SuperHeroParents

UX/UI CASE STUDY
MOBILE APPLICATION DESIGN

Enter the world of a Super Hero Parent

Having a baby is one of life’s biggest events and parenthood comes with many challenges and joys. All new parents have to start learning on the job. But learning and getting these information is too time-consuming as it spans across websites, articles and videos. Besides, with algorithms pushing relevant or recommended content, it’s easy to get distracted while searching for child related content.

Needfinding and Ideation

The project started with the Glance theme and I wanted to observe how new parents navigated around being a new parent, what they do in a day/week and how do they or the caregiver take care of the toddler/child.

While interviewing mothers and babysitters, I found that in the early stages of parenthood, parents are always looking for reliable content, be it recipe inspirations, books & toys recommendations or searching for advice on common childhood illnesses and treatments. Information/advice are usually casually exchanged offline (while accompanying kids to indoor playgrounds) or viewed through KOLs’ blogs/video channels, with video contents becoming the information source for users.

Finding needs & design opportunities

With a plethora of apps that could cater to each need, mapping the existing user experiences to identify pain points and exact areas for opportunity development became critical.

Storyboard

Initial Paper Prototypes — Rapidly design, simulate and test concepts and ideas

Idea Prioritisation

Based on discovery research findings, I came up with three hypotheses to ensure product adoption. These covered: inspiration for kids meals, reliable platform to purchase preloved toys and toy consignment services.

The features were listed and based on users’ feedback and product adoption feasibility, some features like the health encyclopedia was left out.

Prototyping

Focusing on these features, I created a story that could be split into a few major user scenarios: connecting with other superhero parents, find recipe ideas and purchasing ingredients online, buying safe and clean preloved toys, selling or donating old toys. The below listed previews show major steps taken in the prototyping effort to bring these scenarios to life:

Visual Mockups & Low-Fi Prototype

Hi-Fidelity Prototype

Validation

I used usertesting.com to record real-time user interactions to review and compare test sessions, using defined storyline to guide users through the prototype. In real world scenario, these could be anecdotal evidence and input which could be used for potential business case development.

Feedback was mostly positive with most users loving the toy consignment services as well as the in-app groceries delivery feature. We also obtained useful suggestions on optimising the app, including creative ways to disguise vegetables for kids and a stronger community presence that could be extended offline. These useful suggestions have been noted and could be implemented in future, something that would require a strong business case to develop.

Outcome

Based on the findings from both UX research and user test sessions, a list of changes that were addressed and updated in the prototype.

Current established apps lack the ability to manage parents time effectively. SuperHeroParents app is a unique opportunity to deliver value to both parents and any kid-oriented business.