Life After Life

Life After Life

Rest in Peace. Grow in Nature
Rest in Peace. Grow in Nature

Industry

Industry

Life Care

Life Care

What I did

What I did

User researcher, Lead Designer

User researcher, Lead Designer

Timeline

Timeline

Sep 2024 - Dec 2024

Sep 2024 - Dec 2024

Team

Team

2 Product Designers

2 Product Designers

Problem Statement
Problem Statement

Planning a funeral is one of life's most emotional moments. Yet, it often feels cold, rushed, and environmentally taxing. We envisioned a more compassionate approach, one that honors both the individual and the planet.

Planning a funeral is one of life's most emotional moments. Yet, it often feels cold, rushed, and environmentally taxing. We envisioned a more compassionate approach, one that honors both the individual and the planet.

Our Mission
Our Mission

Life After Life is a gentle, approachable end-of-life planning toolkit designed to:

  • Explore sustainable end-of-life options.

  • Facilitate meaningful conversations.

  • Help individuals to have a farewells that that truly reflect who they are, while being kind to the Earth.

Life After Life is a gentle, approachable end-of-life planning toolkit designed to:

  • Explore sustainable end-of-life options.

  • Facilitate meaningful conversations.

  • Help individuals to have a farewells that that truly reflect who they are, while being kind to the Earth.

Who We Serve
Who We Serve
Self-planner
Self-planner
Self-planner

People planning their own end-of-life arrangement and eco-friendly funeral.

People planning their own end-of-life arrangement and eco-friendly funeral.

Family Collaborator
Family Collaborator

Families making funeral decisions who want to honor their loved one's values.

Families making funeral decisions who want to honor their loved one's values.

Design Challenges
Design Challenges
How might we provide clear, practical tools while honoring the sensitivity of grief and farewell?
How might we offer clear, useful tools while honoring the sensitivity and deeply personal nature of grief, memory, and farewell?
What We Did
What We Did

Before we jumped into design, we knew we had to slow down, and listen. We conducted extensive user research using 3 different research methods: user interviews, surveys, and guided tours.

Death is a deeply personal, emotional, and often avoided topic. So our research wasn’t just about identifying problems, it was about understanding the emotions, cultural nuances, and unspoken tensions that surround end-of-life planning.

What We Heard
What We Heard
“I don’t know where to start.”

People wanted to make end-of-life decisions that reflected their values, but felt lost in logistics, paperwork, and unfamiliar terminology.

“I didn’t even know I had options.”

Sustainable alternatives like tree burials or human composting were rarely known or accessible.

“I want to talk about it, but I don’t want to upset anyone.”

People often avoided discussing death with loved ones, even when they wanted to out of fear of discomfort or cultural taboos.

What This Taught Us
What This Taught Us

Our research uncovered a shared truth:

People want to say goodbye with intention. They need the right space, language, and tools to do it.
What We Came Up With
What We Came Up With

After listening to people talk about their experiences with loss and funeral planning, one thing became clear:

Most people didn’t know where to start, and when they tried, it felt either too emotional, too overwhelming, or too cold.
We wanted to explore ways to make end-of-life planning feel more like a reflection of who someone is, not just a checklist of logistics.

We wanted to explore ways to make end-of-life planning feel more like a reflection of who someone is, not just a checklist of logistics.

Why Not Start with an App?
Why Not Start with an App?

When we first imagined Life After Life, we thought naturally of building a digital tool. A website, maybe even an app. Something smooth and accessible, right from your phone.

But as we listened more deeply to the people we were designing for, folks in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, often planning for themselves or loved ones, we realized something important:

What they needed wasn’t speed. It was space.
A space to pause, to hold something real, and to share meaningful moments with the people who matter most. They valued tangible connection, something they could experience together, flip through at their own pace, revisit over tea, or pass around the dinner table.

A space to pause, to hold something real, and to share meaningful moments with the people who matter most. They valued tangible connection, something they could experience together, flip through at their own pace, revisit over tea, or pass around the dinner table.

A space to pause, to hold something real, and to share meaningful moments with the people who matter most. They valued tangible connection, something they could experience together, flip through at their own pace, revisit over tea, or pass around the dinner table.

