Kids First
Designing a mobile app for divorced parents to co-manage communication and children's tasks.
Role
UX/UI Design Intern
Industry
Family Tech
Duration
3 months
Brief
KidsFirst is a innovative service designed to facilitate effective collaboration between divorced or separated parents in co-parenting their children. Our platform enables seamless communication, focused on child-related issues, to ensure that both parents are on the same page.
Initial Problem Discovery
What problem am I trying to solve?
Divorce isn't the problem—Poor communication is.Whose problem i am solving?
The challenges of divorced families are a global issue.Why does this matter ?
I believe the user base is substantial. Family structure deeply influences children's growth, and supporting adolescents' healthy development is crucial.
74%
of divorced couples have communication issues
68%
68% of kids experience emotional pain after divorce
Research & Explanation
UX RESEARCH METHOD 01: SECONDARY RESEARCH AND INTERVIEWING
I hosted a UX Review Session where I thoroughly explored the current version of KidsFirst and evaluated the overall user experience from the user's perspective.
UX RESEARCH METHOD 02: PRIMARY RESEARCH
To validate my ideas, I conducted user testing with the company's creative team members (who share a similar background of divorce), and we gathered the following data :
40%
is the percentage of mistakes made by users while performing the main task
100%
of people cannot complete tasks without prompts
150%
of the expected time was taken by users to complete the main task
60%
of users are satisfied with the main functionality
UX RESEARCH METHOD 03: USER SURVEYS
With the question of "Why choose us" in mind, I conducted a user survey to understand the needs of divorced parents.
User needs and pain points
Understand users's needs in scheduling, communication, and collaboration, along with key challenges in similar apps.
User experience feedback
Collect user evaluations of the app's interface, interaction flow, and overall experience to identify areas for improvement
Feature prioritization
Gather user insights on KidsFirst's existing features to inform future development, prioritize enhancements.
Perceptions of competing products
Accumulate user opinions other apps and reasons for their choices to inform KidsFirst's unique design
I collected responses from 38 completed questionnaires through an online survey, and obtained the following data:
Emotional responses
72% of people exhibit emotional reactions during communication
Parenting stress
64% of people feel that their parenting responsibilities are overwhelming
Response pressure
67% of mistakes made by users while performing the main task
"I want to care for my kids, but I no longer want to interact with the other parent."
87% of the separated parents share the same sentiment.
PERSONA
By creating multiple personas, a more comprehensive understanding of the needs of independently raising parents can be achieved.
Lisa Thompson
"I hope we can communicate better for our child's stability."
Lisa Thompson, 35, is a marketing manager recently divorced, sharing custody of her 8-year-old daughter, Emma.
GOALS
Clearly communicate with ex-husband about daughter's needs and schedule
Effectively manage son's activities and responsibilities
Receive personalized reminders and updates
FRASTRATIONS
Lack of effective communication with her ex-husband on important decisions.
Difficulty coordinating Emma's schedule and activities
Anxiety about how to provide kid with a stable environment
Mark Johnson
“My kids come first, and I'll do whatever it takes to support them.”
Mark is an IT consultant who co-parents his two children, aged 10 and 12, with his ex-partner, focusing on stability and minimizing conflicts.
GOALS
Synchronize calendars to track children's activities and important dates
Communicate directly with ex-partner about children's needs within the app
Reduce conflict when communicating with partner
FRASTRATIONS
Struggles to keep track of his two children's different schedules and activities.
Experiences challenges in communication with his ex-partner.
Struggles to coordinate kids' activities with a busy schedule
User Research Summary
What did I take away from my research?
Communication is a key challenge for divorced families
Misleading language is a common communication barrier for divorced families, which can lead to further misunderstandings and distrust.
Co-parenting tasks often present challenges for divorced parents
Shared responsibilities, such as scheduling, financial contributions, and decision-making, often present challenges for divorced parents.
Flexible shared calendars are essential for divorced parents
Divorced parents desire the ability to flexibly share and coordinate schedules related to their children.
Design Solution
How might we facilitates timely communication and effective management of shared parenting tasks between both parties?
Problem/Opportunity Spaces
How am I going to address the problem spaces in my designs?
