FirstSteps App Process Book by Emily Sappington

Mobile Application for parents of an infant or toddler Basic Interaction Design Fall 2011 | Emily Sappington, James Laslavic, Somya Jampala

User-group brainstorm

Eating schedule

Baby food products Weight/ fitness Allergies

Nutrition

Lack of sleep

Infections

Management of time We brainstormed on the different issues related to parents of infants and toddlers.

Social networking

Balanced diet

Mothers

Medical concerns

Vaccinations Baby care/ cleanliness Emergency care

Parents of infants/ toddlers

Hearing, eye, speech problems

Fun

Socialize (other kids)

Behavior diagnosis

Physical development

Materials

Media/ Entertainment

Active-ness

Mental development

Learning

Toys/ play objects

Baby language

Discipline

Baby yoga

Interaction with pets

How do I monitor allergies? How can I share my childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience with my spouse?

How do I know that my child has eye, speech problems?

Where can I get a baby-sitter?

How should I take care of my child in different temperatures?

Where are other parents?

Do I need to contact the doctor?

Where can I do with other parents while the kids play?

We brainstormed on the different problem statements for the parents of infants/ toddlers.

Where can I meet other parents?

When should my child be vaccinated?

Parents/ Mother

Medical concerns

Is it clean?

Problem statements for parents of infants/ toddlers What should I start with?

Getting enough nutrients? Is my child eating enough? What are the healthier options? What should I not feed? How often should I feed? What can I cook rather than buy? Why is my child so picky, what should I do?

Nutrition

Behavior development

Is my child hitting right milestones? What activities can I do with my child? What can I brag about? How will my child develop a sleep schedule? What are the signs of autism? What is an appropriate disciplinary response? How do I make my child shut?

Relatives

Grandparents

Hospitals

Parents

Pediatricians

American Academy of Pediatrics

Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Organizations

Autism Speaks

The potential stake-holders for this mobile application would range from parents to doctors and day-care centres to children organizations.

Stake-holders

Teachers

Zero to Three Policy Center

Day-care centres

Child Development Association

Baby-sitters

Pre-schools

Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Product Companies

Toy Companies

Gerber

Research synthesis

User interviews We interviewed 6 sets of parents to get their insights.

How much help did you get from family in taking care of the baby? What do you do when you have questions and concerns? Why? How often do you ask questions? Do you often question ‘what is the right way to do it’? How often do you call you pediatrician/ask them questions? Do you consult alternative medicine sources? Do you do anything to monitor your child’s cognitive development? When do you find that you wonder about your child’s development? Do you talk/ brag/ share about your child’s development? How do you record your child’s development? 6 interviewees aged 34 – 42 years Having baby aged between 6 – 16 months First-time parents Mothers – working part-time and non-working Living in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Pennsylvania

How do you manage time with child and other activities? What activities do you do with your child when you have free time? Do you base your interactions with your child on their development? Do you discuss when you see a different behavior in your child? Whom do you discuss it with?

Research & Persona synthesis

Persona 1: Jane, 36 years old

Jane and her daughter Chelsea on a Summer vacation

New-born baby girl Chelsea First-time parent Not working, used to be a real estate agent Lives in Chicago Parents visit often Attends library group meetings Read books on parenting while pregnant

End goals Wants to do the right activities with Chelsea at the right age Wants to document all the moments of Chelseaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s milestones Life style goals Wants to be well aware generally and as a mother Likes to document to keep memories

Persona 2: Christina, 38 years old 7 month-old baby boy William First-time parent Working part-time doing freelance work Lives in New York Christina and her son William walking on a sunny Spring day

Is determined to be a “cool mom” Views blogs on parenting between work calls Baby-sits her sister’s 12 month-old daughter Sarah

End goals Wants to plan activities to play with William Wants to follow development milestones of Sarah Life style goals Wants to be well-organized Want to manage her time well for William and her work

Transitions Buttons in grey or white become blue when hit or active

“Add Photo” being pressed, turns blue to confirm hit

Active State - in “Play Now” mode

Transitioning the scroll-slider to different ages, sliding left to right

Opening the FirstSteps App first time user

Add your baby’s profile

Browse activities (default to baby’s age)

returning user

List of baby profiles (home screen)

Play Now

(first new activity of baby’s age)

scroll to specific age

view recordings

gallery email

play and record

Select Activity

play add to favorites

delete

More favorites past activities

Color choices allow for easy recognition of different button hit areas

Inspiration was drawn from websites and brands that are familiar to our user. The color schemes are obviously targeted towards mothers, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have an overly feminine aesthetic as shades of pink might.

Menu Item & Main Accent Color

Background Color & main icons

Highlight & Accent Color for Pressed Buttons (Android standard)

Text Color

Presentation