Design Solutions
Design Solutions

Because of that, our design process highlighted the need for a multi-layered approach and a toolkit you can hold, share, and grow with: a card deck, a planning book, and one day, a journey to the forest. Each piece serves a different role:

DISCOVER
DISCOVER
DISCOVER

The forest offers a space to reconnect with nature and legacy

ENGAGE
ENGAGE
ENGAGE

the deck sparks meaningful conversation with loved one

The deck sparks meaningful conversation with loved one

The deck sparks meaningful conversation with loved one

LEARN
LEARN
LEARN

Chap.1 of the book helps users explore eco-friendly options

Chap.1 of the book helps users explore different eco-friendly options

REFLECT
REFLECT
REFLECT

Chap.2 guides user to reflect what legacy they want to leave behind

Chap.2 guides user to reflect what legacy they want to leave behind

DECIDE
DECIDE
DECIDE

Chap.3 helps users deciding and finalizing their wishes

Chap.3 helps users deciding and finalizing
their wishes

  1. 🚌 DISCOVERY

The bus tour to the forest, designed for elders, families, and care homes to visit a place where death and life meet.

In this Memorial National Forest, donated soil from human composting nourishes trees and native landscapes.
Visitors walk through winding paths, and learn more about sustainable funeral alternatives.

Inside the Visitor Center, visitor can explore:

  • Interactive exhibits on green burial methods

  • A welcoming Death Café, where death doulas host open, gentle conversations

  • A holographic forest map, where families can locate trees nurtured by their loved one’s soil

  • A Memory Room to view photos, messages, or videos on anniversaries

2. 🎴 Engage

During the visit, visitor are introduced to the card deck, which offers a gentle way to open up about the topic with loved ones. Designed for families and care homes, the deck moves through three tiers of depth:

“How Deep Can You Get?” Card Deck
“How Deep Can You Get?” Card Deck
“How Deep Can You Get?” Card Deck

1 feet under
Playful, lighthearted questions

1 feet under
Playful, lighthearted questions

1 feet under
Playful, lighthearted questions

3 feet under
Reflective prompts about values and life

3 feet under
Reflective prompts about values and life

3 feet under
Reflective prompts about values and life

3 feet under
Reflective prompts about values and life

6 deep under
Questions about end-of-life preferences

6 deep under
Questions about end-of-life preferences

6 deep under
Questions about end-of-life preferences

3. 📘 Learn
(Chapter 1 of the Guidebook)

Invites readers to explore sustainable funeral options through playfully, thought-provoking questions.

We turned facts into a pop-quiz-style experience that surprises and informs:

The chapter then walks through sustainable funerals key concepts like:

4. 🪞 Reflect
(Chapter 2 of the Guidebook)

This chapter invites users to pause and think through what matters most to them.

It includes gentle journaling prompts and space for personal notes, helping users build clarity through self-awareness.

5. 📝 Decide
(Chapter 3 of the Guidebook)

Finally, users are guided through recording their wishes:

  • Burial method

  • Ceremony preferences

  • Messages for loved ones

  • Special requests or rituals

This section is practical, empowering, and designed to be shared — so families feel supported and decisions feel aligned with the person they’re honoring.

📝 My Takeaways

Meet the team: Adeline + Kim

We found ourselves navigating tender ground

Designing for something as personal as end-of-life planning wasn’t easy, it asked us to be more patient, and more thoughtful. We realized our role wasn’t to give answers, but to gently guide people through an emotional journey.

We broke out of the screen

Instead of defaulting to a digital app, we explored tangible tools, a card deck and a guidebook. These formats helped families ease into hard conversations, offering small, interactive moments or slower reflections that could unfold over time.

We learned to trust each other

With the pace moving fast, we had no choice but to communicate clearly, make quick decisions, and support one another. The pressure actually brought out the best in our collaboration.

We came out changed

By the end, we weren’t just better at design. We were better at listening, holding space, and thinking about how products can meet people where they are, especially in life’s most vulnerable moments.

Wanna collaborate? Let's Chat!

I am currently looking for a team where I can take part, learn from, and become a better designer (/human).

© 2025 Kim Au Le

Wanna collaborate?
Let's Chat!
I am currently looking for a team where I can take part, learn from, and become a better designer (/human).

© 2025 Kim Au Le

Wanna collaborate? Let's Chat!

I am currently looking for a team where I can take part, learn from, and become a better designer (/human).

© 2025 Kim Au Le

Wanna collaborate? Let's Chat!

I am currently looking for a team where I can take part, learn from, and become a better designer (/human).

© 2025 Kim Au Le