Soul Garden

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GBDA 401 course project

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The problem:

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The land shortage problem of the cemetery space is severe in China and traditional way of burial is not environmentally friendly. In addition, existing customer pain points are primarily concerned with a high market price, burial spaces, and societal pressures.

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The green burial does not touch fundamentals of Chinese funeral culture: 

The interaction relationship between the living and the dead is still sacred. On the one hand, the traditional Chinese culture believes that the death of relatives plays an important role in protecting offspring. The superstition has put tremendous pressure on future generations. On the other hand, the social norm forces people to take funerals seriously; “Simple” Burial” is often associated with againstism of ‘filial piety’ in the Chinese community. The psychological pressure and the social pressure at the conceptual level make it difficult for most people to accept the Green Burial, especially scattering of ashes.

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The solution:

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Soul Garden is a mobile application that has partnered up with the government, to encourage people choosing green burial practice by changing their perception of death.  The perception of death will become a daily activity since users can communicate with an Ai replica of the deceased. The Ai replica is generated based on information uploaded, it can imitate daily behaviors, actions and language patterns. 

Additionally, the deceased will be buried in a high-density memorial park using “Natural Deep Burial” practice, as follow traditions to reduce social pressure.The human body will not undergo special treatments such as cremation; the remains are covered in low-cost, degradable bags and buried underground 2.5 to 3 meters, allowing them to enter the natural circulation. For natural deep burial practice, tombs are forbidden; however, trees and other plants can be planted on the top of the body.

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We designed 3 main interactions function with the deceased, which are text, call and visit.

The graphic ui of the app refers to the Contact List Apps to create the atmosphere of daily interaction. Users can use typing to interact with the AI replica; also, they can “call the deceased” and interact with “the deceased” both visually and verbally to offer their condolences.

 

Besides, we designed a “Visit” function. The 3d AI replica will be placed in its own scenery, and the users can interact with the replica using typing or speaking. Moreover, the users can purchase items to decorate the scenery as follows Chinese traditions. Also, we decided to add the “VR” function for users to have a more embracive and realistic experience. For the “Invite” function, you can invite your living family member to the scenery, and gather with the replica together. According to our previous focus group interview, people treasure family value and bonding. We want to incorporate the “Invite” function to satisfy our consumer’s needs. The purpose is to respect traditionally family values and make calling as a family possible.