Research Analysis
- 1. Pallavi M |Diploma Project Review Panel Meeting 3 18th August 2009
- 2. Basic Process What the concept has to offer Workshops Ideation Interviews Insights and Prototyping User testing Final Product Observation Opportunities Experiment- Making ing Market and User trends & needs
- 3. What the concepthas to offer What it aims to be What it aims to change Imagine Follow Creative Scientific/ logical Physical Virtual Natural Synthetic Constructive Destructive Soft Hard Group Individual Collaborative Competitive Sharing Accumulating Open/Wide Close/Narrow Abstract Defined
- 4. USER MAPPING Focus: Primaryuser group: Upper middle class, working parents | Secondary user group: Middle /Upper middle class, one stay at home parent RICH MAIS SONALI GEETHA SUBRAMANYAM JETIN CHANDRA HARINI KAVITA GEORGIE GAZALLA PATEL SONIA JOSEPH SISHU GRIHA SCHOOL DHEERAJ ANU NIRALE DAYCARE CENTRE TEJSI LITTLE ANGEL’S PLAYHOME KIDZEE DAYCARE CENTRE STAY AT HOME WORKING Economic status Level of awareness and involvement POOR
- 5. USER MAPPING Conscientious Mothers RICH Working Parents This category of people have consciously Category of people where the family is Economic status chosen to stay at home to bring up the child. usually a nuclear family and both parents They believe that the onus of the raising work. They usually live in apartment spaces their child lies predominantly with them. and depend on external support to occupy They dedicate their time and give up their and care for the child. careers to give their children time and Parents look for security, quality education attention. with holistic learning and try to give their Cultural values, education systems, social children whatever they want or need. dynamics and play spaces are always looked at and are never compromised on STAY AT HOME WORKING Level of awareness and involvement POOR
- 6. Characteristics and commonpatterns Focus: Primary user group: Upper middle class, working parents | Secondary user group: Middle /Upper middle class, one stay at home parent Family: Nuclear family, with very few relatives in the city, Education: No particular views on education, schools are chosen occassional visits to their native- usually a small town where time either out of force or because of distance: travel time is cut down as is spent with cousins and relatives, regular holidays of which quite much as possible, the parents look for a stree free schooling and all a few are abroad. round development. Work: Average time at work is from 9 in the morning to 6 to 7 in Toys: A lot of emphasis on books and reading, so money is spent all the evening. The child is usually left at a daycare centre or in the around the year for it, toys are bought sometimes from all around care of a full time employed nanny. The parents get about one hour the world, when the parents feel there arent enough of it, or when in the morning and 2 hours in the evening with the children during they find something interesting. Cost is not really looked at, a the week and the weekends as well. The time is usually spent mall minimum of 400 to 500 Rs is spent, and a maximum of 2000 Rs. hopping or at the cinemas. Sometimes, the parents are forced to carry work back home. Views on Childhood: Overexposure - too much information fed: TV and Internet, commercialized education: focus more on finishing Spaces: Usually live in apartments because of security and the curriculum rather than understanding concept, unhealthy food playspace facilities and opportunity for the child to make friends. habits, restricted environments, health and security: low immunity However, the playspaces are seldom used and friends are very few. of children, too much protection.
- 7. INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES INSIGHT OPPORTUNITY Dheeraj believes value of education today is null. Information is How do we create toys that are tiered into the educational system we dropped onto children. Concept is not taught. have and help teach concepts to children. Importance on foundation. Dheeraj buys toys when he feels that the children need something to How do we create toys that creates a sense of flow and bring in a engage themselves or when they see something interesting. longer attention span to kids? Jatin places more emphasis on reading, and a lot of time and money is Can a book ever take the place of a toy? How can we create toys that spent on books rather than toys and activities. Parents feel that toys provide room for imagination, storytelling, value and learning in a are easily destructable as compared to books, and that they provide constructive and tangible manner? more value to the child. Jatin feels that group interaction and social skills are important for the How can we create opportunities to enrich group interaction among child to learn and believes that conventional schooling provides this . children and teach the value of collaboration and sharing? Dheeraj feels that today’s children have a low immunity as compared How can we create toys that mediates and introduces to children to their generation when they grew up in tune with nature. This has nature and its systems of survival and adaptation? to influenced his choice of schools: he insisted on having his child study in a regular school without luxurious amenities like AC buses or sophisticated eateries etc. Children are more comfortable with and attracted to household objects How can we use everyday objects as tools to create interactive and fun and technological gadgets as toys toys? Children live in a protected environment and would not be let to play How can we create toys or play spaces that establish a sense of outside (if not for a gated community) even though the parents feels security, but also allow for freedom and expression? they need physical play.
