Afterglow
Your Story. Your Legacy.
PROCESS HIGHLIGHTS
Design challenge and responsibilities overview
Challenge
Timeline
Disciplines
Responsibilities
Tools
Team
Opportunity
Class Prompt: Design a service around the concept of Digital Afterlife.
Designing to transform a person’s digital footprint into meaningful artifacts that preserve their story and legacy.
January - March 2025
User Experience Design
UX Research
Figma
7 UX/UI
Designers
Miro
Survey Monkey
Premiere Pro
Design Thinking
Wireframing
Prototyping
User Interface Design
More Case Studies
Forbes Magazine
UX/UI & Product Design
A Redesign for Forbes Magazine’s Mobile App
Mosaic
UX/UI & Product Design
Movie Planning Web Tool for Beginner Filmmakers
BACKGROUND
What is Digital Afterlife?
Initially, the team leaned into speculative, dystopian ideas about the digital afterlife, but the critique urged us to ground our concept in reality. A key takeaway was "your project should provoke thought, not solve a problem."
This led me to explore how cultures honor the deceased, revealing a universal truth: memories are cherished, not forgotten. This inspired us to create a project that sparks dialogue about remembrance and legacy, thoughtfully blending the digital and physical.
The Process
Research
Synthesis
Ideation
Final Designs
Reflection
1
2
3
4
5
Initial Research
Persona
Developing a Solution
Final Artifact
Our Exhibit
Conclusion
Posters
Speculative Design
Audience Research
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Initial Research
Speculative Design
Audience Research
To begin with I started to look into how different cultures around the world perceive the notion of death, this was also helped as our team was of diverse cultures, which helped in exploring from various different viewpoints.
Remembering an individual in a positive light
In most cultures, when someone passes, they are remembered by loved ones through rituals, funerals, or festivities like Mexico’s Day of the Dead. I wanted our project to reflect this fondness and positivity, leading us to ask “how can we achieve that?”
Making their memories physical
We wanted our design to transform memories into a physical, tangible object that benefits the user in a meaningful way, rather than simply serving as a token of remembrance. While we considered digital artifacts, we ultimately decided this approach didn’t align with how we wanted to handle user data. This decision guided us toward our final solution.
The design decision led to, Afterglow, transforms a person’s digital footprint into meaningful artifacts that preserve their story and legacy. By curating their data intentionally, users ensure each artifact reflects their unique life, relationships, and creativity.
Afterglow gives users control over what is preserved and who receives it, with privacy ensured through secure data deletion. Through personalized mementos, creative representations, or multimedia experiences, these artifacts provide lasting connections and inspire future generations.
I wanted to tackle some challenges which people might not be comfortable in talking about: Why do we avoid confronting our own mortality? How can we normalize talking about end-of-life planning? Do we worry about being forgotten or misunderstood?
The target audience includes any individual who values leaving a meaningful legacy by preserving their creativity, memories, and whatever they choose from their digital footprint (photos, creative projects, etc.) for their loved ones.
However, this service appeals more to those with significant digital footprints, such as creators, artists, content consumers, and tech-savvy individuals who are conscious of their online data and want to curate it thoughtfully.
Distinct Audience Groups:
Proactive Planners: Individuals like artists or creators with a clear vision for their legacy, actively choosing what data to preserve.
Guided Seekers: Those uncertain about their digital legacy, needing guidance and options to create meaningful artifacts.
SYNTHESIS
User Persona
I developed a user persona to represent our ideal user. This can be anyone who is looking to turn their digital footprint into something meaningful that they and their loved ones can look at, or this can be anyone who isn’t happy with their footprint and want to get rid off it. Creating this persona helped me to better understand how a digital footprint could be transformed into a tangible physical item.
IDEATION
IDEATION
FINAL DESIGN
FINAL DESIGN
Developing a Solution
Posters
Final Artifact
Our Exhibit
As a team, we created a task of designing personalized artifacts for other team members based on details we all shared on Discord.
