Table of Content
- In a Nutshell
- Idea Overview
- Where’s The Need?
- The User Maps
- Solving Assumptions
- Partnerships
- Acting on Feedback
In a Nutshell
We are proposing a collective exercise and conversation around the end of life, which culminates into the creation of a universally accepted symbol of death, which will acknowledge multicultural and diverse aspects regarding the end of life experience
This symbol then becomes a rally point for a slew of discussions and changes at various levels. The symbol will be a spark for political debates, a safe space for patients, a tool for simplifying for doctors, imagery to associate with for local establishments and taboo breaker for others.
Idea Overview
It takes three phases to complete our idea.
The first phase is iterating and prototyping the workshop structure and deliverables.
Second is, executing the collective workshop.

The third phase is execution of the framework our workshop provides, at different levels.

Where’s The Need?
Currently, death is something society finds hard to admit. Death is handled privately, in isolation. And the first step in understanding and supporting a cause is acknowledging it; think the recycling symbol, pink ribbon etc.
If someone around us is nearing the final stage, there is no way for society to communicate or get support. Symbols for breast cancer awareness, AIDS, Autism etc make the discussion around these problems possible. An icon for death gives society the chance to show support and empathy towards people close to passing; as opposed to being pitiful and avoiding the uncomfortable discussion.


The User Maps
Typically, an execution has one user map since it’s targeted to one user. But the success of our idea relies on affecting multiple lives at various levels. To illustrate the ideal scenario, we’ve mapped each user with a story.
A Patient’s User Map




A Doctor’s User Map



A Relative’s User Map



An Influencer’s User Map


Solving Assumptions
The symbol forms specific solutions which solve problem assumptions. Same has been illustrated in the media gallery.
Scope For Partnerships
There will be two tiers of partnerships. One for creating the discussion and symbol & the other, for the deployment of the solutions.
Partnerships for the workshop:
- Medical Institutions
- World Medical Association
- World Health Professions Alliance
- Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance
- National Library of Medicine (NLM)
- Cultural Institutes
- European Union National Institutes for Culture
- Goethe-Institutes
- Professional Associations
- Association of Information Technology Professionals
- Institute of Food Technologists
- International Association of Facilitators
- Project Management Institute
- Religious Institutes
- Missionaries of Charity
- Association for Jewish Studies
- Art of Living Association
- Buddhist Association of China
Partnerships for deploying solutions:
- Pearson PLC
- Presbyterian Hospital
- UnitedHealth Group
- Walgreens Boots Alliance
- Families USA
- American Academy of Nursing
- International Baccalaureate
- International Education Foundation
Acting on Feedback
At this stage, we interviewed close friends and relatives about the soundness of our idea, along with the feedback from the IDEO community.
- Workshop isn’t just for creating the symbol
The feedback suggested the workshop phase be for discussing broader topics about the end of life. Since we are taking the effort of bringing people together, let’s bring ideas together and document the process.
- Suggest the applications of the symbol
A valuable feedback was suggesting the ways in which the symbol can take form. We identified core pillars which formed the 3rd and crucial phase of our idea.
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