Nurture
New, single parents might not have the support system to raise a baby on their own. Nurture provides a trustworthy helping hand to guide the parent to prioritise the wellbeing and care of their baby while maintaining an energy efficient lifestyle.
1/2 group, 1/2 solo
Group Work
The research process
Key assumptions
Wealth is proportional to how much you care about reducing energy costs
Males and females have different perceptions of temperature (women tend to feel colder)
Impact of energy usage is incomprehensible with current smart meters
Younger generations are more connected with climate change and the environment
Saving the environment is less of a concern than saving money for most people
Age affects the level of energy consumption
Empathy mapping
We analysed documentaries spotlighting various groups of people interacting with energy within their households.
By empathy mapping the videos we came by a key question:
Are the sacrifices required to keep an energy-efficient lifestyle actually worth it?
Hunt statement
The empathy map led us to question exactly how these sacrifices might increase with the arrival of a new-born in the household and created our initial hunt statement:
How would new born babies possibly affect the routine within a home and energy consumption?
Through further secondary research, the insights on harmony and discord within new parental routines evolved our final hunt statement into:
We are going to research how to reduce uncertainty in raising a newborn baby for a first time single parent with a lack of a support system.
Research + statistics
79%
of 18-24 yr old parents wory about cutting costs on essentials to pay for energy.
64%
of new parents use more energy in the first 2 months of their new-born's arrival.
66%
of electricity consumption was a contributing factor to a 33% increase in energy costs with a new-born.
Experience mapping
Following the development of the hunts statements, we watched multiple YouTube videos to determine the daily routines of new single parents.
Our key insight from experience mapping is that the single parent often second-guessed themselves and were lacking in confidence regarding the care for their newborn.
Most points on the experience map were from a shared POV, and weren't exclusive to the mother or father.
We concluded our app should not be gender exclusive.
Mapping showed us where the app could offer developmental guidance whilst also reducing energy.
Solo work
Persona
Amber Cho
27 year-old secretary
Single mother of Henry
She is constantly second-guessing herself when it comes to the well-being of her baby, and is feeling the financial pressure of supporting a child on her own. She has financial goals, such as saving enough money for a larger apartment, but is struggling to meet them without compromising Henry’s comfort.
Bodystorming
Body storming was used to define and evaluate the core user journey as whole, rather than delving into the details of the app.. The goal was to identify pain points and then use this evaluation to create solutions that would provide specific functions and task goals to provide the best experience for the user.
Key insights
Parents, especially with a fussy baby, find it hard to input data into the app consistently.
Parents often become frustrated after trying various solutions before seeking help.
Videos are easier to follow than pictures but should support slow playback, rewinding, and pausing.
The app must provide distinct notification noises/ vibrations, as the environment will be full of sounds.
Sitemap + wireframing
Through iteration and additional body storming using Marvel to bring the prototypes to life, these wireframes offer a streamlined user experience. Users can easily access features through a bottom toolbar. Instead of separate screens, there's now a scrollable checklist that can be read aloud or quickly checked. Additionally, a new screen provides energy-saving tips and compares them to alternative methods for tasks.
Final concept
Professional advice for parents feeling lost in child upbringing.
Log the baby's routine for bi-weekly midwife visits to monitor child's wellbeing.
Set tangible goals for budgeting baby expenses through energy-efficient methods.
Prioritizes the baby's wellbeing, fostering parent confidence and independence in child-rearing.