first met.”
Evert: “The last time I saw Daniël was at our sister’s birthday a few days ago. We ate a lot because we did ‘gourmetten’. In the end we
both smelled really bad, because we love the garlic sauce and ate a lot of it. The thing we share most are our genes, as he is my brother.
He is also the one who is most like me in our
family. We also have a lot of shared jokes, mostly about language. It is funny, because he is dyslexic, but for some reason that makes
him best at making language jokes. We also both love stories with a weird ending. Daniël has a lot of very characteristic aspects, such as
the fact that he always laughs and has a big smile. He understands things very quickly and is a very responsible person, when he and his
friends are drinking together, he is most often the one who is sober, to make sure things are still under control.
I would give him a science or comedy book, to
expand his knowledge in both areas.”
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E. Categorising the questions: first clustering