Farewell is a concept design for a ritual service, made for the Stanford d.school class The Decay of Digital Things.

It is inspired by the companionship that laptops give to their users, which then becomes heavy & confused once the laptop dies (or is replaced). The precious machine loses its purpose and doesn’t get opened again. What do do with these elderly machines? Instead of keeping them piled in drawers and cabinets, what ritual could help an owner let them go — and give a properly intimate, peaceful, and humorous farewell?

I started with some sketched ideas, of how to say goodbye to a laptop.

Here is an annotated, step-by-step guide to conducting your own Ritual Farewell to a beloved, outdated machine.