- 8. INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES INSIGHT OPPORTUNITY Children are exposed to perversion through media How do we create toys that influence kids thinking abilities and imagination more than popularity and cult following through media? Kavita has a full time nanny to look after him. The nanny takes care of How can we alter the role of a nanny to make a child’s play the child’s food habits as well as play activities. As a result of this, the patterns and learning methods richer and to also bring about child has problems with things like language, friends, detachment etc. positive growth and development? Toys are often bought from abroad when parents travel to different How can we bring about glocalization in a toy? How can this countries. They are well exposed to global as well as local trends in toys phenomenon teach the importance of a local culture with a global and storybooks. outlook? Kavita feels that mental and physical stimulation is required for children How can we create toys that allow for tactile, interactive, and while playing. Hence she prefers say a transformer toy as compared to mentally stimulating play? any board games as it allows for a lot of construction and interaction. Kavitha is worried that she will not be able to help her child with school How can we teach children the importance of inter-dependance work when he grows older. She also wishes for him to learn to do things and independence of a system? by himself and become an independent individual. With a constant race against time, Parents are looking for definitive How can we bring about customized learning? results within a short span and hence, finishing has become more important than understanding. Georgie spends limited time with his kids in the evenings and gets only How do we create toys that cuts across age boundries and allows about 2 hours with his child. for parents and kids to share a memorable play experience?
- 9. INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES INSIGHT OPPORTUNITY Kirti and Khyati have different tastes in toys and books and this is Can we create play modes where children and their originality/ respected by their parents tastes are shared and their are differences encouraged? Harini feels that toys that last long and occupy less space are How can one create play that is memorable, durable and imparts important. They also need to teach the right values to children. value education in a subtle, non-imposing manner? Kids sometimes insist on getting toys that their friends have. How can we create play that aids sharing and teaches the importance of individuality and variety? Geetha Subramanyam is insistant that son spends time with family, the With today’s ‘nuclear family’ mantra, how can we make quality grandparents and cousins time with family a memorable and valuable experience? Aditya is petrified of insects. He hasnt had any encounters with natural How can we introduce to children the importance of natural environments like the insect kingdom and is too scared to experience it. environments and replace their fears towards it with curiosity? Aditya has a plastic animal toy collection which he likes very much. He How can we introduce and popularize natural material among doesnt feel that his toy’s plastic harms the environment like the other children? plastics. He feels it is cooler than paper toys. But he does understand that they can break very easily. There is a definite difference in the knowledge sources and systems How do we introduce alternative/different knowledge sources and between urban and rural environments. systems that bring in variety and stimulation to children. Technology has a dominating role in an urban space. Hence knowledge resources are more textual and virtual. This is a one way interaction. Where as people, for eg. a grandmother in a storytelling activity becomes a knowledge resource that is an oral two way interaction.
- 10. INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES INSIGHT OPPORTUNITY A constant effort to keep up with time and make the most of it, have How can we create opportunities for children to slow pace, resulted in children being” over occupied” with summer camps, bring in longer attention spans and value simpler activities in classes, books and technology. a daily routine? Today, the focus on play is more materialistic rather than attaching How can we create toys that deliver a memorable experience and a simple emotions to the activity and being more of an experience. heritage rather than an object?