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The death of a loved one comes with grief – and red tape. Houston-based company that streamlines the planning and decision-making process after death is making things even easier with a new smartphone app.

The Postage, a digital platform to aid in business planning, recently launched a mobile app to make the service more accessible after a particularly murderous year. The United States has recorded 3.2 million deaths – the highest number of deaths in its history, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After losing three family members in a row, Emily Cisek faced the difficulty of concluding the life of a loved one. She saw how planning for the afterlife had interrupted her family’s mourning and caused deep frustration. Soon she began to consider a solution to help people have a plan and go through the process of losing someone.

The Postage, which launched in September, provides a platform for people to plan their affairs and leave the wishes of loved ones behind. The website includes document storage and organization, password management, funeral planning and last wishes, as well as the ability to create after-death messages to share posthumously with loved ones.

“Right now, being ahead of this app, end-of-life planning is really tough. It’s that intimidating thing you have to sit down and do in front of your computer, ”says Cisek. Not only is it “intimidating”, it takes time. According to The Postage, families can expect to spend nearly 500 hours completing end-of-life details if no planning is done ahead of time.

With over 74% of The Postage’s web traffic coming from mobile users, an app was a natural progression. In fact, Contractor reports that the average person will spend nine years on their mobile device. Cisek wanted to meet users where they are with a user-friendly application that includes the same functionality as the desktop website.

“What we wanted to do [with the app] is so easy to plan for your life and the end of your life with one click – as easy as posting and commenting on social media, “says Cisek.” People are so used to thinking about these behaviors and clicking a button to add an image … we wanted it to be that easy, ”she continued.

Cisek and his team focused on providing a “seamless experience” within the app, which took around four months to build, reflecting the desktop platform.

Although The Postage’s website has mobile functionality, the app includes the ability to record and download content. Whether it’s taking a photo of their insurance policy or recording a video to share with loved ones, The Postage app allows users to capture photos and videos right in the app.

After taking a photo, “the next step is to share it with your loved ones,” says Cisek. Photos, family recipes, and videos can easily be and securely shared with loved ones who accept your invitation to The Postage so “that legacy continues,” she says.

Since the fall launch of The Postage, the company has developed a steady base of paid subscribers with the intention of growing.

“We are really starting to change the way people plan for the future,” says Cisek.