Timeline
3-week team sprint
Client Project
My Role
UX Researcher
Visual Designer
UX/UI Designer
Tools Used
Figma
Adobe Photoshop
G-Suite
Deliverables
UX Research
Product Design
Interactive Prototype
overview
Our client was in the final development of a desktop experience: My Afterlife. My Afterlife allowed users to create end-of-life plans, organize final wishes, and store important financial documents, wills, and written life stories. The desktop service was offered in three subscription tiers at various prices.
The Challenge
Going over the project scope and KPIs, we learned their team wanted to offer additional value and more incentive for the top-tier subscription cost. The desktop experience currently did not allow any photo or video uploading, something we saw as a major opportunity to accompany the service.
“We concluded the most effective strategy was to design a complementary mobile experience that would add to the overall product value.”
generative research
To kick off discovery, we sent out a survey to 25 users to gauge overall interest in the idea. We selected people who had close families and an interest in their heritage. From the responses, we found that most people felt the app would appeal to users ages 40–60 with others not far behind.
“76% of people stated they were interested in using the product, which encouraged us to keep moving ahead to further discovery.”
We conducted in-depth interviews with ten target users ages 30–75. We gathered specific info on what memories people save, how they organize keepsakes, and what they do to memorialize a passed loved one. We also learned what platforms they used and how they shared their photos with others.
Using direct quotes, our team created an affinity map that grouped data into valuable user insights such as media organization, security, competitor products, family discovery, memory making, and user needs.
competitive Analysis
Direct Competitors
We then did competitive research in the end-of-life planning and memorial industries. Looking at ten similar companies’ desktop and mobile experiences, we discovered where we could further add value and innovate with new features. Many companies focused on the solemn planning aspects of death and grief, such as the examples below.
Many competitors didn’t support media uploads or saving to the platform. Others lacked a mobile experience or in-app recording, making it even harder for users to access their media in one location.
“Overall, none of the competitors offered the ability to create photo albums or curate life stories–– a feature we saw as a major opportunity.”
Indirect Competitors
We also analyzed indirect competitors who catered to older demographics. Researching interface design standards for the elderly, we considered font and button sizes, contrast levels, tutorial or help functions, dexterity issues, and concise UX writing.
user personas
How might we…
make the task of compiling a loved one’s mementos less daunting?
aid Michelle in contextualizing the artifacts of her mother’s life?
enable Michelle to share memories digitally with her close friends and family?
The solution → Legacybook
Once the problem was clear, we began ideating the solution. Since most users stored photos on their phones, we knew the best route was to design a complementary mobile app that would connect to the desktop experience.
Our app would preserve the account owner’s legacy through curating and sharing their life moments. Invited collaborators (close friends and family) would be able to add content or leave comments on their life story. Through this digital scrapbooking, families could create, collaborate, and celebrate the life of a senior loved one together.
Our team brainstormed app names such as ‘Memory Maker’ and ‘Memento’, landing on ‘Legacybook’– a digital storybook about a loved one’s legacy.
ideating features
mapping User flows
Click to zoom user flow
exploring Sketches
Putting pen to paper, our team created wireframe sketches based on the established user flows. Our goal was to create an experience that allowed users to upload, organize, and share their memories of various types of media: photos, video, audio, or scanned keepsakes such as old letters or recipe cards.
We knew our competitors lacked intuitive content organization. Because we were working with an entire lifespan of content, we took careful consideration into how the sections and timeline areas were presented.
lo-fi wireframes
Merging ideas, we created a grayscale prototype in Figma to begin usability testing. We gave users a lot to explore because we wanted to test the overall flows throughout the various upload and viewing sections.
lo-fi usability testing
We conducted usability tests remotely on Zoom and in-person using Figma Mirror, giving users a background narrative to inform their given tasks.
gathering insights
User Pain Points
5/5 users said some screens seemed 'cluttered'. We decided to make our interfaces look more clean and modern.
3/5 users made 1 or more errors while moving through the ‘Add media from camera roll’ flow (shown in above gif)
3/5 users asked about privacy and sharing within the app. “Who’s on the app with me? Who else sees the family content?”
5/5 users misunderstood certain words in the footer, section titles, and some icons. This microcopy needed to be clarified and revised for consistency and understanding. Ex: ‘Legacybook’ in the footer is not a standard navigation name.
Most errors occurred during Task 2: Uploading media to a new life chapter. We made some design changes to this flow before starting on the final mockup.
creating a style guide
We began developing the app’s style guide. Our competitors’ used a lot of cool blues and muted colors that felt overall somber and cold. Because we wanted to stand out as a positive experience that celebrated life, we chose to use warm gradient tones that were reminiscent of a sunrise.
Our client wanted the experience to feel “modern, comfortable, and approachable”. Our final style guide is just that– soft and cheerful using colorful gradients, improved footer icons, and friendly fonts. We also made sure to incorporate the My AfterLife branding so the two experiences felt cohesive and connected.
testing the
color mockup
We created a high-fidelity mockup that addressed the previously found issues. In the second round of testing, users stated the experience was enjoyable and endearing.
“I’d want to do this for my own mom or dad…”
Key features users enjoyed:
• Audio recordings
• Customized life chapters & sections
• Timeline & slideshow view
There were some interface issues that needed to be addressed from this round of testing.
an end to a great story
Next Steps:
More usability testing to see how users organize memories
Improved integration between Legacybook and My Afterlife
Develop additional features:
Chapter & section templates for easier onboarding
In-app photo & video editing for color, crop, and trim adjustments