SERVICE DESIGN

CONCEPTUALIZATION

RESEARCH

INTERVIEW / DATA ANALYSIS

USER TESTING

STORYTELLING

E-Will

An innovative UX platform tracking and sharing wine data from production to consumption

As Product Designer, I led a team to develop a comprehensive life planning solution, streamlining end-of-life preparation with reliability and compassion. Design empowers individuals to confidently plan for their future, presenting end-of-life planning as a necessary and stress-free step in life's journey. Through this project, Ewill simplifies end-of-life planning with an easy and straightforward guide, reducing the burden.

Comprehensive Life and End-of-Life Preparation Platform

Comprehensive Life and End-of-Life Preparation Platform

Team

Team

Sungah (Stella) Kim | Jay Han | Clarice Woo

Responsibility

Responsibility

Research | Survey & Interview | Concept Testing | Wireframing & Prototyping Visual Design | Video Editing

Tools

Tools

Figma | Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Pro

Timeline

Timeline

Sep 2023 - Dec 2023 (14 Weeks)

Problem

While end-of-life planning solutions exist on the market, they often fall short in fully preparing individuals for organizing personal belongings, providing life-sustaining decisions, and updating essential documentation.

Seeing this gap, we captured the opportunity to create a comprehensive solution for users to plan their own deaths and share final wishes with loved ones, eliminating the need for tough conversations.

HMW simplify the process of death preparation and make it accessible in real-time, in order to make end-of-life planning available to all individuals?

Goals

1.

Help immediate know about user

Easily create a profile with your personal information and preferences, store important documents, and seamlessly share them with friends and family.

Showcase wine experiences and collection to share with others on your profile.

2.

Help updating document and uploading everything they need

Guide users through uploading and completing required documents, keeping user information updated and organized while avoiding complicated processes.

Scanning the wine QR code provides users with certification of ownership and helps prevent counterfeit wine collection.

3.

Help ask question about difficult questions such as law problems

Schedule one-on-one consultations with legal professionals to receive personalized advice on complex legal issues and problems.

Businesses can access consumer wine data and interests, while consumers can view detailed winery information.

Solution — Key Features

1-1

Create a profile and share it with loved ones

Create a profile using the questionnaire guide to organize necessary documents. Share it with family and friends to give them access to your preferences.

1-2

Receive the E-Will Kit and grant access to the medical team

Receive the Ewill kit, which includes a sticker, card, and keychain that can be attached to your everyday belongings. This allows the medical team to access your information instantly through a barcode, eliminating any time delays.

2-1

Easily upload and update documents

Upload existing files or fill in digital forms provided by Ewill. Easily track completed uploads and view the latest update dates to keep files current.

3-1

Ask your question and get the answer you need

If you have any issues, ask the E-Will-Bot for help anytime. You can also book a one-on-one meeting with EWill’s legal team for support and advice.

Approach

Death is an inevitable part of life, often arriving unexpectedly, highlighting the need for preparedness and acceptance. Our main challenge was that while people celebrate birth, they often avoid thinking about death, despite its certainty. I focused on developing concepts that ease the contemplation of life's end, making the preparation process less daunting.

Process

Week 1 — 4

Understanding the current market

Competitive Analysis

Synthesis of Insights

Week 5 — 7

Exploring the opportunities

Concept Sketching

Concept Testing

Create Blueprints

Week 8 — 11

Conceptualizing and visualizing ideas

Wireframing

Prototyping

Week 12 — 14

Delivering the story

Product Video

What we learned

Current life planning services primarily offer funeral consultant and last will preparation.

We conducted competitive analysis on over six websites and platforms, researching the current market and available services for estate planning, last wills, and funeral plans.

We conducted competitive analysis on over six websites and platforms, researching the current market and available services for estate planning, last wills, and funeral plans.

Major Issues

Low awareness, complicated instructions, and an overwhelming number of options

Low awareness, complicated instructions, and an overwhelming number of options

Not many people are fully aware of the realities of death; often, their preparations only extend as far as planning for funerals. Many tend to overlook or avoid broader considerations and preparations related to the end of life.