Each member worked to create a meaningful artifact that reflected the data and passions of their assigned person. This collaborative process resulted in unique ideas tailored to individual legacies.
To make it easier for the users to understand what the service is about we decided to create posters which will guide the users along the process and help them understand what Afterglow is all about.
For the design of our posters and overall visual style, we wanted to replicate older Apple advertisements, as they gave a lot of visual hierarchy to the device, and that is something we also wanted to utilize.
The big debate for our group during the final iterations of the posters was if we wanted to feature a computer or just our artifact. We decided on featuring the computer as we didn’t want people to think that we only made one style of artifact.
This was the final artifact that we created to show for the exhibit, along with poster designs to accompany it. We decided to create Analog Multimedia Swatches, This artifact reflects our mission to remove digital footprints by offering a tangible, analog solution. It preserves the user’s creative journey in physical form, ensuring his story is meaningful and enduring.
For our exhibition, we wanted the viewers to connect with the artifact by sharing their legacy they would like to leave behind.
REFLECTION
Conclusion
This project was a great learning experience, balancing creativity with time constraints. While we had to make tough decisions on what to focus on, I’m happy with what we achieved. I would have liked more time to explore different artifact styles and how other people might engage with the concept of a digital afterlife. But overall, despite some challenges I’m proud of the team’s effort in tackling such a thought-provoking topic.
Afterglow
Your Story. Your Legacy.
PROCESS HIGHLIGHTS
Design challenge and responsibilities overview
Challenge
Timeline
Disciplines
Responsibilities
Tools
Team
Opportunity
Class Prompt: Design a service around the concept of Digital Afterlife.
Designing to transform a person’s digital footprint into meaningful artifacts that preserve their story and legacy.
January - March 2025
User Experience Design
UX Research
Figma
7 UX/UI
Designers
Miro
Survey Monkey
Premiere Pro
Design Thinking
Wireframing
Prototyping
User Interface Design
More Case Studies
Forbes Magazine
UX/UI & Product Design
A Redesign for Forbes Magazine’s Mobile App
Mosaic
UX/UI & Product Design
Movie Planning Web Tool for Beginner Filmmakers
BACKGROUND
What is Digital Afterlife?
Initially, the team leaned into speculative, dystopian ideas about the digital afterlife, but the critique urged us to ground our concept in reality. A key takeaway was "your project should provoke thought, not solve a problem."
This led me to explore how cultures honor the deceased, revealing a universal truth: memories are cherished, not forgotten. This inspired us to create a project that sparks dialogue about remembrance and legacy, thoughtfully blending the digital and physical.
The Process
Research
Synthesis
Ideation
Final Designs
Reflection
1
2
3
4
5
Initial Research
Persona
Developing a Solution
Final Artifact
Our Exhibit
Conclusion
Posters
Speculative Design
Audience Research
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Initial Research
Speculative Design
Audience Research
To begin with I started to look into how different cultures around the world perceive the notion of death, this was also helped as our team was of diverse cultures, which helped in exploring from various different viewpoints.
Remembering an individual in a positive light
In most cultures, when someone passes, they are remembered by loved ones through rituals, funerals, or festivities like Mexico’s Day of the Dead. I wanted our project to reflect this fondness and positivity, leading us to ask “how can we achieve that?”
Making their memories physical
We wanted our design to transform memories into a physical, tangible object that benefits the user in a meaningful way, rather than simply serving as a token of remembrance. While we considered digital artifacts, we ultimately decided this approach didn’t align with how we wanted to handle user data. This decision guided us toward our final solution.
The design decision led to, Afterglow, transforms a person’s digital footprint into meaningful artifacts that preserve their story and legacy. By curating their data intentionally, users ensure each artifact reflects their unique life, relationships, and creativity.
Afterglow gives users control over what is preserved and who receives it, with privacy ensured through secure data deletion. Through personalized mementos, creative representations, or multimedia experiences, these artifacts provide lasting connections and inspire future generations.
