The memory project is a project where the answer is not visible at the beginning of the project. There isn’t even a brief! If you had been asked to design a stamp celebrating maritime history the answer to the problem would be visible at the beginning of the project. You would know the framework on which the answer will be positioned. Not so with the memory project, not so with many design projects. In projects where the answer is not visible the role of design method and process is heightened. In projects where the answer is not visible the chances of white page syndrome are increased – simply looking at a white page stumped.

You need a method to solve the problem.

In the memory project we are using a method called ethnographic design research. In ethnographic design research is normally carried out by studying a group of people as they undertake a give task. However in this project, for ease of access and speed each student will use their own experiences as the ‘subject’.