ai content strategy + content design + copy
ObituaryAssist.
Crafting a heartfelt obituary can overwhelm people already struggling with loss, limited writing skills, or financial constraints.
What if there was a free service that could provide premium obituaries to everyone?
ai content strategy + content design + copy
ObituaryAssist.
Crafting a heartfelt obituary can overwhelm people already struggling with loss, limited writing skills, or financial constraints.
What if there was a free service that could provide premium obituaries to everyone?
client:
solo project
work:
AI integration
copywriting
branding
web design
mission:
build a free, intuitive platform designed to craft premium, PERSONALIZED OBITUARIES for families in need
ObituaryAssist is a free, compassionate platform that transforms the often daunting task of obituary writing into a guided, meaningful experience.
Our intuitive process empowers everyone – regardless of writing ability or financial means – to create a heartfelt obituary that truly captures the unique personality of their loved one.
the status quo: impersonal by design
Today, most funeral homes offer generic obituary forms with a sterile, impersonal interface. These forms typically feature a series of blank text boxes topped with uninspiring titles like “Profession,” “Hobbies,” and “Death Place.”
And frankly, that’s if they offer anything at all.
Grieving loved ones find little or no opportunity to explore the unique personality or life experiences of their loved ones, so families are often left with a clinical, detached tribute that does little to honor their memory.
re-tooling the obituary form
ObituaryAssist reimagines the obituary questionnaire with a comprehensive, empathetic approach.
Carefully crafted questions encourage users to reflect upon the defining moments, endearing habits, and core values of their loved ones—unique characteristics that truly capture the spirit of an individual.
From exploring perfect days to recounting love stories, we even highlight often-overlooked relationships like deep, lifelong friendships, painting a more robust picture of a life well-lived.
Users remain in control, answering only what feels right, while open-ended questions and additional content boxes invite the sharing of extended stories and special memories.
Finally, the bland, impersonal obituary form has been replaced with a serene, nature-inspired journey of remembrance, using soothing colors and visuals to establish a comforting space for honoring their loved one.
wrapping the product
ObituaryAssist prioritized an intuitive, elegant UX design to mirror the supportive environment and empathetic approach of our questionnaire.
With a focus on accessibility and clear communication, ObituaryAssist features clean lines, soothing visuals, and effortless navigation.
Concise copy guides users through each step, while a “How It Works” section demystifies the process. The “Start an Obituary” CTA seamlessly transitions users to a second page offering precise form instructions and eight essential tips to craft the best possible obituary.
ObituaryAssist delivers a supportive, user-focused experience designed to transform a traditionally somber task into a profound opportunity to reflect on the unique life and legacy of a loved one.
ai integration and content strategy
Integrating AI into ObituaryAssist presented the project’s most significant challenge, requiring a steep learning curve in both programming and prompt engineering.
Built on a WordPress platform, ObituaryAssist required custom PHP software to connect the user-facing form with Anthropic’s API. Over two months, I immersed myself in software development, meticulously crafting the back-end code to process form submissions and generate personalized obituaries.
The content strategy demanded equal attention. AI, while powerful, lacks innate understanding of complex human relationships and the nuanced connections between life events. Extensive prompt engineering was necessary to guide the AI in crafting sensitive, accurate obituaries without making unfounded assumptions.
Initially, the AI tended to incorrectly link unrelated events or draw false conclusions about relationships. This required careful refinement of the form and instructions to ensure the AI treated each piece of information discretely, avoiding unwarranted connections between life events or family members.
This process involved:
- Establishing rules to capture nuanced information.
- Embedding invisible instructions for the AI into submitted data.
- Iterative testing to ensure the AI avoided assumptions about relationships or life events.
The result is a finely-tuned system where Anthropic’s Claude (Sonnet 3.5) handles obituary generation, while development utilized both Claude (Opus) and Google’s Gemini 1.5 for broader assistance.
View the ObituaryAssist website: