Interviews

This page contains the transcripts and insights of the 2 key interviews conducted with the mother of the baby during Phase 1 of the project. These insights were used to achieve several goals, namely:

1. To get a better understanding of the target user(the mother) and her wants, needs, struggles, desires and difficulties concerning the baby

2. To understand the main issues or problems that we should focus on solving for the mother.

3. The key aspects, points of information and insights that would be used to inform the group in choosing a suitable direction for the project

Interview 1

A 17-minute-long interview was conducted with the mother to gain a comprehensive understanding of the various challenges and changes faced by women throughout the stages of motherhood, as well as the subsequent changes in infant behaviour faced by the new parents. A significant focus point of the interview was dedicated to understanding the intricacies of infant development, as understanding these development milestones and associated changes was crucial in anticipating challenges that mothers may encounter.

The insights gained from this interview will be used to guide the development of a product that addresses specific pain points that arise during this critical phase of life.

Transcript

Visual Notes

Insights

Relevant Users

Baby

The baby is described as social and not easily annoyed
The baby needs frequent entertainment and engagement as he is quickly bored with ongoing activities, potentially showing demand towards products that offer a variety of stimuli or educational value.
The baby is transitioning from bottle-feeding to solids, presenting struggles with messiness and feeding efficiency. A solution that could simplify the feeding process, reduce mess, or encourage self-feeding with less chaos would be valuable.
The baby's sleep is improving but still presents challenges, suggesting that solutions aimed at monitoring and enhancing sleep quality could be helpful.

Mother

As a work-from-home mother who also attends university, the mother faces challenges in managing her time effectively when the baby is needy. Products or services that can provide distraction or learning opportunities for the baby, allowing the mother to focus on work or studies, would be helpful.
The mother has reduced personal time for activities like sports and music, highlighting an opportunity for a solution that integrates well into a busy schedule or allows for inclusive activities that the baby can be a part of.
There's a sense of guilt and a wish to be doing "better or more" for the baby, suggesting that maybe supportive or educational products for mother-baby interaction could ease these concerns.
The mother values social outings and the support of friends who are accepting of the baby being present. Perhaps having products that enhance mobility, convenience, and social interaction could foster this aspect of her lifestyle.

Points of Interest

1/ Time Management & Productivity

The mother is trying to balance work, personal time, and baby care, especially given her partner's work schedule, but she struggles with this balance, especially during days when the baby requires more attention.
She also struggles with keeping her baby entertained while also managing household chores or working
She values productivity and finds it challenging when the baby's needs disrupt her workflow.
She places a high value on efficiency and seems to struggle with balancing her time effectively, especially when her partner is away due to work in the UK
This may suggest a demand for solutions that streamline daily tasks or assist in multitasking without compromising the baby's care.
The mother also struggles to find time for personal activities, such as music and sports and experiences guilt when not engaging with her child. A solution that combines baby entertainment with adult productivity or leisure could be very useful.
The mother also finds it difficult to perform house chores while taking care of the baby due to the baby’s demand for attention.
Products that safely incorporate the baby into household activities or provide secure, temporary engagement can be impactful.

3/ Feeding Transition Challenges

Transitioning from bottle-feeding to spoon-feeding is time-consuming and often messy.
The baby often spits out food and tries to grab the spoon, resulting in a mess
Products that could simplify this transition, perhaps by making feeding more engaging for the baby or easier to manage for the parent, would be appreciated.
There's also an indication of excessive products (e.g., too many plush toys) and less-used gadgets, suggesting a preference for multifunctional or highly effective items over niche products.

2/ Baby Entertainment & Engagement

The baby enjoys being sociable and is quite content in social situations and not easily annoyed.
The use of a baby walker has been positive for entertainment, suggesting a preference for products that stimulate the baby and allow self-entertainment.
She finds it challenging to continuously engage and entertain her six-month-old. Although she recognizes the importance of baby entertainment, she quickly runs out of ideas or finds herself needing to attend to other tasks, as the baby needs frequent entertainment and engagement as he is quickly bored with ongoing activities
This points to a need for a solution that can offer varied, engaging, and educational entertainment for the baby and could relieve her of the constant pressure to innovate playtime activities.