Problem space #1: The topic initiator takes a long time to start a topic.
I want to create an optional topic generation process to improve the efficiency of topic creation.
Requiring users to input too much information
More manual input increases error risk.
EXISTING TOPIC INITIATING PAGE
Lack of flexibility to skip irrelevant options
Consolidating all information onto a single page increases cognitive load for users.
Task Flow 1: Initiates a Topic
Wireframe : Initiate a topic
Usability Testing
BEFORE
AFTER
Feedback
The layout of the homepage made it unclear to users what the main functions of the app were. And when the upcoming event was empty, it would appear to have too much white space and invalid information when placed in the center page.
My revisions
Place core functions and commonly used functions in important areas of the homepage, but use different proportions to highlight the core functions.
Final design
Well-defined functional areas
The homepage is clearly structured with three main sections: "What to do," "Upcoming Events," and a bottom navigation bar, allowing users to easily locate the required functions.
Employing default values and autofill
By minimizing the information required from users upfront, the burden of form completion is reduced, thus encouraging topic initiation and communication.
Multi-step forms
Child-related information, including scheduling, location, and specific details, is presented in a step-by-step format to prevent information and reduce user stress.
Using AI for language polishing
This feature is particularly useful for divorced families, as it helps users express themselves more politely and accurately when dealing with potentially sensitive topics.
Problem space #2: Topic presentation hinders quick comprehension, causing approval delays.
I implemented a structured approach to information display and established a clear system for replies and feedback.
Task Flow 2: Respond to a topic
Wireframe : Respond to a topic
Usability Testing
BEFORE
AFTER
Feedback
The absence of a concise title and key information highlights places a higher cognitive burden on approvers, as they must read the entire message to understand the topic, ultimately reducing approval efficiency.
My revisions
I improved the presentation of the topic by adding a title, optimizing the content layout (highlighting key information), and adding "Approve/Reject" approval buttons, which enhanced the approval efficiency.
Final design
Concise & effective topic management
Tasks are organized by date and time for easy tracking and schedule management. "✔ Done" marks show task completion status, allowing users to monitor progress.
Agreement Options, Free to Choose
Following agreement, the initiator will offer a selection of times, locations, etc., enabling easy selection, faster decisions, and clear communication.
Quick Overview, Rapid Replies
Key information is highlighted with formatting, color, and labels (e.g., "High Priority"). "Agree/Disagree" buttons enable quick responses to health check-ups.
Instant Confirmation & Archiving
When the recipient confirms agreement, the sender is immediately notified, easing any concerns about the response, and the related topic is properly archived for future reference.
Problem space #3: There is a lack of a good tool to help both parties divide co-parenting responsibilities and reduce the burden of parenting.
I've created easy-to-use co-parenting task assignment cards for divorced families with several useful and customizable templates to make shared parenting easier.
Task Flow 3: Assign shared tasks related to the child
Wireframe : Assign shared tasks related to the child
Usability Testing
BEFORE
AFTER
Feedback
The page offers task categories but lacks specific task content. Crucially, there is no mechanism for assigning responsibilities between co-parents.
My revisions
Enable users to designate responsibility for each task to one of the parties and include a system for confirmation or acceptance.
Final design
Provide ready-to-use templates
Templates are designed to address common situations, like taking kids to the doctor, throwing birthday parties, planning holidays, and discussing educational plans.
Existing templates are editable
Users can choose a template and adapt it to their child's specific circumstances, including modifying pick-up/drop-off times and locations, and adding any special notes.
One-click task assignment
For co-parents, rapid task assignment and instant notifications streamline communication and facilitate quicker agreements on shared responsibilities.
Syncs with your calendar
By syncing task assignments with calendars, both parties can view health check-up details and times and set reminders, preventing missed appointments.
Style guide
Color palette
Typeface
UI components
Prototype
Reflections
This project highlighted the importance of addressing the specific needs of co-parenting families. By focusing on pain points like task management and communication, we aimed to create a valuable tool. The KidsFirst App development was a challenging yet fulfilling experience, and I hope it empowers co-parents to better manage shared responsibilities and create a more positive environment for their children.
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Copyright 2024 by Giselle Zhang