When I joined TributePath as Chief Product Officer, it was just an idea—a vision for a modern way to remember loved ones using digital memorial pages and QR codes on physical memorial markers.
In this post, I want to share how we took that idea from concept to our first live app launch. I’ll walk you through our goals, challenges, approach, and what I learned along the way.
Why TributePath?
Losing someone is one of the hardest things we go through. But the ways we memorialize them haven’t changed much for decades.
TributePath set out to modernize remembrance by letting families create online tribute pages filled with photos, videos, and memories that anyone can access by scanning a QR code on a headstone, bench, urn, or memorial plaque.
The concept was emotionally resonant, but turning it into a usable product required a lot of thoughtful design, technical planning, and user empathy.
Our Goals for the First Launch
As the first product leader for TributePath, I wanted to make sure we:
- Validated the real customer need and avoided building features people wouldn’t use.
- Delivered a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that solved the core problem.
- Made it intuitive and accessible for older, less tech-savvy users.
- Built a secure, scalable foundation for future growth.
- Enabled revenue generation from day one through sales of QR medallions.
The Challenges
Launching a memorial-focused product has unique challenges:
- Emotional Context: Our users are often grieving. We had to design with empathy and avoid anything that felt transactional or cold.
- Accessibility: Many users (or their family members) might not be tech-savvy. Simplicity was paramount.
- Physical-Digital Link: We had to connect physical QR medallions with digital tribute pages in a seamless way.
- Foundational Work: As an early-stage startup, there was no existing infrastructure. We were starting from scratch.
Step 1: Customer Discovery
Before writing a single requirement, I led our team through a customer discovery phase:
- Interviews with families: What did they want to share? What felt meaningful?
- Talks with funeral homes and hospices: How could this fit into their services?
- Competitive research: What was missing in existing memorial solutions?
We learned that families wanted something beautiful, personal, and easy to use, while funeral homes were interested in offering modern, differentiated services to their clients.
Step 2: Defining the MVP
Armed with those insights, I scoped the MVP to focus on what mattered most:
- Create a tribute page with photos, videos, and personal stories.
- Generate a unique QR code linking directly to that page.
- Enable easy purchase and activation of QR medallions.
- Make the tribute easily shareable on any device.
- Provide a simple, secure checkout experience.
This was about delivering just enough to solve the core problem, without getting lost in nice-to-have features.
Step 3: Designing the Experience
I worked closely with our designer to craft an accessible, intuitive experience:
- Onboarding and registration that didn’t overwhelm users.
- Tribute page editor with simple photo/video uploads and text editing.
- Clear QR code activation flow.
- Mobile-responsive design that worked beautifully on phones and tablets.
We prioritized clarity and empathy in every screen.
Step 4: Planning the Tech
I partnered with our engineering team to select a stack that was:
- Secure: Token-based authentication, HTTPS-only communication.
- Scalable: Firebase backend with storage for photos and videos.
- Future-ready: Designed to add partner dashboards, subscription plans, and admin tools later.
- Payment-ready: Integrated checkout to sell QR medallions from day one.
I ran regular backlog grooming and sprint planning sessions to keep us on track.
Step 5: Preparing for Launch
Product management doesn’t end at “feature complete.” I also worked on:
- Creating launch timelines with marketing and operations.
- Coordinating with suppliers for QR medallion production and fulfillment.
- Drafting clear activation instructions and support resources.
- Setting up basic analytics to track user activity post-launch.
We aimed for a seamless first experience—from ordering a QR medallion to scanning it at the memorial site.
The Result
We successfully launched TributePath’s first live app with:
- Tribute page creation tools anyone could use.
- QR code activation that linked physical memorials to digital pages.
- A purchase and checkout flow to generate revenue.
- Early partner interest from funeral homes and hospices.
- A solid foundation for future features like partner dashboards and subscription plans.
Impact
Our launch turned TributePath from an idea into a real, usable product:
- Families could honor loved ones in a richer, more accessible way.
- Funeral homes and hospices saw an opportunity to modernize their offerings.
- The company had a revenue-ready, scalable platform to grow.
What I Learned
Every product launch teaches you something. For me:
- Balance is key: Define a tight MVP scope to ship quickly, but plan for future growth.
- Empathy wins: Designing for grief requires listening carefully and testing sensitively.
- Cross-functional collaboration matters: From design to engineering to fulfillment, alignment is critical.
- Don’t forget operations: Physical product fulfillment (QR medallions) was as important as software quality.
Looking Ahead
Our first launch wasn’t the finish line—it was the foundation. It enabled us to start planning:
- Partner management tools.
- Subscription billing models.
- Advanced admin dashboards.
- Analytics and reporting.
- Content moderation and customer support tools.
Building TributePath was about honoring memories while pushing technology to make remembrance more personal, accessible, and lasting.