This talk was given at the 2017 IA Summit (Vancouver) and the 2017 Interaction Conference in NYC.

1. F I N A L D E S T I N AT I O N
I A S U M M I T 2 0 1 7
Creating a better afterlife for
our digital treasures.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

2. I N T R O D U C T I O N

3. @ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
I am currently a Design Lead at
Collective Health where I lead design
for our internal operational tooling.
I spend my days thinking about how
to keep people healthy by ensuring
our services are enabling them to get
the care they need.
I N T R O D U C T I O N

4. I N T R O D U C T I O N
This has been a slow, meandering path
heavily influenced by my interest in the
past, its people and how our knowledge of
them shapes perceptions of ourselves, our
present situations and our visions for the
future.
Technology is giving us opportunities to
connect with and learn from the past in
ways we never thought possible - or maybe
don’t even realize yet. But there are
challenges for us to realize this potential.

5. I N T R O D U C T I O N
We have a most amazing ability to
document our life in rich detail, in an
array of mediums.
However, the magnitude of the
content we are generating continues
to result in struggles to manage it for
the future benefit of our families and
communities communities.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

6. W H Y D E AT H ?
Why focus specifically on death?
While the topic of personal archiving and
preservation of digital memories
expands outside the context of death, it
is a context in which these issues - and
the lack of solutions to support them -
are often felt most poignantly.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

7. B I G G E R T H A N D ATA
Additionally, this work is not just about
saving data.
It is about rethinking how products and
services, especially those which claim to be
a place for social connection and sharing -
support, or choose to ignore - the universal
messy realities of human social experience.
It is a call to action to think more broadly
about the types of human factors our
products and services should support.

8. D E AT H I S H A R D

9. Unlike these two - I’m
going to guess that
many of us probably
have a difficult time
talking about death, let
alone considering it as
part of our product
design strategies.
Here’s why…
D E AT H I S H A R D

10. D E AT H I S A B U M M E R
It’s something we’re
programmed to avoid -
either naturally or
culturally - making it
difficult for us to relate to
and talk about it openly.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

11. you are here
death is here
It’s kind of like United States
deficit. You know it exists, and
that it may impact you indirectly,
but it doesn’t influence your daily
decision-making.
We don’t necessarily think of
death as something that will
happen to ourselves or those we
love - that is - until it does. So, we
rarely consider beforehand what
we, or others, might need or want
in those moments.
D E AT H I S I N T H E F U T U R E

12. “Dude, I died this past weekend and it
was UH-MAZING. Totes recommend.”
– N O O N E S A I D E V E R
People don’t die and then come
back to tell the tale - at least
that we’ve been able to prove. :)
This leaves each of us with only
a 2nd hand experience of death
further complicating our ability
to regularly consider its needs
and implications.
D E AT H I S U N K N O WA B L E

13. We are not taught how to
talk about death - at least
in literal terms.
It feels charged, it feels
awkward, it feels …
well… scary.
N O D E AT H E D U C AT I O N
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

14. “Why should death be considered
more taboo than sex? Both are a
natural part of life.”
– J E S S I C A N U T I K Z I T T E R
“ F I R S T S E X E D . T H E N D E AT H E D . ”
N Y T I M E S , 2 0 1 7
We need to educate each other on
how to talk about death in an
uncharged way so that we can relate
to it from a grounded place.
A place of knowing - not through fear
and avoidance - but understanding.
And hopefully leading to curiosity
and a path to integrating it into our
thinking and approach regarding the
things we do and create.
N O D E AT H E D U C AT I O N

15. D E AT H I S A B O U T L I F E

16. My hope for this ongoing work is to
shift our perspective of death, as it
relates to user experience and product
design, and provide a foundation for
bringing it into the conversation.
When we can talk more openly, we will
be able to consistently weave
considerations of death, and the needs
surrounding it, into our work.
S H I F T I N G P E R S P E C T I V E S

17. Inactive
Customer
Relationship
Begins
Death
Active
As a business - and yes, even its designers - there can be a temptation to think
of death as a one-time event transforming an active customer to an ‘inactive’
one. So at first glance investing in cases of death may not seem like a valuable
use of time and resources.
I N D I V I D U A L I S T P E R S P E C T I V E

18. Father
Mother
Spouse
Children
Aunts
Cousins
Uncles
Close Friends
Flip this perspective around and view it, not from the angle of the individual who
dies, but from those who are experiencing the death of that individual - it begins
to look a bit different. From here, the ask becomes not about servicing the
deceased - although that is important - It becomes about servicing the living
R E L AT I O N A L P E R S P E C T I V E
Customer
Relationship
Begins
Death
Active

19. Assuming your customers are
human, they will need to navigate
death, in some form or another
within the context of your
product or service at some point.
Especially if it has social
dimensions to it and
engagement tends to stretch
over long periods of time.
A U N I V E R S A L H U M A N FA C T O R
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

20. @ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
N AV I G AT I N G D E AT H I N D I G I TA L S PA C E S
I personally have
experienced 3 deaths in the
past for 4 years - most
recently the sudden death
of my brother-in-law Eli this
past autumn. With all 3,
digital spaces served and
continue to serve as places
to manage this loss.

