ReFind: Design, Lived Experience and Ongoingness in Bereavement
Jayne Wallace, Kyle Montague, Trevor Duncan, Luís Paulo da Silva Carvalho, Nantia Koulidou, Jamie Mahoney, Kellie Morrissey, Claire Craig, Linnea Iris Groot, Shaun Lawson, Patrick Olivier, Julie Trueman, Helen Fisher
Abstract
We describe the design and use of ReFind, a handheld artefact made for people who are bereaved and are ready to re-explore their relationship to the deceased person. ReFind was made within a project seeking to develop new ways to curate and create digital media to support ongoingness - an active, dynamic component of continuing bonds. We draw on bereavement theory and care championing practices that enable a continued sense of connection between someone bereaved and a person who has died. We present the design development of ReFind and the lived experience of the piece by the first author. We discuss our wider methodology which includes autobiographical design and reflections on if and how the piece supported ongoing connections, the challenges faced, and insights gained.