Tots O’ Fun
Designing an app to help parents search, plan and share adventures for toddlers in their cities.
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Time
6 weeks
Project Type
Career Initiative
scope
end-to-end app
My role
Research, branding, Ux
Overview
As a new mom in an unfamiliar city, I faced challenges in finding accurate information about suitable local activities for my toddler. My typical approach involved searching Google or relying on Instagram for insights from kid-friendly accounts. I often struggled to find specific posts and didn’t know if a should trust the information that was posted. I envisioned a platform that consolidates all kids' activities in one place. The idea received a warm reception from parents, specially from parents of infants and toddlers who faced unique challenges in finding suitable activities.
1research
Research goal
How can parents plan and stay informed of activities happening in their cities?
Research objectives
- Understand parental difficulties in activity planning.
- Explore their expectations when searching for activities.
- Measure the potential benefits of a streamlined search process.
- Explore parental criteria for evaluating event suitability.
- Identify key features in activity planning apps.
Methods
- Surveys to gather quantitative data on parents' preferences and challenges.
- Competitive analysis to identify successful features in other platforms.
- Interviews for qualitative insights and detailed parent feedback.
Research goal
How can parents plan and stay informed of activities happening in their cities?
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competitive analysis (Direct, Perceptual & experiential competitors)
Competitors
Perceptual & experiential competitors
experiential
competitors
The process of searching and planning activities for children can prove to be time-consuming and inefficient. The lack of a centralized and easily accessible source of information for children's events is a notable challenge. Existing channels for event promotion and information dissemination may not effectively reach a wide audience, which can be particularly frustrating for new parents seeking information about available options.
surveys & interviews
The esearch process started by distributing a survey mothers with children of varying ages, all residing in the United States. The goal was to identify if they encountered the same challenges and to explore potential solutions or platforms they might be aware of.
survey insights
participants
8
gender
women
Age range
30-40
Social media
active
Reside
United states
85%
90%
70%
87%
100%
90%
Interview insights
Research Results
Through the five interviews conducted, significant challenges emerged in parents' experiences: information sources were limited, weather disruptions affected outdoor plans while indoor alternatives were scarce, staying updated about family-friendly events was difficult, and they often relied solely on word-of-mouth recommendations to decide on activities. Parents expressed a strong need for a user-friendly platform to enhance activity planning.
They unanimously preferred a wide array of choices, with a special focus on free community events and reasonably priced options. Flexible cancellation policies were also important to them. A noteworthy finding was their emphasis on finding activities that brought enjoyment and relaxation to both parents and children, aiming to build a sense of community and connection with other parents. Another interesting discovery was that parents found it more challenging to locate and organize activities for toddlers compared to older children (above 4 years old).
Target Audience
Parents with infants and toddlers actively seek opportunities to engage with their young children and build community. They are interested in user-friendly solutions for planning family-friendly activities, including easy search, sharing, reliable reviews, and budget-friendly options.
2Defining
Defining the problem stemmed from identifying the most significant pain points:
Challenges in finding and arranging family-friendly activities.
Struggles to find quality information about activities.
Struggles in building community and socializing, especially while tending to toddlers.
How can we make it easier for parents of toddlers to discover enriching experiences that match their children's needs and interests while fostering a sense of community?
The solution involves developing an app tailored for toddlers, addressing the challenge of finding suitable activities for this age group. The app offers a user-friendly interface with a wide range of filters, allowing users to refine their search based on criteria such as age group, allergies, price range, indoor or outdoor settings, nearby locations, specific dates, times, and user reviews
Additionally, it has a feature to facilitate the creation of playdates, inviting friends to participate, and the option to hire instructors to ensure parents can relax while fostering a sense of community.
prioritization
A prioritization exercise was conducted to identify key features that should be assigned higher priority. By integrating these recommended features, the platform not only addresses user pain points but also elevates the overall experience for parents, making it easier for them to search, book, and foster a sense of community.
P0: Must-have
P1: Nice to have
Feature Name
description
Research supporting it
Account creation
exploration
Wishlist
Profile
Categories
Events
Playdate
Deals & discounts
Site Map
After choosing the features, the structure of the platform was designed to visualize content and assess its hierarchy. 'Deals and discounts' were placed under categories, as it's essential for parents, even though the platform can function without it initially. This provides an overview of the platform's organization before the card sorting exercise.
User & task flows
After completing the card sorting exercise, the next step was to create the task flows and user flows. Taking inspiration from Airbnb's excellent user experience, characterized by its simplicity. Three task flows were carefully designed: the first streamlines the signup process, including the option to enable event notifications. My research indicated that parents preferred to receive event notifications rather than actively checking the platform every weekend.
Next, the 'browse and book event' flow was created as it's the app's core function. Additionally, a playdate organization flow was introduced to address the needs of parents looking for relaxation and community building, with the added convenience of hiring experienced instructors. After analyzing these task flows, two key user flows became priority: 'browsing and booking an event' and 'creating a playdate.
Flows created
- Sign Up
- Browse/Book Event
- Create Playdate
3Design
identity
When brainstorming the brand, the process started by figuring out the core values that truly represented:
These values guided in brainstorming various names to select the most suitable option:
It had just the right meaning:
'enjoyment, bonding, connection, discovery, playfulness, and credibility.'
“Tots O’ Fun”
'Tots'
Little toddlers
'O'
Connecting and community
'Fun'
Playfulness and enjoyment,
After selecting the name, the process involved sketching some logos:
Which led to three design proposals:
After several iterations, simplicity was chosen, and symbols were utilized for decorative purposes.