4/ Simple & Portable Solutions

The mother appreciates the mobility the baby walker provides, which allows the baby to move around the living room – a primary location where the baby spends time.
The mother also appreciates products that are straightforward to use and can adapt to her and her baby’s changing needs.
Furthermore, the baby finds joy in simple toys and everyday items, demonstrating that not all engagement needs to be high-tech or expensive.

This signifies a need for simple and flexible solutions that can adapt to different home environments and lifestyles, especially for working parents who may need to keep the baby engaged in different settings.

6/ Support for Musical Education & Relaxation

The baby enjoys music with lyrics, and music is used both for engagement and relaxation. Hence, Music plays a significant part in the baby's life, with the mother using it for entertainment and possibly soothing.
Products that incorporate musical elements, whether for entertainment or sleep assistance, could be both beneficial and enjoyable for the baby.
There's potential for products that make music selection easier for parents, possibly through curated playlists or adaptable music toys.

8/ Social Mobility

The mother enjoys social outings and finds value in bringing her baby along. Hence, products that facilitate mobility and socialization, ensuring her baby's comfort and safety outside the home, could be significant.
The mother also appreciates the sociability of her baby, which allows her to continue engaging in activities outside the home, such as visiting cafes or friends
Additionally, items that allow her to easily share caregiving responsibilities with friends or family in a social setting could further alleviate personal stress.

Conclusion

The insights from this interview reveal opportunities for developing products that:

Enhance productivity and efficiency in parents’ daily routines.
Provide engaging, educational, and self-directed entertainment for babies.
Simplify and make feeding transitions cleaner and more efficient.
Offer flexibility and mobility for active families.
Support quiet operation to not disturb sleeping babies.
integrate musical elements for entertainment and relaxation.
Encourage parental wellness and comfort in baby care routines.

Product Development Opportunity Areas

Considering these insights, the product development focus could include:

Multi-functional baby entertainment centres that are compact and offer a variety of stimuli to keep the baby engaged for longer periods. These could integrate educational aspects to aid in development.
Innovative feeding aids that make the transition to solids smoother, less messy, and more engaging for the baby. This could include smart spoons, bowls that encourage self-feeding without the mess, or interactive feeding apps.
Portable and compact baby gear for small living spaces and easy transportation during social outings. Products that are collapsible or offer seamless integration into adult spaces could be particularly valuable.
Parent-baby activity kits that encourage shared experiences and development, addressing the mother's desire to do more for her baby. These could include music-based activities, fitness, or other hobbies that are adaptable for baby inclusion.

Interview 2

A second 35-minute interview was conducted with the mother to propose an initial solution that the group had conceived in the previous weeks and to better understand her specific needs. Updates were requested to the mother to note any changes/trends/behavioural patterns in the baby, and input was taken from the mother for specific requirements that she had.

The aforementioned initial solution proposed was an portable playground with engaging and developmentally appropriate toys that adapted to the baby's growth. More detail can be found at:

Preliminary Idea

Transcript

Insights

Relevant Users

Baby

Improvement in handling feeding transitions, and reducing messiness, but the mother still feels guilty when she has to focus on other tasks, highlighting the need for solutions that foster independence while ensuring safety.
The baby exhibits a keen interest in colours, and anything within reach instantly captures his attention, suggesting the importance of incorporating a variety of visually stimulating and tactile elements in product designs.
Shows a preference for moving around independently, as seen through his joy in using a walker, indicating potential interest in toys or solutions that enable exploration and motor skill development.
Exhibits curiosity towards mirrors and reflections, presenting opportunities for products incorporating reflective surfaces to engage his attention and encourage self-discovery.
Responds well to texture and enjoys banging objects together, pointing towards the creation of products that can withstand rough handling and also offer sensory feedback.
Morning periods are highlighted as ideal times for self-entertainment, emphasizing the need for solutions that can sustain the baby's engagement for at least an hour to support the mother's productivity.
He demonstrates a potential interest in interactive elements and music integration, suggesting that toys or environments with responsive features could enhance his engagement and offer developmental benefits.
The baby still requires regular entertainment but seems to develop separation anxiety when the mother leaves the room, indicating a preference for engaging solutions that don’t necessarily require constant parental presence but may provide a sense of security.
The baby has begun attending daycare, introducing social elements to his routine, which could mean an openness to shared play experiences even if direct interaction may still be developing.