21. Digital environments are serving an ever
increasing role in the tasks, rituals and
emotional processing of death.
• Navigating logistics (funerals, community tributes)
• Accessing / sharing content related to the deceased
• Mutual consolation
• Space for personal reflection and to express grief.
N AV I G AT I N G D E AT H I N D I G I TA L S PA C E S

22. N O T J U S T S I N G U L A R M O M E N T S
Emotional Intensity
Contributes
Receives
Support
Reflects
Reflects
Takes In
Death
of another —— TIME ——
Responds

23. Emotional Intensity
Contributes
Receives
Support
Shares
s
Reflects
Reflects
Browses
Contact w/
deceased
—— TIME ——
Responds
Receives
Support
Responds
I N T E R A C T I O N S O C C U R O V E R T I M E
Instigated through activity on the deceased’s
profiles popping up in activity feeds or self-
directed visitations the profile seeking
comfort in moments of sadness and grief.

24. D E AT H I S I N E V I TA B L E AT S C A L E
A death in the
social group
Sign Up
Experiments
Reflects
Commits
Expands
Network
(EXCHANGE LOOP WITHIN A
SOCIAL GROUP)
Onboard
Explores
Explores
Socializes
FamilarizationNew Terrain Sustains Engagement
Share
Respond
Reflect
Discover /
Create
Receive
Over time, people will need to use your
product to navigate the emotions, even
the logistics of death, multiple times.

25. D E AT H I S I N E V I TA B L E AT S C A L E
If we truly consider ourselves human-centric
in our approach, we need to integrate
accommodations for this most universal of
human experiences into our product’s
design and architecture from the beginning.

26. D E S I G N I N G F O R D E AT H

27. D E S I G N I N G F O R D E AT H
Research to date has included:
• Speculative design projects, discourse and workshops
• Tracking academic research and field studies
• Tracking developments in the industry

28. D E S I G N I N G F O R D E AT H
Develop a holistic framework which
designers and product teams can use to
advocate for and guide the process of
addressing this underserved - highly
intimate and tender - area of human need.

29. 1
E M B R A C E T O U G H
C O N V E R S AT I O N S
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
While no one and no company wants to be a
downer by bringing up death - the benefits of
engaging it outweigh the drawbacks.

30. “…we have tried to give people options that
do more than just let them control what
happens to their data after they die. We
made a specific decision to focus on the
needs of friends and family who are mourning
and celebrating the life of a loved one.”
– J . B R U B A K E R , U N I V E R S I T Y O F C O L O R A D O
– V. C A L L I S O N - B U R C H , FA C E B O O K
R E F : “ L E G A C Y C O N TA C T: P O S T- M O RT E M S T E WA R D S H I P AT FA C E B O O K ” , J .
B R U B A K E R , V. C A L L I S O N - B U R C H , P G 4 , 2 0 1 5
Ignoring these sensitive moments
leads to very real, and painful,
experiences for communities. And
companies such as Facebook and
Google, realize that ack of action
negatively impacts their product
and ultimately, their brand.
E M B R A C E T O U G H C O N V E R S AT I O N S

31. E M B R A C E T O U G H C O N V E R S AT I O N S
Include ‘exit moments’ and post-mortem
transitions into your experience journeys.
Educate customers about what you offer to
support this very sensitive time or that you’re even
thinking about it. It’s not only the right thing to do,
it’s smart business because it demonstrates your
dedication to their needs - not just as customers -
but as human beings.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

32. R E F : “ L E G A C Y C O N TA C T: P O S T- M O RT E M S T E WA R D S H I P AT FA C E B O O K ” , J . B R U B A K E R , V. C A L L I S O N - B U R C H , P G 4 , 2 0 1 5
2
M E F O R M E ,
M E F O R Y O U
What we want for ourselves, doesn’t always align with
the needs of a grieving community. Each may have
different ‘ideas’ about the value of digital content or
what is desired in regards to accessing, experiencing
and preserving it.

33. “I wouldn't want everyone to have
access more then what I allowed
originally… I wouldn't want people
who didn't know me to become
curious and access my photos…”
– ‘ K I M ’ , I N T E RV I E W # 8
“Not being allowed access to my
brother’s account after he died. Not
at all the level I expected.”
– ‘ F R A N K ’ , I N T E RV I E W # 5
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
M E F O R M E , M E F O R Y O U

34. @ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
M E F O R M E , M E F O R Y O U
An individual may desire their profile to disappear
after death, either because of fear of how it will be
used or because they simply do not believe it has
value.
Contrarily, the grieving community may view the
profile and its contents as a source of rich history
about that person, appropriate for purposes of
archiving, inheritance and preserving their memory
within the social group.