I wanted to tackle some challenges which people might not be comfortable in talking about: Why do we avoid confronting our own mortality? How can we normalize talking about end-of-life planning? Do we worry about being forgotten or misunderstood?
The target audience includes any individual who values leaving a meaningful legacy by preserving their creativity, memories, and whatever they choose from their digital footprint (photos, creative projects, etc.) for their loved ones.
However, this service appeals more to those with significant digital footprints, such as creators, artists, content consumers, and tech-savvy individuals who are conscious of their online data and want to curate it thoughtfully.
Distinct Audience Groups:
Proactive Planners: Individuals like artists or creators with a clear vision for their legacy, actively choosing what data to preserve.
Guided Seekers: Those uncertain about their digital legacy, needing guidance and options to create meaningful artifacts.
SYNTHESIS
User Persona
I developed a user persona to represent our ideal user. This can be anyone who is looking to turn their digital footprint into something meaningful that they and their loved ones can look at, or this can be anyone who isn’t happy with their footprint and want to get rid off it. Creating this persona helped me to better understand how a digital footprint could be transformed into a tangible physical item.
IDEATION
IDEATION
FINAL DESIGN
FINAL DESIGN
Developing a Solution
Posters
Final Artifact
Our Exhibit
As a team, we created a task of designing personalized artifacts for other team members based on details we all shared on Discord.
Each member worked to create a meaningful artifact that reflected the data and passions of their assigned person. This collaborative process resulted in unique ideas tailored to individual legacies.
To make it easier for the users to understand what the service is about we decided to create posters which will guide the users along the process and help them understand what Afterglow is all about.
For the design of our posters and overall visual style, we wanted to replicate older Apple advertisements, as they gave a lot of visual hierarchy to the device, and that is something we also wanted to utilize.
The big debate for our group during the final iterations of the posters was if we wanted to feature a computer or just our artifact. We decided on featuring the computer as we didn’t want people to think that we only made one style of artifact.
This was the final artifact that we created to show for the exhibit, along with poster designs to accompany it. We decided to create Analog Multimedia Swatches, This artifact reflects our mission to remove digital footprints by offering a tangible, analog solution. It preserves the user’s creative journey in physical form, ensuring his story is meaningful and enduring.
For our exhibition, we wanted the viewers to connect with the artifact by sharing their legacy they would like to leave behind.
REFLECTION
Conclusion
This project was a great learning experience, balancing creativity with time constraints. While we had to make tough decisions on what to focus on, I’m happy with what we achieved. I would have liked more time to explore different artifact styles and how other people might engage with the concept of a digital afterlife. But overall, despite some challenges I’m proud of the team’s effort in tackling such a thought-provoking topic.
Afterglow
Your Story. Your Legacy.
PROCESS HIGHLIGHTS
Design challenge and responsibilities overview
Challenge
Timeline
Disciplines
Responsibilities
Tools
Team
Opportunity
Class Prompt: Design a service around the concept of Digital Afterlife.
Designing to transform a person’s digital footprint into meaningful artifacts that preserve their story and legacy.
January - March 2025
User Experience Design
UX Research
Figma
7 UX/UI
Designers
Miro
Survey Monkey
Premiere Pro
Design Thinking
Wireframing
Prototyping
User Interface Design
More Case Studies
Forbes Magazine
Mosaic
UX/UI & Product Design
UX/UI & Product Design
A Redesign for Forbes Magazine’s Mobile App
Movie Planning Web Tool for Beginner Filmmakers
BACKGROUND
What is Digital Afterlife?
Initially, the team leaned into speculative, dystopian ideas about the digital afterlife, but the critique urged us to ground our concept in reality. A key takeaway was "your project should provoke thought, not solve a problem."
This led me to explore how cultures honor the deceased, revealing a universal truth: memories are cherished, not forgotten. This inspired us to create a project that sparks dialogue about remembrance and legacy, thoughtfully blending the digital and physical.