Mother

Identifies the morning as an optimal time for uninterrupted work, indicating a specific need for engaging the baby independently during this period. She also states that ideally getting 2 hours uninterrupted in the morning for work, 1-2 hours in the day and 2 hours in the evening would be the best-case scenario
Experiences guilt when not actively engaging with her baby, indicating products that encourage interaction or reassure the mother of the baby's developmental benefits during independent play could alleviate these feelings.
Values portable solutions for social outings and desires a more comfortable and practical solution for carrying essentials, stressing the need for compact and multifunctional design in outdoor baby gear.
Seeks solutions that offer safety and supervision without constant hands-on involvement, stressing the importance of integrating safety features into independent play solutions.
Interested in enhancing baby's development through toys, valuing both cognitive and motor skill enhancement, leaning slightly more towards motor skills for the product focus, which suggests the integration of educational elements in play solutions would be beneficial.
Prefers wood and non-plastic materials due to safety concerns regarding the baby putting toys in his mouth, indicating a preference for natural, durable, and safe materials in product design.
Prefers toys that are fun, useful for development, visually appealing, and potentially made of wood or soft materials that are safe to put in the mouth.
Indicates a necessity for more padding in play areas as the baby begins to sit and move more independently, suggesting an additional layer of safety and comfort could be beneficial.
She does not have a preference for toys to match the surroundings of her apartment.

General Points of interest

1/ Enhanced Productivity &
Independent Play

The mother expressed a desire for uninterrupted work time, particularly in the mornings, indicating a preference for solutions that can engage the baby independently for at least an hour, and 1-2 hours at midday and in the evening. This reinforces the need for products that can safely entertain the baby, allowing the mother to focus on productivity.
The concept of a "portable playground" with modular components was well-received, suggesting a market demand for adaptable and evolving entertainment solutions that grow with the baby’s developmental stages.

2/ Diverse Engagement through
Basic Interactions

The baby exhibits curiosity towards colours and mundane objects like cups, showcasing a broad interest that isn't confined to specific toys or themes. This broad curiosity could be an avenue for developing multifaceted toys that engage through colours, textures, and functionality (e.g., simple puzzles, and object permanence boxes).
Interest in mirrors and reflections presents an opportunity for incorporating reflective surfaces in toys or play areas, leveraging the baby's fascination with his image and potentially other reflective objects for extended self-engagement.
The baby's attraction to banging and tactile exploration indicates a preference for toys that provide sensory feedback through sound, touch, and possibly visual reactions to actions. Products focusing on cause-and-effect, like pressable buttons that trigger sounds or movements, could align with these interests.
The baby's interest in simple objects such as cups and items he can grab indicates that overly complex or niche products may not be necessary for engagement. Instead, versatility and basic interaction (e.g., pressing buttons, musical triggers) might offer significant engagement value.
The baby is showing increased curiosity, particularly towards colours, and objects within reach like cups and natural elements like plants. This suggests a growing interest in exploratory play and interaction with the environment.
The baby’s attention can be sustained longer by mobility aids like the walker, indicating a preference for items that offer autonomy and exploration opportunities.
Objects that have a dual purpose (e.g., cups or egg boxes without eggs) are of particular interest, hinting at a preference for simple but versatile toys over complex ones.

4/ Developmental Support through Play

The mother values both cognitive and motor skill development, with a slight preference towards motor skills as she feels more capable of supporting cognitive development through direct interaction (e.g., reading). This preference guides towards products that encourage physical development and exploration.
Incorporating elements of surprise or discovery (such as textured mats or interactive features within the play area) could enhance the playtime experience, making it both fun and beneficial for development.

Playground Specific points of interest

1/ Engaging & Adaptable Playground

Develop a modular, interactive play environment designed to evolve with the baby’s growth, featuring visually stimulating and tactile elements, reflective surfaces, and safe, durable materials suitable for teething and rough play.
This could include a variety of detachable toys and activities that promote motor skills and cognitive development, with an hour-long engagement focus.
This playground could incorporate elements like built-in toy attachments to keep the baby entertained in various stages of its development.

