Heirloom
A Design Sprint Concept for an Empathetic Tool to Support End-of-Life Logistics
Human-Centered Design | UX Design | Design Research
Before beginning my MA in design at CMU, I developed this mini-capstone for LUMA Institute's Human-Centered Design Practitioner course, where I learned the fundamentals of design thinking and creative problem solving through hands-on application.
Context: LUMA Human Centered Design Practitioner Certification Course
Team: Lorin Anderberg (solo)
Role: Concept, UX Design
Tools: Mural, Figma
Credits: SVG Repo Icons, LUMA Templates
Duration: 2 Weeks
Context
This project began during my first formal training in design: the LUMA Human-Centered Design Practitioner Certification program. Over three weekly sessions, I learned the fundamentals of human-centered design, design thinking, and iteration.
At the time, I was supporting my mother in her role as executor of my grandmother’s estate. Watching her navigate grief while managing complex logistics inspired me to explore end-of-life planning for my final presentation. I began by researching grief and how to support loved ones experiencing loss. I wasn’t sure how best to support my mother through the emotional and logistical intensity. I was also curious about how relationships, especially friendships, help people navigate grief.
LUMA Methods:
Problem Tree Analysis
Round Robin
Concept Poster
I initially explored a communication network that would relieve grieving individuals of the burden of updating others or asking for help. The tool would streamline messages and support requests across a trusted community. However, after mapping this idea out, it no longer felt like the right problem to solve. (Note: All data points are personal assumptions)
Design Challenge
End-of-life planning is rarely discussed. It’s often messy, disorganized, and a source of tension within families. Many are suddenly thrust into the role of managing logistics with no training or preparation.
How might we make end-of-life logistics more human-centered, and the least of someone’s worries while they are grieving?
Refined Concept
I returned to the drawing board and, due to time constraints, conducted an informal interview with my mother to deepen my understanding of her experience as executor of estate for my grandmother. This helped shape a new direction for the final concept—a support tool for those navigating the complex logistics of end-of-life affairs.
I repeated the steps above with the new concept until it clicked intuitively as the right direction to take the project. I created low-fidelity wireframes and mapped out key stakeholders. This helped me clarify relationships and roles before developing lo-fi and medium-fidelity mockups for the final presentation.
Mockups + Next Steps
Due to the fast pace of the course and emphasis on rapid ideation, I delivered a medium-fidelity mockup of the final concept. I also outlined a plan for future user interviews and concept validation. This was my first time using Figma! The feedback I received was very positive—the course lead was impressed with the depth of work in a short time period.
While researching next steps, I discovered Empathy.com, a robust platform that already supports end-of-life logistics beautifully. This affirmed the value of the space I was designing for and inspired me to explore how more human-centered experiences can support grieving families.
