brandendesign

How I conducted design research methodology to explore an unprecedented user segment and launch an enduring product.

Headspace for Kids
Designing a mindfulness experience for children presented some exciting new challenges that involved research into methodologies for engaging different age groups. What are the inherent similarities between playing and learning? How do you communicate rich ideas with limited verbal expressions?

Role
Acting as design lead for this exploratory initiative, I worked closely with a lead product manager in conducting a design sprint and rapidly iterating on concepts using surveys and live user interviews that I performed with the help of another designer.

Context
Headspace was founded with the mission to improve the health and happiness of the world through mindfulness and meditation practice. We sought to extend this mission to an often overlooked part of society that is vulnerable to anxiety and stress – children.

Opportunity
“There is no better time to learn mindfulness than when we are young.” – Andy Puddicombe, Headspace Co-founder. Diagnoses for either anxiety or depression among children aged 6-17 years increased from 5.4% in 2003 to 8.4% in 2012. Given that only 10% of Headspace subscribers were under 25 years of age, we were tasked with conceiving and testing kids content in the app.

Project Characteristics
• Create and validate all-new concepts of content delivery for segmented age groups under 18.
• Provide a mindfulness experience that seamlessly integrated content and product functionality within the distinctive Headspace brand.
• Above all, create a product that delivered mindfulness content in an accessible, respectful and ethically appropriate manner to children and their parents.

Research

Adjacent User Types
Children would require access to the product through adults (family & friends, teachers, mental health professionals), so referencing Headspace user research that I previously developed would indicate likely sources of early adoption, particularly with existing users.

See Headspace Ecosystem for details.

School Pilot Tests
Through our charitable giving team, we had already tested mindfulness content in several schools which provided overwhelmingly positive feedback and support from parents, teachers and kids.

shaping

Multi-disciplinary Design Sprint
For our intensive 1-week sprint the objective was to identify and build a prototype to test the viability of a mindfulness product experience for children. As the lead designer, I worked with key stakeholders across the organization and subject matter experts to gather thoughts and insights.

Design Process

After the design sprint, it was decided that the initial release would be a validation test bed for content subject and product usage. Kids content would be accessed through a limited-release version of the Headspace app (instead of a resource-intensive standalone app) and thus would need to be integrated with the existing library of content in a logical, easy to access section.

Information Architecture
Adapting the app for Kids content, I created a series of options for integrating the new content.
The resulting IA integration proposed a section of the app tailored to the. unique kids content characteristics (age divisions, themes and session lengths).

User Flows Overview
I developed an overview of how the Kids content would be surfaced in the existing app, including the first-time visit experience. This document also served as a map for creating new content with key stakeholders throughout the organization.

Launch & follow-up research

Headspace for Kids
The beta version of Headspace for Kids was launched as a limited release section in the existing app to Headspace subscribers who had expressed interest in content specifically for children.

Post-Launch Interview Sessions
Working with our UX design researcher, we conducted live interviews (in person and over video calls) with several parents and their children after a few weeks of using the kids content. Initial feedback was overwhelmingly positive from both parents and children. The comprehensive report included: parent/child interactions; goals and expectations; the children’s experience with sessions.

Learnings and Next Steps

Discovering the Value of Design Sprints
This initiative was the first hands-on experience that I had with conducting a design sprint and learning the value of cross-departmental collaboration for a new sector that nobody in the industry had explored up until that point. Key stakeholders throughout the organization participated in idea discovery, problem identification and creative solutions during our one-week sprint, resulting in a first prototype to test and iterate on.

Foundations for a Lasting Legacy
Though I left the organization shortly after the initial public launch of Headspace for Kids,
it continued to evolve as an integral component to the Headspace ecosystem.

Reflecting On a Magical Moment In My Career
The interactions I had with families who participated in user research exemplified why I enjoy being a designer. Interviewing kids was unexpectedly fun and entertaining and in most cases, children haven’t acquired the societal filters that constrain many adults’ comments when asked for opinions; it was made quite clear when they didn’t like something, often in endearingly straightforward exchanges. As a result, I found it personally freeing to step back and consider what boundaries we place on ourselves as designers and builders. What assumptions do we project after years of designing digital products? How can we have fun (and entertain other key stakeholders) in approaching any design challenge?