The design fiction film Interfuit depicts near-future virtual funerals in Japan. This paper reports audience feedback collected through public screenings of the film and analyzes these responses to identify design opportunities for future funerary practices and related forms of mourning, memorialization, and remembrance. We organized screening events for a wide range of audiences, including HCI and other researchers, medical and end-of-life care workers, religious professionals, funeral service providers, and film enthusiasts. While most participants were based in Japan, we also intentionally reached out to people living abroad to capture more diverse perspectives. In total, we collected 140 open-ended responses, conducted a qualitative analysis, and derived design opportunities grounded in viewers’ reflections. Through this process, the paper contributes not only insights into the design of virtual funerals but also a methodological perspective on how design fiction films can be effectively used in HCI design research.

This paper introduces a case study that redesigns graduate school classrooms into massive open online course (MOOC)-like content with remote face-to-face sessions. Due to the influence of COVID-19, the higher-education environment is rapidly shifting to an online environment in many institutions. Therefore, instructors need to transform lessons they have been doing in physical classrooms to an online format. However, just conducting the same talks online is not enough to provide students with satisfactory learning. Instructors need to redesign class content and structure to optimize them for the online environment. In this case study, the research team and an instructor redesigned an existing graduate school class into MOOC-like content. We will discuss the specific methods and benefits of this initiative.