New app sparks family conversations

A new estate management app which removes the stress from organising and cataloguing household possessions is designed to function as a conversation starter among family members.

Lisa Dooling has spent the last nine months developing the Sought app which helps people to sort and organise their possessions using a simple and intuitive cataloguing system which can be operated using any smartphone or tablet.

For Lisa organising and creating systems comes naturally. She had built databases and processes for companies that are still in use over a decade later. Lisa has tended to work for new companies and created or updated their processes so that business can grow with strong administrative structures.

Having personally moved 14 times in 15 years with six of those moves being international, Lisa has become an expert in creating systems which provide a seamless process when organising household contents.

“I first had the idea for my business when I was living in Hong Kong. A friend’s mother passed away, and she went back to the UK twice – once for the funeral and then a longer stay to pack up the house. She told me how stressful it was and that’s when the seed was planted for Sought.

“Once people have downloaded the Sought app from Google Play or the Apple store, they photograph their possessions and then save the images in the appropriate section of their estate management report which can be printed out and saved as a document which sits alongside their will with their lawyer.

“You can do this on a room-by-room basis so that all the kitchen items are saved in one place and then from there you can designate where each item goes. For example, you can allocate items to particular people, for donation, or storage.”

Lisa hopes the app will ease the burden faced by families when loved ones pass away and they are left with the difficult task of organising their household possessions during a very emotional time.

During the process of developing her app and estate management business Lisa has talked to many people about their own family situations, and this has made her realise that it isn’t so much about systems and processes but about the emotions that people go through when a loved one passes away and there is no clear plan for sorting out their possessions.

“It can be an agonising process which can take a long time when you are not sure of where your loved one wanted each item to go, especially at a time of high emotional upheaval. Divisions between family members can also complicate matters further.

“The idea behind the Sought app is to make organising and cataloguing your possessions a stress-free process which you can move through at your own pace. It also provides peace of mind when you know that your special items are going to the person or place that you have chosen in advance.”

Simple to use

Okuku lifestyle block owner Jo Buckner has been testing out the app ahead of its launch and says she has found it simple to use and likes the concept of using it as a conversation starter among family members.

“It’s quick and easy to install the app and simple to use. I can go through all my items at my own pace and can set up my estate early. It also provides good motivation for going through all the boxes I have stored.

“The other point that appeals to me is that you don’t need the latest phone to use the app. I was able to use my pretty basic phone to do everything.”

Lisa says the app’s security features also provide users with confidence as only one person can make the decisions regarding the items contained in the estate management report and all photographs are stored securely in the cloud.

“People can share the report with loved ones but only the owner of the app can make any changes to the allocation and distribution of their personal possessions.”

Photo: Sought owner Lisa Dooling (left) discusses her new estate management app with app tester Jo Buckner of Okuku.