Project Overview
Happy Horizons is a childcare scheduling website dedicated to single mothers and families who need in-home childcare, counseling, tutoring, nanny, and sitter services. Happy Horizons aims to make locating and scheduling in-home childcare services an informative and trusted process.
The Problem
Family dynamics and needs differ across families and households. In-home childcare services are often difficult to locate and establish. The website’s target audience believes receiving support within their homes will meaningfully mend the hassle of coordinating and traveling to receive childcare support. Users want to prescreen candidates and receive support from the comfort of their homes.
The solution
I designed a website for Happy Horizons that allows users to prescreen and schedule candidates for in-home childcare services. I included design features to make Happy Horizons a trusted source for family support.
Role & Responsibilities
I served as the Lead UX/UI designer for Happy Horizons from conception to delivery.
User Research
primary research
The primary user groups were new mothers, single mothers, and families of children under 18, who need a simple way to screen and schedule childcare candidates. I conducted 1:1 interviews with 5 single mothers and families between the ages of 30-42. Users were asked about their experiences with childcare services, family dynamics, and current support resources. This user group identified the hassle of traveling with small children, insufficient help from family members, and the reluctance to hire inexperienced candidates.
user research insights
Users want to schedule in-home childcare services at their convenience. Users need support with raising, managing, and disciplining their children. Additionally, single mothers and families need assistance with nursing, feeding, toileting, routines, traveling, and looking after other children in their home. While designing the website, I focused on scheduling, candidate information, and communication.
Personas
The following personas are based on user interviews.
“I am focused on bettering myself and my kid’s lives. ”
mirabel pacheco
Age: 35
Education: Diploma
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Family: Single, 2 Children
Occupation: Construction Manager
Frustrations
“It is hard to find nannies in my area.”
“My work schedule is so hectic that I struggle to find time to travel for the resources I need. ”
“My son is spiraling out of control, and I feel that it’s my fault because I am not home much to support him.”
Goals
To effectively manage my life and children
To find counseling support for my oldest son
To find a nanny to pick up my son from school
Mirabel Pacheco is a 35-year-old single mother of two children, a 14 and 6-year-old. Mirabel is a construction manager who works a set and varying schedule. Most days, she gets off work around 6 PM and does not have assistance to pick up her 6-year-old from school. Mirabel needs in-home tutoring and counseling support to assist with her 14-year-old and a nanny who can pick her son up from school until circumstances improve.
“A tornado flew around my room before you came.”
Stacia green
Age: 33
Education: Bachelor’s in Business Administration
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Family: Divorced, 3 Children
Occupation: Insurance Adjuster
Frustrations
“I love my children, but I spend every minute with them due to remote working.”
“I am struggling to navigate life with a child with autism, who currently only eats two type of food.”
“The nanny resources in my area are typically too general, and the nannies are often inexperienced.”
Goals
To manage my WFH life
To locate a dependable nanny to live with me
To receive support for my son with autism
Stacia Green is a 34-year-old divorced mother of three children. She has a set of five-year-old twin girls and a one-year-old. Due to the pandemic, Stasia became a permanent work-from-home insurance adjuster, which was ultimately disruptive to her childcare routines. While her children are not in school, Stacia needs daily, in-home nanny support for her twins and feeding support for her one-year-old with autism.
“Between a 7-year-old and an 8-month-old, I need all hands-on deck in my home.”
Elisa Giovanni
Age: 32
Education: Master’s of Science in Finance
Hometown: Syracuse, New York
Family: Married, 2 Children
Occupation: Senior Accountant
Frustrations
“Some websites do not require candidates to have a bio, and I am often left with many questions when browsing candidates.”
“I need filter options to quickly search for the specific care I need.”
“I often feel overwhelmed when my husband is on the road.”
Goals
To regain control of my daily routines
To have peace about my childcare services
To meaningfully search for reliable childcare candidates
Elisa Giovanni is a senior accountant and recently returned to work after taking an extended maternity leave. Elisa operates as a single mother, as her husband is a professional athlete who is often on the road. Elisa is raising a busy 7-year-old, furnishing a new home, and caring for a new baby. Elisa is struggling to get back into her daily routine and needs childcare services to assist with her morning routine.
Design Process
The app's design process involved several iterations of common features and designs enjoyed by users. The competitive audit revealed the current market design of apps and products, top competitors' target audiences, and their unique values to the market. The Happy Horizons website addresses the gaps in users’ experiences and exceeds the user’s needs. Early designs reflect a swift search and selection process, candidate profiles, and a variety of childcare services.
Core Wireframe
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE (SITEMAP)
Usability Testing
Usability study
Users want to sign up and log in. Users identified their relationship with user accounts. Users are more willing to use scheduling services when they can access previous scheduling information. Including this feature in the design offers users a sign-up and log-in option to access their personal files and saved orders.
Users want to contact candidates. Users identified a desire to message candidates before scheduling a service. Including this feature in the design before the scheduling process can be overwhelming for the candidates and impedes the purpose of elaborate candidate profiles and prescreening.
Users want to schedule multiple services at once. Users identified a range of assistance can be needed at once. Including this feature in the design provides a better user experience and decreases the time spent scheduling services.
Users want to cancel or change scheduled services. Users stated they could not cancel or change services should unforeseen situations arise. This feature ensures that users have a positive scheduling experience.
usability insights
I observed 4 out of 5 participants inquire about accessing their account profiles. This insight indicates most users expect to create personal profiles to save and access information. The ability to create user accounts is included in the final design.
I observed 5 out of 5 participants desire to message candidates and suggested doing some from their profile. This insight indicates all users perceive messaging capabilities as a critical communication tool. The final design allows users to message candidates after scheduling services.
I observed 5 out of 5 participants attempt to schedule multiple services at once. This insight indicates all users have more than one child or need support in several areas. The final design allows users to schedule more than one service in the same order.
I observed 3 out of 5 participants inquire about canceling or rescheduling services. This insight indicates users understand circumstances may change. In the final design, I included buttons for users to cancel or amend their scheduled services.
Final Mockups
The polished designs reflect more engaging designs and detailed scheduling information. I added a sign-up and log-in page, additional navigation buttons, an advanced option and communication bubbles on the service confirmation page.
Reflection
Happy Horizons provides users with the confidence that their child will be provided with the best care. While designing the website, I learned how much users value transparency and efficient scheduling processes. The final designs successfully showcase my ability to understand users' needs, conduct thorough research, and effectively implement design principles to create an innovative and functional solution. I am confident Happy Horizons will be used and trusted by families across the world.