Not many people are fully aware of the realities of death; often, their preparations only extend as far as planning for funerals. Many tend to overlook or avoid broader considerations and preparations related to the end of life.

Costly funeral plans and appointments

Costly funeral plans and appointments

Funeral pre-planning can be costly, with average expenses ranging from $7,000 to $9,000. Saving for these plans while alive can be financially burdensome, especially given the variety of funeral home options and ever-changing prices.

Funeral pre-planning can be costly, with average expenses ranging from $7,000 to $9,000. Saving for these plans while alive can be financially burdensome, especially given the variety of funeral home options and ever-changing prices.

Complex and limited documentation writing and sharing

Complex and limited documentation writing and sharing

Important end-of-life documents, including life insurance policies and wills, often involve complex paperwork. Existing tools for creating these documents can be difficult to navigate and share, especially for younger or healthier individuals who may not prioritize such planning.

Important end-of-life documents, including life insurance policies and wills, often involve complex paperwork. Existing tools for creating these documents can be difficult to navigate and share, especially for younger or healthier individuals who may not prioritize such planning.

What we sees

Many people avoid end-of-life planning, focusing instead on the present. This lack of preparation can burden loved ones with managing complex affairs after one's death.

We asked participants to rank their end-of-life planning priorities using a point system (8 for most important, 1 for least). We then calculated average scores to determine the relative importance of each consideration.

Our team surveyed 11 participants about their end-of-life planning priorities. We discovered that funeral and burial arrangements were not considered essential or high-priority aspects of their end-of-life preparation.

Our team surveyed 11 participants about their end-of-life planning priorities. We discovered that funeral and burial arrangements were not considered essential or high-priority aspects of their end-of-life preparation.

Insights

Key Insight 1 : Clear instructions for what people should do before death

“For lots of the times, the living will was not sent to the hospital.”

“For lots of the times, the living will was not sent to the hospital.”

“Some kind of checklist will be helpful.”

Key Insight 2 : The need of a universal guideline for medical directive

“Policies and laws are different from states to states.”

Key Insight 3 : Simplify the tedious process of preparing legal documents

"Had to fight with the medical team…"

"Had to fight with the medical team…"

“We need advice from the expert for what they need to do.”

“We need advice from the expert for what they need to do.”

“Some documentation format was wring when we need to use them.”

Identifying the needs and types of users

Ewill targets three user groups: families, partners, and singles, allowing all to easily share their last will and end-of-life preferences through our service.

Family

families looking to share information amongst themselves

Partner

individuals who are in partnerships not officially recognized by the government.

Single

single individuals without family or partners, seeking to plan their own lives.

Testing with users

We validated our ideas through concept sketching and testing with four participants.

01

Initial Concept

01

Initial Concept

01

Initial Concept

02

Second Concept

02

Second Concept

02

Second Concept

03

Final Concept

03

Final Concept

03

Final Concept

Defining user flow, interactions, and processes

We developed service blueprints to visualize and organize each step, mapping user actions and service processes to ensure seamless interaction and delivery.

Visual Design

I led the creation of a comprehensive design system, establishing a strong UI app styleguide. This ensured consistency across screens and facilitated coherent development by different team members.

Final design

Conclusion

This project dealt with a very sensitive topic which included death, and it was challenging to ask people about their experiences of losing someone. However, I successfully solved the core problems related to people's concerns about facing the end of life, and I am proud of this project.

WHAT I LEARNED

  • How to apply a critical sense to various dimensions and situations.

  • How to apply a sense of empathy and sensitivity when discussing difficult topics, so as not to cause hurt, while still gathering important insights.

  • Framing it as the solution having potential for growth through marketing efforts.

    • Considering how this solution can grow through marketing, enabling users to easily subscribe and pay for access to lawyers who can help them achieve their end-of-life planning goals and needs.

SOMETHING I WANT TO IMPROVE ON

For most of the time, my focus has been primarily on the user side, with only a minor emphasis on the hospital or medical team. I want to further develop how the system works seamlessly with the hospital or medical team when the user approaches the end of life. How can medical teams successfully gather the information they need about a patient’s medical preferences without any delay.