nianian

Three questions to the project team

What was the particular challenge of the project from a UX point of view?
The main challenge in designing nianian was fitting an emotionally deep concept into today’s digital reality. In a world where people rely on technology for almost everything, meaningful reflection only happens if it feels effortless.
Although memories tied to objects are deeply personal and worth preserving, people are unlikely to engage if the process requires too much effort, learning, typing, or organizing. The challenge was to respect the depth of emotional memory while acknowledging human behavior in the modern context: people adopt what is ready to use.
nianian embraces this tension by using technology and AI not to replace meaning, but to reduce friction, allowing users to focus on what truly matters.

What was your personal highlight in the development process? Was there an aha!-moment, was there a low point?
The most important moment in developing nianian came when I realized the product could not only live within a screen. Although the concept centers on emotions and feelings, keeping everything in a purely digital form felt incomplete: meaningful, but still intangible.

The turning point was understanding that everything needed to return to the physical world, whether through real connections or moments where reflection becomes lived experience. This realization reshaped the entire system: reminders are no longer just notifications, but invitations to reconnect with things in real life. And designing that sense of closure, where digital memory genuinely supports living, was both the hardest and most rewarding part of the process.

Where do you see yourself and the project in the next five years?
In five years, I see nianian becoming a natural part of how some people relate to their belongings and memories: something they return to over time. Its value would come from depth, not scale, living quietly alongside everyday life and extending into the physical world through objects, gestures, and shared moments.

For myself, I see this project shaping how I approach design beyond interfaces, focusing on emotional longevity, closure, and how digital systems can help return people to the physical world. Whether nianian remains a small, intimate platform or becomes the starting point for future explorations, I hope it continues to help people find meaning in what they already hold. And, in the process, rediscover parts of themselves.