The Tangible Memories app allows you to record audio memories, take pictures and create printed books full of your personal stories. It has been designed specifically with older people and their carers and families in mind, but can be used by anyone to create books about their past and stories.
Objects can hold such meaning, and can provide a great way in to talking about memories and stories. It is a pleasure to sit down and discuss people's possessions, what they mean to them, when they got them and the memories attached to them. We have had many lovely long chats thinking about what people would like to include in their books.
With the app you can sit down and record all these thoughts as audio recordings onto an iPad. You can then take pictures of objects or photographs and save them onto the app as well. When you receive your printed book you can then use the app to scan and it plays back your sounds.
The pages of the book suddenly come alive with the memories and life events that the author wished to remember and document, so for years to come you can listen back and hear their voice telling those stories.
It was a wonderful experience to take the time to connect with the older people we have worked with using the app, and to get to know them one to one. The app was easy to use together with the older people and it definitely became about the experience rather than the technology. The process was enjoyable, fun and interesting for us as well as the older people, and it was wonderful to receive our final printed books.