project overview
Once Upon Our Time Capsule
A usability testing study aimed to help the educational startup Once Upon Our Time Capsule benefit children's mental health. Children are encouraged to tell their own stories and learn from the stories of their peers, fostering an environment of connection, self worth, and empathy. The platform serves as a digital time capsule where children can document their experiences and memories.
duration⏳
ten weeks
deliverables
digital prototype
physical prototype
wireframes
user research
competitive analysis
personas
tools 🔧
figma
miro
zoom
canva
google docs
skills
wireframing
prototyping
user research
usability testing
The Team
Winnegold Gyimah-Boakye
Undergraduate Design Student DePaul University
Valeria Cossa
Undergraduate UX Design & Psychology Student DePaul University
Caitlin Brice
HCI Masters Student DePaul University
About Once Upon Our Time Capsule
Once Upon Our Time Capsule annually launches their new youth time capsule (digital platform for youth stories) to engage kids in reflection and dialog.
In school, after school programs, homeless shelters and more, children contribute artifacts into the digital platform capturing meaningful experiences, perspectives and exploring submissions from their peers.
The capsule then closes for ten years. With each new youth time capsule, OUOTC is working towards building the largest digital record of youth stories.
Analyzing the why
Once Upon Our Time Capsule recognizes that there is an alarming rate of children and teens who are struggling with mental health and constantly feeling down. OUOTC addresses this obstacle with their mission to bring more children together.
The startup uses evidence based methods such as peer engagement and story telling to foster belonging, self worth, and empathy for the benefit of children's mental health.
define
Challenge
How can we help OUOTC carry out their goal in classrooms where there are 20-30 students and one teacher?
Goal
Supporting Once Upon Our Time Capsule in their goal towards aiding children to see the value of their stories and the stories of others around them.
Mental well being - Our team wanted to make the experience of the interactive kiosk and app special to children so they can see the value of their personal story and life experiences.
Community - Our team desired to connect children to the stories of other peers around them.
Hopeful future - Our team wanted kids to feel hopeful, excited, and imagine themselves in the future.
research
Mental Mapping
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As we began our research, we found that the teacher and the students would be the two types of user personas who would most benefit from this design.
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Since teachers would be overseeing students in the classroom using the time capsule, they would be responsible for several functions of the process such as helping children complete their time capsule assignments, recording themselves speaking, and making sure that their work is turned in and saved.
Cons we came across:
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Limited amount of space for kiosks in classrooms
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Limited amount of time
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Restricted budget
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Possibility of larger class sizes ( 30 students for 1 teacher )
personas
Who we're designing for
competitive analysis
Learning how others do it
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To align ourselves with the goals of Once Upon Our Time Capsule and accommodate the needs of our users, we researched the solutions of other companies and competitors who facilitate an environment for children to connect.
Our Teams Proposal
🎯 goal: what can our team do to help teachers save time in the classroom while giving children a chance to share their individual stories in a safe, non judgmental space?
It is essential to help children develop independence and self reliance so our team focused on helping Once Upon Our Time Capsule create an intuitive and intelligent design solution.
The idea that our team proposes involves designing am engaging photo and video experience that will foster and enrich the story telling abilities of children in the classroom. With this design, children will feel encouraged and empowered to share their stories which aligns with the goals of Once Upon Our Time Capsule.
Our design consists of a user friendly app that allows individuals to record themselves on a tablet, along with a foldable photo booth / kiosk. The combination of the kiosk and the tablet enhances the recording process for students, providing an engaging experience of sharing about themselves and creating a memory.
The app and kiosk are designed for easy monitoring which allows teachers to help students when in need. The recording process becomes a positive and interactive part of the classroom environment for children to express themselves.
ideation
🧠 Brainstorming our Ideas
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Here are some of our initial ideas for different designs including both the digital interface and the physical kiosk. Our goal was to design something that would be interactive, interesting and fun for kids to utilize individually
Finalizing our Concept
User journeys from our concept
prototype
Our Physical Prototype: Photo Booth
Low Fidelity Digital Wireframe
User Testing
Usability testing with Children:
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This slide show displays our online interview process that our team had conducted with several children.
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It serves as the basis of our usability testing on the digital interface as well as the prototype kiosk.
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Children where asked what their actions would be on each screen and how they felt.
Our Insights
What I Learned 🌱
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Importance of user testing: Undergoing the process of user testing with children aged 9-12 put into perspective how important it is to test products with target users. Children being so accustomed to technology allowed them to be very capable of providing insights for us. This reiterates that users are at the center of design decisions.
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Remote work: Working remotely for this project has allowed me to strengthen my skills of collaborating and conducting user testing remotely, and connecting with my team mates remotely.
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Digital and industrial design: As we designed both a digital application and a physical kiosk, it made me more aware of how much digital and industrial design need to interact with one another for functionality and overall improving the user experience.
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Personal & professional growth: Working on the Once Upon Our Time Capsule project and presenting our work to our client has highlighted the importance of adaptability to new situations and attention to detail. It further reinforced my skills in user experience design, allowing me to look at future projects with more understanding and experience.