Innovating Bereavement Services at NN Ventures

In 2023, I have worked as a Customer Researcher within the NN Ventures team, focusing on developing a new proposition around the theme of bereavement. This project involved working in a small team of three to create and validate a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) through extensive user research and iterative design processes.

Bereavement is a key focus area for NN Ventures' innovation department. Collaborating closely with the Venture Lead, I initiated and executed comprehensive customer research to identify problems and opportunities within the bereavement journey. This involved both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including planning, preparing, and conducting interviews with diverse users, businesses, and experts.

The primary goal was to shape and validate our Proof of Concept (PoC) through various ideation, prototyping, and validation sessions. We mapped out the customer journeys for both consumers and service providers, such as funeral directors, insurance companies, employers, notaries, and financial advisors. This ensured that our customer experience strategy remained central to our development efforts.

Concept Development: I played a pivotal role in developing the bereavement proposition by identifying relevant needs and behaviors within the customer journey. This involved mapping out the AS-IS journeys and defining the TO-BE journeys to highlight areas where we could add value.

Interaction Design and Prototyping: I contributed to creating solution directions, including testing and validating these solutions. This iterative process involved refining the value proposition for consumers, producers, and potential partners.

Stakeholder Engagement: I coordinated with team members and stakeholders to align on the research plan and ensure that insights were effectively communicated and acted upon. This included delivering a clear overview of the most critical findings and recommendations from qualitative interviews.

The project resulted in several key deliverables:

Customer Journey Mapping: Detailed maps of the bereavement journey, highlighting the main friction points and opportunities for improvement.

Insight Reports: Comprehensive reports summarizing the key insights from qualitative interviews, providing a refined value proposition for various stakeholders.

Risk Assessment: An overview of the most critical assumptions and potential risks associated with the proposition.

Prototyping and Validation: Developed and tested prototypes to validate the MVP, ensuring that the solutions met user needs and expectations.

By leveraging various tools and analyses, I gathered and interpreted data to better understand user behaviors and preferences. This project underscored the importance of involving users throughout the development process to create solutions that are both effective and empathetic.

In conclusion, my work at NN Ventures has been instrumental in shaping a user-centered bereavement proposition, ensuring that the solutions we develop are grounded in real user needs and validated through rigorous research and testing.