Research - Existing Digital Storytelling Platforms - Yana Taranushych

Research Aim

I researched three storytelling platforms to understand how they present personal memories, organise content and engage users. My goal was to identify useful features for our interactive childhood scrapbook.

Platforms

1. StoryCorps

https://storycorps.org/






StoryCorps allows people to record and share personal stories through audio interviews.

  • Strength: Real voices help communicate emotions and personal experiences.
  • Limitation: The platform focuses mainly on audio rather than visual storytelling.
  • For our project: I would like to explore adding short audio recordings to scrapbook pages.


2. Europeana

https://www.europeana.eu/







Europeana presents European cultural heritage through digital collections and themed stories.

  • Strength: Clear categories help users explore cultural content.
  • Limitation: Its large archive structure may be too complex for our smaller project.
  • For our project: I would like to organise memories into categories such as Celebrations, Food and Family Traditions.


3. Museum of Childhood Ireland

https://museumofchildhood.ie/stories-of-our-childhoods/





The museum collects personal childhood memories, photographs and objects.
  • Strength:Combines real childhood stories with meaningful visual material.
  • Limitation: Covers childhood broadly rather than focusing specifically on family cultural traditions.
  • For our project:I would like to explore presenting personal stories through interactive scrapbook pages.

Research Reflection

What did I do?

I researched three storytelling platforms and compared how they present and organise personal memories.

What did I discover?

Each platform uses a different approach: StoryCorps focuses on audio, Europeana on organised collections and the Museum of Childhood Ireland on personal childhood stories.

I also discovered that childhood memory projects already exist. Our project could differentiate itself by focusing specifically on cultural traditions and individual family experiences.

What decision did I make?

I decided to explore three features for our scrapbook:
  • Interactive pages combining photographs and personal stories.
  • Categories for different childhood traditions.
  • Optional audio recordings to make the experience more personal.

What feedback did I receive?

I have not received specific feedback on this research yet.

What did I do next?

My next step is to research interactive scrapbook designs and explore how personal memories could be presented through visual storytelling.

References

  1. https://storycorps.org/
  2. https://www.europeana.eu/
  3. https://museumofchildhood.ie/stories-of-our-childhoods/


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