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GOALS
Create a product for children and families to better engage and empathize with individuals with disabilities.
Design Roadmap
EMPATHIZE
After conducting user interviews and observing children at Magical Bridge playground, we noticed a theme that emerged:
Despite having an excellently designed place to play at an inclusive playground, children of different abilities were not having positive interactions.
Magical Bridge Park in Palo Alto, CA
DEFINE
However, we also noticed that children with siblings often had an easier time socializing with children of different abilities. We wanted to create a product that could build empathy skills in young children by:
1) Showcasing unique differences in a positive way
2) Harnessing the power of a sibling relationship
IDEATE
After brainstorming on potential solutions, we also wanted to capture the powerful bond that children often make with stuffed animals as a "first friend."
Along with our other objectives, we also wanted to build a product that could:
3) Utilize the bond between young children and their stuffed animals
PROTOTYPE
We spent time as a team thinking about the features we might use to showcase different abilities, how each plush could exist in our ecosystem, and creating a potential user journey map.
We also considered the interplay between the digital and physical world, and how we might support real-world learning about different disabilities.
After creating wireframes for our digital platforms and imagining ways for children to make a real-life connection (storybook & character cards), we built a physical prototype complete with an "unboxing experience" so that children could fully interact with their plush.
TEST
Despite limitations with COVID-19, we were able to test with two eager children (age 7, age 2). We loved seeing their reactions while they brought their plush to life!
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