The Process
Research
Synthesis
Ideation
Final Designs
Reflection
1
2
3
4
5
Initial Research
Persona
Developing a Solution
Final Artifact
Our Exhibit
Conclusion
Posters
Speculative Design
Audience Research
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Initial Research
Speculative Design
Audience Research
To begin with I started to look into how different cultures around the world perceive the notion of death, this was also helped as our team was of diverse cultures, which helped in exploring from various different viewpoints.
Remembering an individual in a positive light
In most cultures, when someone passes, they are remembered by loved ones through rituals, funerals, or festivities like Mexico’s Day of the Dead. I wanted our project to reflect this fondness and positivity, leading us to ask “how can we achieve that?”
Making their memories physical
We wanted our design to transform memories into a physical, tangible object that benefits the user in a meaningful way, rather than simply serving as a token of remembrance. While we considered digital artifacts, we ultimately decided this approach didn’t align with how we wanted to handle user data. This decision guided us toward our final solution.
The design decision led to, Afterglow, transforms a person’s digital footprint into meaningful artifacts that preserve their story and legacy. By curating their data intentionally, users ensure each artifact reflects their unique life, relationships, and creativity.
Afterglow gives users control over what is preserved and who receives it, with privacy ensured through secure data deletion. Through personalized mementos, creative representations, or multimedia experiences, these artifacts provide lasting connections and inspire future generations.
I wanted to tackle some challenges which people might not be comfortable in talking about: Why do we avoid confronting our own mortality? How can we normalize talking about end-of-life planning? Do we worry about being forgotten or misunderstood?
The target audience includes any individual who values leaving a meaningful legacy by preserving their creativity, memories, and whatever they choose from their digital footprint (photos, creative projects, etc.) for their loved ones.
However, this service appeals more to those with significant digital footprints, such as creators, artists, content consumers, and tech-savvy individuals who are conscious of their online data and want to curate it thoughtfully.
Distinct Audience Groups:
Proactive Planners: Individuals like artists or creators with a clear vision for their legacy, actively choosing what data to preserve.
Guided Seekers: Those uncertain about their digital legacy, needing guidance and options to create meaningful artifacts.
SYNTHESIS
User Persona
I developed a user persona to represent our ideal user. This can be anyone who is looking to turn their digital footprint into something meaningful that they and their loved ones can look at, or this can be anyone who isn’t happy with their footprint and want to get rid off it. Creating this persona helped me to better understand how a digital footprint could be transformed into a tangible physical item.
IDEATION
IDEATION
FINAL DESIGN
FINAL DESIGN
Developing a Solution
Posters
Final Artifact
Our Exhibit
As a team, we created a task of designing personalized artifacts for other team members based on details we all shared on Discord.
Each member worked to create a meaningful artifact that reflected the data and passions of their assigned person. This collaborative process resulted in unique ideas tailored to individual legacies.
To make it easier for the users to understand what the service is about we decided to create posters which will guide the users along the process and help them understand what Afterglow is all about.
For the design of our posters and overall visual style, we wanted to replicate older Apple advertisements, as they gave a lot of visual hierarchy to the device, and that is something we also wanted to utilize.
The big debate for our group during the final iterations of the posters was if we wanted to feature a computer or just our artifact. We decided on featuring the computer as we didn’t want people to think that we only made one style of artifact.
This was the final artifact that we created to show for the exhibit, along with poster designs to accompany it. We decided to create Analog Multimedia Swatches, This artifact reflects our mission to remove digital footprints by offering a tangible, analog solution. It preserves the user’s creative journey in physical form, ensuring his story is meaningful and enduring.
For our exhibition, we wanted the viewers to connect with the artifact by sharing their legacy they would like to leave behind.
REFLECTION
Conclusion
This project was a great learning experience, balancing creativity with time constraints. While we had to make tough decisions on what to focus on, I’m happy with what we achieved. I would have liked more time to explore different artifact styles and how other people might engage with the concept of a digital afterlife. But overall, despite some challenges I’m proud of the team’s effort in tackling such a thought-provoking topic.
