25 Jul Lesson 2: Memory, Fragment, Sequence

Reference: Christopher Nolan’s Memento

Learning Objectives

• Understand how order shapes meaning in research narratives.
• Practice reassembling fragmented data without forcing coherence.
• Distinguish between what happened and how it’s remembered or reported.

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Headline

“Sequence is not neutral—every order is an argument.”

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Narrative & UX Interpretation

Memento tells its story backwards, forcing viewers to question cause and effect. Research often does the same unconsciously: we tidy messy sessions into linear decks. By reordering (or deliberately breaking) sequences, we expose assumptions. Sometimes the “end” (the roadmap need) predetermines the “beginning” (the research question).

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Developing Critical Thinking

• Reconstruct a study timeline out of order and ask what changes.
• Identify where confirmation bias slipped in (“We knew this already”).
• Practice multiple cuts of the same findings: chronological, emotional, risk-based.
• Ask: What story does the stakeholder need—and what story did the user actually tell?

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Anchor & Process Grounding

• Anchor: Triangulation & Avoiding Confirmation Bias (NN/g research credibility principles).
• Grounding Move: Build a “finding matrix” that logs when each finding appeared, who saw it, and what was assumed at that moment.