Introduction
When I first joined this project, I was working remotely with a design agency in Singapore while based in Malaysia. The client, Nirvana Memorial Group, is one of the largest providers of one-stop funeral and memorial services in Asia. I had never stepped into their offices or met their agents in person. Instead, I connected with them through video calls and virtual meetings.
From the beginning, it was clear this was not just another digital transformation project. It was about designing for a deeply sensitive and emotional moment in people’s lives, which is managing the passing of loved ones with compassion and efficiency. The project consisted of three interconnected platforms forming the Nirvana Digital Ecosystem:
Customer App: easily manage and track installments for all purchased products and services.
Agent App: supports on-ground operations and client management.
Nirvana OS: a secure internal system for staff to monitor transactions and manage data.
Client
Nirvana Memorial Group
Timeline
April 2024 - January 2025
Role
Product Designer
Problem
During my discovery calls with Nirvana’s staff and agents, I was struck by how compassionate and professional they were in guiding families through a deeply sensitive process. Yet behind that efficiency, the tools they relied on were fragmented and manual. Scattered forms, WhatsApp messages and siloed databases that required constant coordination.
For customers, this meant the journey wasn’t always straightforward. Whether planning ahead or arranging services after a loss, finding information and making confident bookings was often difficult. Agents, though diligent, had to juggle multiple disconnected tools that slowed response time and added stress during peak moments. Internal staff, meanwhile, struggled with limited visibility and poor coordination across departments.
The legacy systems for agents, customers and internal staff were fragmented, inconsistent and inefficient. My goal was to help unify the experience and improve usability across all touchpoints, while ensuring internal operations through Nirvana OS remained secure, coordinated and transparent.
Goal
Our goal was simple in words but complex in execution:
Make bereavement arrangements less overwhelming for customers.
Empower agents with digital tools so they could focus on compassion, not paperwork.
Streamline operations to reduce duplication and errors.
In short, design an ecosystem that was empathetic, supportive and practical. Streamline funeral planning with a customer-friendly app.
Our Users
Through conversations, I mapped out three key user groups, each group carried different emotional and operational needs but all were deeply interconnected in the ecosystem.
Customers
Individuals and families approached Nirvana either to plan funeral arrangements in advance, through full or installment payments to ease future burdens, or to make immediate arrangements during bereavement. In both situations, they sought clarity, guidance and reassurance.
Agents
Trusted guides in the process, supporting families with sensitivity while managing inquiries and purchases. Though highly efficient, their work was often slowed by manual and fragmented systems. They needed tools that streamlined their workflows so they could focus on care.
Nirvana's Internal Staff
Staff overseeing records, compliance and internal coordination. They needed visibility and accuracy across touch points to manage the business effectively.
Process
As I could not conduct in-person research, I relied on video calls for online interviews. This meant I had to listen very closely, not just to what was said, but to tone, pauses and the emotions beneath words.
Research
One of the most eye-opening moments during our remote calls was realizing how differently customers approached Nirvana’s services. Many were not only grieving families seeking immediate arrangements, but also individuals purchasing niches and packages years in advance. This mix of urgency and long-term planning shaped our design decisions: flows needed to feel reassuring and clear in the moment of loss, but also practical and transparent for customers making proactive, financial decisions.
Stakeholder interviews with Nirvana teams to understand the business perspective.
Video calls with staff and agents to hear their frustrations and pain points.
Mapping the information architecture based on agent and staff stories and existing documents.
Synthesis
I organized insights into themes: emotional burden, duplication of tasks, lack of transparency and information scattered across platforms.
Agent Mobile App Information Architecture (Customer Section)
This diagram shows a focused portion of the Agent App’s IA, illustrating how I structured the “Customers” section for clarity and quick access. The full IA covers additional modules such as Appointments, Onboarding, Files and Service Requests, which follow similar hierarchical logic. Certain parts have been omitted to maintain confidentiality.
Agent Mobile App Wireframes: Translating Information Architecture into User Flows
This set of wireframes illustrates how the Agent App’s information architecture was brought to life through key user journeys. It shows the flow from the homepage to customer management (Homepage → My Customers → Customer Profile) and the document handling process (Homepage → Files → Niche File Details → Niche Installment → Full Repayment Schedule). Each screen was designed to streamline navigation and reduce cognitive load for agents managing multiple clients.
Ideation
Balancing compassion with clarity was one of our biggest challenges. For example, during early prototypes, we tested copy that was extremely direct about pricing and procedures. While transparent, it felt too cold for grieving families. On the other hand, softer, more empathetic wording risked leaving details unclear. Through multiple iterations, we found a middle ground: language that was respectful and sensitive, yet still clear enough for customers to make informed choices.
- We brainstormed features that could directly address these themes.
I sketched early flows for both customer and agent apps.
Testing & Iteration
Remote usability tests gave us small but powerful insights.
One test revealed that customers were confused by overly technical terminology, so we adjusted the language to be warmer and more human.
Impact
Early feedback from agents suggested they could onboard customers faster and with fewer repeated steps. Administrators appreciated having a centralized view of records instead of juggling multiple tools. Although quantitative data is still being collected, qualitative insights pointed to smoother workflows and higher confidence among both customers and staff.
One agent shared this during a follow-up call:
While still in pilot phase, the project created immediate benefits:
Agents could manage bookings and payments more efficiently.
Families had a clearer, guided process during a difficult time.
The business gained a centralized, digital ecosystem instead of fragmented processes.
Even more importantly, the tools allowed agents to spend less time on paperwork and more time supporting families emotionally.
Final Designs
The ecosystem included three main products:
Customer App: guiding families through services, payments and updates.
Agent App: streamlining workflows, reducing duplication and giving agents more confidence.
Admin Portal: providing oversight, record management and operational clarity.
The designs balanced professionalism with empathy: clean interfaces, simple flows and a tone of voice that felt respectful and supportive.