The Oslo Jewish Museum introduced the 'Stolpersteine' art and memorial project in Norway in 2010. Each brass cobblestone is handmade and engraved with the name, year of deportation, birth year, place, and date of death of a person. An information database about each individual is available at snublestein.no.
The project aims to remember the Jews who were deported and murdered during the Holocaust. Snublestein Veien would help users locate the Memory Stones of people via an interactive map, and/or access the information database in order to learn more about an individual users encounter on the street.
The purpose of the Memory Stones in Oslo and throughout Norway is to remember the Jews who were deported and murdered during the Holocaust. Although information about the individuals can be found on the online database, it is challenging to access it in real-time. There is also no tool that guides one to their Memory Stone if they learn about an individual via the database or at the Oslo Jewish Museum.
“A person is not forgotten until his or her name is forgotten.”
Snublestein Veien aims to keep the names and memories alive of the individuals lost during the Holocaust by allowing citizens and tourists in Oslo to learn more information about the people on the Memory Stones in real-time or seek out the Memory Stones of those they are interested in.
I began my User Research with a survey for people living in Norway, asking them if they were aware of the Memory Stones, and if they had any interest in learning more about the individuals commemorated. I had a total of 21 responses, with the ages of the respondents ranging from 20-59. Of the 21, only three worked in Heritage within Norway, and only two respondents had visited the Jewish Museums in either Oslo or Trondheim.
71.4% of respondents had heard of the Memory Stones project, though only 57.1% were aware it had been brought to Norway.
23.8% of respondents had ever looked up information about the people memorialized on the Memory Stones, while 95.2% indicated that they would either maybe or definitely be interested in looking up information about the people on the Memory Stones in the future. 81% suggested that they either maybe or definitely be interested in downloading a combined navigation and information app for the Norwegian Memory Stones.
It is clear that the app would be a positive addition for residents who seek to engage more with their history and culture. Such an app could not only bring more visitors to the Jewish Museums, but it could increase interaction between Norwegians and their cities and towns.
“I had no idea these existed and would love to learn more!”
“I applaud the project and am reminded of the horrors every day, having 5 Stolpersteine less than 100 metres from my home. Thinking about their destiny and the forces in Norwegian society that complied, helped and allowed it to happen.”
“App er nok en mye høyere terskel for å laste ned og bruke, enn hvis dere lager en grei nettside. Jeg laster aldri ned sånne typer apper. Ellers synes jeg det høres ut som en veldig fin og interessant ting! Skal huske på å se etter dem når all denne snøen en gang forsvinner.”
"My daughter learned about the Memory Stones this year and school and always points them out to me when we're walking around the city. This is a wonderful idea to learn more about our local history."
A user persona was created to understand the potential user of the Snublestein Veien app better. This persona was roughly based on the User Survey I sent out.
I designed the IA to be simple and intuitive, with a focus on featuring the individuals remembered by the Memory Stones.
Snublestein Veien doesn't have any direct competition, nor could I find any similar apps, so I drew inspiration from navigation apps such as Google Maps and Ruter, as well as looking up various Wayfinding and Navigation apps on Behance. I also studied other heritage apps, including the app for Nasjonalmuseet.
I then sketched out possible designs on paper for several of the main screens before moving on to Lo-Fi designs in Figma.
The Lo-Fi designs largely stuck to the paper prototyping, but helped to solidify the design.
I studied the designs of both the Jewish Museum in Oslo and the Jewish Museum Trondheim, as well as the Snublestein database. My goal was to create a seamless experience between the two museums, the database, and the Snublestein Veien App. The sites utilize a white background, black topography, and simple design in blue and turquoise.
I initially tried to apply the blue and turquoise to the design, but found I wasn't pleased with the aesthetic. On the smaller screen of a mobile phone, the colors themselves felt too distracting, drawing attention away from those we are seeking to remember.
More than anything, I was disappointed in the map I had created. Using hues of blue between aqua and navy, the interface didn't feel aesthetically compelling.
In my role as an archaeological consultant, I often used historic maps in my desk-based assessments of archaeological and environmental sites.
I wondered if any maps from the 1940s were available in order to get a better feel for how those remembered in the Memory Stones would have experienced Oslo. As soon as I discovered this map of Oslo from 1940, the final design clicked for me.
I attempted to create the 1940 map in the navigation aspect of the app to give users a feeling of stepping back into time, into the world that those remembered actually lived in.
The above two pictures below are from the original map, while the bottom two pictures are from my design on mapbox.
The colors of the map went into the design of the Star of David, which naturally functions as the Snublestein Veien logo and features on the Splash screen. The design of the app was paired down to a white (#FFF) background with black (#CCC) typography; this was deliberate in an effort to focus entirely on those the app remembers.
Lato was chosen because of its warm feeling, while maintaining stability and seriousness.
Assistant was chosen because it is available for use in both Hebrew and Latin type family, and was designed by Ben Nathan in Tel Aviv, Israel.
I surveyed five colleagues at the University of Oslo with my prototype. I asked them for input on overall design aesthetic, intuitive use and functionality.
- Can you find the 'about' sections for the museums and the Memory Stones?
- Can you find the search function?- Can you find the map function?
- What would rate the aesthetic design out of 5?
Results
The results of the Snublestein Veien app were highly successful, with high ratings throughout.
5/5 users were able to find the 'about' sections
5/5 users were able to find the search function
5/5 users were able find the map function
4.8/5 was the average rating for aesthetic design, with one user suggesting more color
I walk past Harry and Esther Mendels' Memory Stones every day on my way to the office. This project is dedicated to them especially for inspiring the need for a mobile platform where users can look up Memory Stones in real time.
I was nervous about creating an app that centres around the atrocities of the Holocaust, and I continuously reminded myself that this project was about remembering their lives, not their deaths. I enjoyed learning more about the Jewish community in Oslo, both then and now, over the course of this project.
As I am an historian and archaeologist looking to make a transition into Design, I was excited to focus on a Heritage-based project in my first case study. This is a project that I am passionate about, and I am proud of the design I created.
If you have any questions or comments about the project, I would love to discuss it with you. Feel free to contact me!