3/ Developmental & Educational Toys

A balanced interest in both cognitive and motor skills development was noted, with a slight preference for motor skills activities. Products that encourage physical movement, balance, and coordination through playful engagement would be beneficial. This could involve interactive floor mats with textures or patterns that promote crawling or walking exercises.
Incorporating musical elements as triggers for motor skills activities, suggesting a cross-functional approach where auditory cues lead to physical actions (e.g., moving to reach or press a musical toy), could enhance the learning and engagement experience. There's a possibility to integrate responsive features, like music or lights, triggered by the baby’s interactions to enhance learning through play.

2/ Less Focus on Portability

The mother has stated that most social outings would result in meeting in cafes and restaurants with friends, which makes it slightly inconvenient for the mother to carry a plethora of baby toys and a mat with her everywhere she goes.
Hence, while the design of the toys should still be compact to ensure maximum space optimisation, there should be less focus on portability and more focus on making the toys engaging for extended periods
However, there is an expression of interest in products that can be integrated into outdoor activities as the baby grows, suggesting a potential for outdoor gear that supports active lifestyles, such as modular and compact play mats or portable play stations that are easy to set up and dismantle in various environments.

4/ Customizable Play Spaces

Offer customizable play spaces that adapt to living areas while prioritizing safety and developmental benefits, as products that offer customization could appeal by catering to varying developmental stages, personal preferences, and the spatial constraints of different living environments.
These could include foldable, easy-to-clean mats with padded and interactive elements, allowing babies to explore safely.
Offer options for parents to select themes or activities based on their baby’s developmental needs or interests, enhancing the value of active parental involvement in choosing the right stimulations, and the ability to swap out or upgrade components as the baby grows or develops new interests is attractive to parents seeking long-term value.

5/ Natural Materials & Safety

These toys chosen should primarily use natural materials and avoid plastics, ensuring they are safe for babies who explore with their mouths.
The baby’s habit of exploring objects with his mouth highlights the importance of safe, non-toxic materials. The mother's preference for wood and aversion to plastic suggests a favour towards natural, durable materials that are child-safe and environmentally friendly.
Comfort and safety were significant concerns, especially regarding the play mat's padding. Interest in a thicker, more cushioned mat indicates a demand for play area solutions that prioritize the baby's comfort and safety during play and tummy time.
Furthermore, place spaces should be padded to ensure the safety of the baby when falling.

Interviews

Table of Contents

Interview 1

Transcript

Visual Notes

Insights

Relevant Users

Points of Interest

1/ Time Management & Productivity

3/ Feeding Transition Challenges

2/ Baby Entertainment & Engagement

4/ Simple & Portable Solutions

5/ Need for Quiet Time

6/ Support for Musical Education & Relaxation

7/ Parental Comfort & Wellness

8/ Social Mobility

9/ Soothing & Sleep Routines

Conclusion

Product Development Opportunity Areas

Interview 2

Transcript

Insights

Relevant Users

General Points of interest

1/ Enhanced Productivity &
Independent Play

3/ Material Considerations

2/ Diverse Engagement through
Basic Interactions

4/ Developmental Support through Play

5/ Sensory Engagement Expansion

6/ Practicality & Storage Considerations

Playground Specific points of interest

1/ Engaging & Adaptable Playground

3/ Developmental & Educational Toys

2/ Less Focus on Portability

4/ Customizable Play Spaces

5/ Natural Materials & Safety

2024 Module 7 Group 11

Interviews

Table of Contents

Interview 1

Transcript

Visual Notes

Insights

Relevant Users

Points of Interest

1/ Time Management & Productivity

Conclusion

Product Development Opportunity Areas

Interview 2

Transcript

Insights

Relevant Users

General Points of interest

1/ Enhanced Productivity & Independent Play

Playground Specific points of interest

1/ Engaging & Adaptable Playground

2024 Module 7 Group 11

1/ Enhanced Productivity &
Independent Play