Design System
The brand's core values were translated into the color palette. Following the principles of color psychology, colors were chosen that strike a playful chord while remaining appealing to adults, serving as a constant reminder that our values are in sync with theirs as well.
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Low- Mid fidelity wireframes
The process continued by designing mobile wireframes for the two main tasks: 'Exploring/Booking events' and 'Creating a playdate.' It was observed that the category 'bookings' caused some confusion among users based on the results of the card sorting exercise.
To address this, the category 'Bookings' was renamed to 'Events' after drawing inspiration from other apps. Additionally, the 'Deals and Discounts' category was restructured, moving it from the activities section to the filter options.
1
Wireframe of the flow: searching for and booking and event.
2
Wireframe of the flow: Creating a playdate
Mid-High fidelity wireframes
After designing the low-fidelity wireframes, the brand's identity was integrated into the mid-fidelity screens. By maintaining consistency between the brand's identity and the functionality , I aimed to deliver a visually unified and user-friendly platform.
After designing the low-fidelity wireframes, the brand's identity was integrated into the mid-fidelity screens. Ensuring consistency between the brand's identity and functionality to deliver a visually unified and user-friendly platform. Moments of uncertainty during the design process led to the decision to seek feedback upon completing the mid-fidelity wireframes before proceeding to the high-fidelity screens.
mid fidelity screens for exploring and booking an event
Do the top icons compete with the icons in the bottom menu?
Are the tabs highlighting the key sections effectively for user navigation?
Do users have to go through too many steps when they're searching for something?
Would it be appropriate to include accessibility options within the filters?
mid fidelity screens for creating a playdate
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Would it make sense to include a screen for past playdates at the start of the playdate section?
Does it make sense to offer the choice to create a playdate with or without an instructor right from the beginning?
Perhaps there's a friendlier approach to inputting playdate details to align with an instructor.
Are these thumbnails to big?
High fidelity wireframes
Guidance was sought and valuable insights were gathered from the mentor and peers, resulting in substantial platform enhancements before proceeding to prototyping and user testing.
High fidelity wireframes for exploring and booking an event
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The top icons were switched to a pill-shaped menu. Try scrolling horizontally to explore the category options.
To streamline location and date-based searches, I simplified the process into two steps.
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I moved the accessibility option from “filters” to “profile” since it's part of the users personal settings within the app.
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(Scroll vertically to view complete screen)
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(Scroll vertically to view complete screen)
High fidelity wireframes for creating a playdate
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Based on the feedback, it seemed better to simply create the playdate and then decide whether to bring in an instructor.
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Taking inspiration from the iPhone's calendar, this solution was a more user-friendly way to input the playdate's date and time. (Scroll vertically for a full-screen view)
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I resized the thumbnails to be more compact. (Scroll vertically to see the full screen)
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(Scroll vertically to view complete screen)
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To ensure that the user's schedule aligns with the instructor, I added a confirmation step before proceeding to the next screen
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It was important to incorporate a confirmation message of the number of children attending before users send invitations and make payments.
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Scroll vertically to view complete screen
User Testing
participants
4
gender
Women
Parental Role
Mom
Age range
30-40
platform
ZOOM
Once the high fidelity wireframes had been completed, the next step was to create a prototype for testing. To do this, a usability test plan was developed which involved several key steps. First, participants were recruited to take part in the testing process. Next, the specific flows to be tested were identified and selected. Based on this feedback, adjustments were made to the prototype to improve its usability and overall effectiveness.
task flows to test
- Explore and book events in their city
- Create new playdate with hiring an instructor
goal
- Evaluate if the app is easy to use.
- Identify features or functions that can be improved.
- Identify how long it takes to complete the main task.
- Determine whether the apps meets user needs.
test Results
In general participants had a great experience using the app and appreciated its user-friendly design and eye-catching color scheme. They also found the user journey to be quite smooth. Taking their feedback into account, several improvements were made:
exploring and booking an event
All participants took around 4 minutes to complete the task, and they unanimously found the platform to be trustworthy in its appearance. They expressed enthusiasm about using it because of the comprehensive information it offers. Here are some of the suggested changes:
Before
After
- 1.
- Some participant felt confused with the statement “any plan” so to add clarity I revised the language in the search bar to help users clearly understand its intended purpose.
Before
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After
- 2.
- To ensure design consistency, I adjusted the price range filter to match the style of the other filters.
- 3.
- Participants mentioned that they preferred not to filter by one-star reviews, so I found it more effective to offer sorting options, such as 'low to high' or 'high to low'
Before
After
- 4.
- To build confidence, a section for user-generated images into the review section was incorporated as requested by users. This offers users a more authentic and informative view of events, fostering greater trust and transparency.
Creating a playdate with instructor
All participants expressed their pleasant surprise at the platform's originality, unanimously finding it highly useful, user-friendly, and easy to navigate. While they appreciated the core functionality, some minor feature suggestions emerged during the feedback session. These included the ability to tip the instructor and accommodating last-minute child invitations,.
Before
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After
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- 5.
- With regards to inviting additional children at the last minute, it occurred to me that instructors might have class size limits. Therefore, this information was added for clarity.
Before
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After
- 6.
- A message that provides clarification on how to handle last-minute invitations was included.
Final Outcome
Search and book event
Creating a playdate
Future research
The success of the platform will be measured by the impact it has on users over an extended period of time. Specifically, future research will focus on several key areas to assess and enhance the platform's effectiveness: user engagement and retention, user satisfaction and feedback, conversion rates, community growth, performance and marketing. By conducting research in these areas, I plan to ensure the platform's success and its continued ability to meet the evolving needs of parents seeking engaging and convenient experiences for their children in their cities.