35. R E F : “ L E G A C Y C O N TA C T: P O S T- M O RT E M S T E WA R D S H I P AT FA C E B O O K ” , J . B R U B A K E R , V. C A L L I S O N - B U R C H , P G 4 , 2 0 1 5
Aim to strike a balance between individual and
community needs by creating space for them to
navigate these questions where:
• Wishes can be made known
• Expectations can be clarified for each side.
Needs of a grieving community are as important
as the intentions of those who died and neither
should be sacrificed for the other.
M E F O R M E , M E F O R Y O U

36. 3
F O R T O D AY,
N O T T O M O R R O W
How we make decisions about what to share and
our desired privacy levels are typically driven by
needs and values within the living moment… not
necessarily the future.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

37. “I just never thought of social media in
this way. It is not the way I perceive its
use… (as a record of my life)”
– ‘ J E S S I C A’ , I N T E RV I E W # 2 0
We create and share content in
such a fleeting manner, rarely
giving a second thought to
where it might end up or its
potential value to someone else
down the line.
And for most of us, anticipating
the needs of others in the event
of our death is often a difficult
and ambiguous task.
F O R T O D AY, N O T T O M O R R O W

38. “It's hard to anticipate what the
situation would be when I die.”
– ‘ F R A N K ’ , I N T E RV I E W # 5
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

39. Do not assume the choices users make regarding
privacy and audience permissions for their content
automatically correlates to the parameters they’d
want following their death.
Build in flexibility for content access parameters
set during life to elegantly and appropriately
transition after death.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
F O R T O D AY, N O T T O M O R R O W

40. 4
G E N E R O U S &
G R A C I O U S E X I T S
Do not penalize families for wanting to remove
the deceased’s profile from your platform. Be
generous and enable them to exit gracefully with
what was left behind.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

41. “Give them more control of what happens to their stuff
after they go. Give them true 'ownership' of the media.
Which is what most people think they have...”
– ‘ J O S H ’ , I N T E RV I E W # 9
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

42. G E N E R O U S & G R A C I O U S E X I T S
Options for taking content with you are often limited to
non-existent in many products and services used to
create and share personal content. 3rd party services
have cropped up to fill this gap - but it is not ideal.
The last thing most people want to be dealing with
during a time of death is to be researching workarounds
for your product’s inability to meet their needs.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

43. People have honored your business with a
wealth of content and information about
their lives, helping make your business and
product successful.
Honor them back. Make it easy for them to
leave without sacrificing what they gave you.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
G E N E R O U S & G R A C I O U S E X I T S

44. 5
S PA C E F O R
B E I N G H U M A N
Unlike in the physical world, when someone passes
away in your digital network, there isn’t a way to
take down the noise and create a space for focused
reflection and respite. But maybe there should be?
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

45. S PA C E F O R B E I N G H U M A N
Shouldn’t we provide the same types of customary
courtesies that we would expect in real life during times
of mourning and grief?
Why should ‘UX politeness’ only apply to situations
deemed necessary to fulfill commercial objectives? If we
truly are creating ‘environments’ for human social
experiences - we need to broaden our boundaries of
what deserves empathetic consideration to be inclusive
of both business and human desires.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

46. “It is disconcerting to learn about the death of a
loved one between a cat video and a political rant…
Feed based communities don't allow the space for
announcements like this.”
– ‘ A N G E L A’ , I N T E RV I E W # 7
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

47. M A K E S PA C E F O R B E I N G H U M A N
Enable your experience to support human,
emotional needs - even it goes against what
drives the business.
Give people the ability to create ‘quiet’ periods
within the product’s environment for reflection,
connection and mourning.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

49. “It (facebook profile) equates to what was once a
trunk in the attic. They are memories that I've
created and collected.”
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
– ‘ T O M ’ , I N T E RV I E W # 2

50. “When my friend died, his facebook page became a
place where friends and family could post messages of
love and support… and grieve together. I found this to
be a beautiful and valuable thing.”
– ‘ K E V I N ’ , I N T E RV I E W # 1 6
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H

51. – A B B Y S M I T H R U M S E Y, “ W H E N W E A R E N O M O R E ”
“Memory is not about the past, it is about the future.”

52. T H A N K Y O U
I A S U M M I T 2 0 1 7
Create a better afterlife for our
digital treasures.
@ M L S S A M RT N # D E S I G N F O R D E AT H
I C O N O G R A P H Y B Y @ T O M I L A H D E S M A K I