Logan Ahern

Virtual Time Capsule

Virtual Time Capsule (VTC) is a startup aiming to preserve memories through messages to the future. After five years of little traction, our team volunteered to help define their target market and improve the product to ensure its survival.

Solution

We discovered that every family has a historian who values memory preservation. Our solution evolved VTC from a Snapchat like app, into a digital scrapbook with guided prompts, helping users create memory capsules that truly preserve their loved ones' experiences.

Research

We conducted surveys and interviews, identifying that users value sharing experiences and reflecting back on specific time periods. This informed our decision to enhance the product's storytelling and memory preservation features from sending a single short form video instead to a collection of media.

Discovery

Our target user, the Family Historian, needs support in preserving memories. They struggle with identifying which moments to capture and how to approach the subject with loved ones.

Research (again)

Once the problem was defined, I went back into the research phase to understand what our competitors were doing to solve it.

I found the market saturated with similar products, including Ancestry's Storymaker Studio. While I had reservations about moving forward, our team decided to focus on VTC’s unique privacy feature.

Design

After defining the user, we collaborated with VTC to sketch a solution, ultimately deciding on a web application that allows users to create memory capsules.

Fumi developed three capsule user flows. One for the creators, outside contributors, and eventual receivers.

With only a few weeks with the team, we decided to focus on building out the flows, to ensure our solution was sound. I personally developed the outside contributor flow. This would allow friends or family to assist Sara, and add their own memories.

Aesthetics

To modernize VTC’s branding, I softened the color palette and updated the typography to reflect a more current, fresh identity. I also delivered a temporary comprehensive style guide to establish consistency. As the product continues to evolve, a deeper dive into brand refinement will be essential.

Testing

After testing, we learned our product enhancements increased user satisfaction from 5.6/10 to 8.0/10.

Next Steps

Once the project concluded, we recommended further refinement of the user experience including research into the type of stories users want to document.

Home