Encantos
Empowering parents to take control of the content their children consume.
Role
Product Designer
Other Team Members
Project Manager, Web Development Team, CEO
Methods
User Research, Academic Research, Competitive Analysis, Journey Mapping, User Interviews, Design Ideation, Wire-framing, Prototyping, User Testing
The Problem
Online content featuring themes unsuitable for children is a growing concern for parents who have a hard time sifting through the positive and negative effects that technology can have on their child's development. Even sites marketed towards younger audiences are often poorly regulated and offer little educational value. As society becomes more and more dependent on new tech, how can we ensure children benefit from its benefit while minimizing their risk?
The Challenge
Design a platform that will facilitate a community of parents/content creators to create curated online learning that's safe and beneficial for children's educational growth.
Discovery
Although research was not placed as a high priority by management, I used my time while off work as well as downtime during work hours to conduct research. I wanted to validate the designs I was building and provide a case for why I thought implementing certain features would be a good idea. I found a lot of great information that led to the team implement key features that would have been overlooked.
Academic Research
How the Parents Feel
In order to clear my mind of any assumptions as well as begin to pinpoint parents general feelings/frustrations with their kids use of technology, I researched studies between 2018 - 2022 that provided insight into the topic.
Key Findings
- More than 50% of parents of a child 11 or younger say they are at least somewhat concerned about their child ever being the target of online predators (63%), accessing sexually explicit content (60%) and accessing violent content online (59%).
- 80% of parents with a child 11 or younger say their child watches content on Youtube. 46% say their child has encountered inappropriate content for their age.
- 71% of parents believe the widespread use of smartphones by young children might potentially result in more harm than benefits.
- 31% of parents of a child under the age of 12 say they are very concerned their child might spend too much time in front of screens.
User Interviews
Parental Concerns
To build empathy as well as further understand parents feelings towards technology as it relates to their kids, I interviewed 4 parents within our target audience. These interviews provided some great insight and validated the qualitative research I had done beforehand.
Key Findings
- Parents worried about negative effects of technology on children but also see potential benefits.
- Parents valued time spent learning with others in a social environment over the use of technology.
- Credibility of instructors/reviews from other parents is important.
Competitive Analysis
A competitive analysis was used to learn about the current market of educational platforms for children. I looked into common complaints, disadvantages, and advantages of each network which allowed me to identify how we could elevate our product against the competition.
User Personas
With the project moving at a rapid pace, I needed a way to organize my research findings in a way that got to the heart of the problem parents are currently facing. Because of this, I created three user personas based on the information I gathered in user interviews and academic research.
Primary Pain Points
1
Parents Find It Difficult to Monitor the Content Their Children Consume
Due to the vast amount of content on children's platforms, parents are finding it harder and harder to monitor the content their children are viewing on a daily basis.
2
Declining Trust for Platforms Owned by Large Corporations
Many parents have grown weary of large companies, often run by ad revenue, controlling what their kids are seeing. Many feel like the line between educational content and content unsuitable for children is becoming more and more blurred.
3
Lack of Transparency
Parents are often unable to gain a clear understanding of how the current streaming era effects their children due to a lack of transparency from the current platforms available.
Design
The design phase taught me to adapt in an environment where I had to work quickly and iteratively to produce the results that were needed under tight time constraints.
Working Backwards
Due to the need for Hi-Fidelity designs with quick turnarounds, my first priority was to make sure the platform remained scalable.
During my downtime, I taught myself how to create a UI Kit and design system to make the process of designing and growing the application as smooth as possible under the time constraints. A library of components was created to keep the design consistent and manageable as more features were added.
Rapid Iteration
The ability to adapt to fast timelines was something I grew to enjoy the challenge of during this project. Quick iterations were a must to get the designs completed on time and allowed the team to move forward quickly without sacrificing quality.
Working With Multiple Platforms
On top of the fast turnarounds I was required to adapt to, the designs also had to be created for web, tablet, and mobile simultaneously. Each design was carefully planned to ensure it would remain clear and translatable on both mobile and web.
Primary Features and Hi-Fidelity Prototypes
The primary features of Smarter and how they allow for parents to take control over the content their children consume.
Creators
A directory of curated creators specializing in various topics is available to curious parents to learn more about the individuals behind the content their children consume. Each creator is vetted before joining the platform, creating an educational environment parents can trust.
Communities
Online communities allow parents and educators to connect with each other over the topics they're passionate about teaching their kids. This feature promotes transparency between creators and children while also allowing a space for parents to share recommendations and tips with one another.
Browse
Parents can browse content for their children in a variety of formats and categories to hone in on topics that their children might be struggling with. Each result can be added to playlists created by the parents to allow for control over the content their children consume.
Playlists
Playlists allow parents to sort creator content into various categories to allow for a diverse educational experience. Parents can also view playlists recommended by their favorite creators, shared by other individuals, or playlists trending on the platform.