ReadMeABookEveryDay

Designing An Experience For “The Netflix of Children’s Books”

HUGE Design ChallengeBy Raphael Feinstein

http://megfish.com/2010/03/march-childrens-book-giveaway/

Problem

Most parents have trouble finding books that match their children’s interests, comprehension level and attention level

Kids are usually curious, looking to explore and understand the world

Books are a great way to explore a child’s curiosity because they can take a child deep into the jungle, over the moon or to a kind, talking tree

Reading any book with a child does not foster a love of reading

Problem

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empty_book.jpg

Creates a smarter, literate youth

Gets parents involved in children’s lives

Keeps the lights on atReadMeABookEveryDay

Problem

Lenses

Intrinsic Motivation and Simplicity

The Experience

Insights

A child is more likely to learn and retain information when s/he believes that s/he is pleasing his/herself

It is difficult for parents to help find an appropriate challenge while still allowing the choice to be the child's

When children can see the result of their actions as a reward they are motivated to continue those actions

- National Association of School Psychologists

Insights

Children approximately as young as 10 months are able to understand directions and can choose books they like

Some parents just want their child to read, it does not matter what the content is.

- Interview with mother of 19 month old child

Stakeholders

The Child

The Parent The Business

Children between 3-6 years old.

Curious about the world.

Working parents that may not have the time

to go searching for books but are willing to sit down at night and read a few books with

their child.

Create a user base and retain families as children grow up

Solution

Sort by Age and Theme

Keeps the challenge of finding the right book on the business

Removes cognitive load from Parents

Themes create an encompassing lesson, moral or idea for the child to explore

Age determines the approximate development stage, setting criteria for book types

Solution

Child Chooses Interest

The child is more interested in reading if s/he chooses the topic

The wide range of interests allow children to explore and discover

The child has set their own challenge, so they are reading for themselves

Solution

Parent Approval Process

Parent can pre-screen the themed book selection

If they do not like a book, it can be replaced

Reduces parent effort but keeps them involved and in control

Solution

Supporting Tools

Creates a collaborative learning experience after the reading is complete

Children can see object or activity as a reward that will come with the books, but it is an extension of what they read that can be taken into the world for continued learning

Forms culminating experience of their own actions, motivating them to continue these actions

Strategies

Technical: Web and Phone Application

So busy parents can keep the books coming for their knowledge hungry children

Strategies

Business: If it needed to be broken down into implementation phases

Web application for parents to set age

and browse themes

Add functionality for book approval and

child interest

Expand into phone application,

incorporating the supporting tools

30%

60%

100%

Strategies

Social:

Children do better in school

They go farther Seek out and solve harder problems in the

world

The Experience

Kids Choose Parents ApproveBusiness Works Extend the Experience

Kids Incentivized&

Parents at Ease

Kids Form Relationship with

Reading

Business Continues to Iterate on Process

Stakeholders are Happier

Pictures: Allorge, Lionel. Empty Book. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. N.p., 25 Jan. 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empty_book.jpg>.

Fish, Meg. Children's Books Collage. Digital image. Meg Fish & Co. N.p., 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 7 Feb. 2015. <http://megfish.com/2010/03/march-childrens-book-giveaway/>.

Westover, Rebekah. Andrea and Her Boys. Digital image. Pinterest, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. <https://www.pinterest.com/libbymtaylor/photography/>.

Research:Braun, Effie. "Children's Interaction with Books." Online interview. 6 Feb. 2015.

"Browse the Oyster Library." Oyster. N.p., 2015. Web. 07 Feb. 2015. <https://www.oysterbooks.com/library>.

"DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF CHILDREN (0-6 YEARS)." Superior Court of California County of Placer. N.p., 2013. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. <http://www.placer.courts.ca.gov/family/family_op_0-6.html>.

"Motivating Learning in Young Children." Motivating Learning in Young Children. NASP, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nasponline.org/resources/home_school/earlychildmotiv_ho.aspx>.

Perez, Sarah. "Sproutkin Launches A “Netflix For Children’s Books”." TechCrunch. Livefyre, 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 06 Feb. 2015. <http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/07/sproutkin-launches-a-netflix-for-childrens-books/>.

Perry, Jack W. "Time for Ebook Subscriptions for Children’s Titles." Digital Book World. N.p., 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. <http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2014/time-for-ebook-subscriptions-for-childrens-titles/>.

Research & References

Thank you

Questions?

Persona

Name: Jackie

Age: 31

Location: Indianapolis, IN

Background: Jackie is from Illinois but moved to Indianapolis when she got married to her husband. Her husband works as a manager in a construction business. She is a working mother, so she does not spend as much time as she would like to with her child. She works in a bank. She has a 4 year old boy with her husband. They are always trying to save because they know that the world is becoming more expensive. They want to give their child the best chance to succeed and so they have already worked to make sure he is in a good pre-school. He goes to daycare when he is not at school and while Jackie and her husband are at work.

They try to read at least one book to him each night and are working on his reading abilities. Unfortunately, they did not start reading consistently with him until about a year and a half ago because they did not understand the benefits.

https://www.pinterest.com/libbymtaylor/photography/

Interview ReportThe participant is female, 29 years old and works in finance. She lives in Studio City, California in a condo with her husband who is 30 years old and a lawyer. They have a 19 month old male child with another child on the way. They have a nanny read books to their child every day and the participant reads a book or two each night before putting the child to sleep. The child was able to identify books he liked from 10 months old, but did not do it himself until 12 month, around the time he could walk to the bookshelf. They have been reading to him from the time he was 2-3 months old but has not yet started to read words himself just yet.

The questions asked during the interview are as follows:• What reading activities do you partake in with your child?• How do you choose the books?• How did you get him interested in books?• Where did you get the books? How did you find them?• What is the frequency at which you introduce new books?• Do you try to push the level of the books when you buy new ones?• At what age did he start choosing books for himself?• If you could get 1-5 new books each week (not considering money) that would be of interest to your

child, would that be something you would consider?• Is there anything you do not want him to read?

Answers to these questions may be released if necessary.

Research & References

Concept Generation

Plus One Seed Book: This concept utilized the idea that the reward for reading should be more reading. The concept was to add in another book on top of the 1, 3 or 5 books ordered that would be in some way different from the books ordered. That way the service would be giving the child an opportunity to read something else taking the child outside of their usually genres.

Concept GenerationChallenge Books: This concept played on the idea of different levels of reading in a single order. When the parents ordered 1, 3 or 5 books, each book would be a specified difficulty so the parents could push the limits of each child’s reading ability, but start with something easy

Concept Generation

Follow Up Cards: This concept was inspired by the real company SproutKin. It is a card that comes with the box of books that has a list of questions and activities that parents and children can do together. This continues the learning past the book and keeps the parents involved in the child’s reading, as long as the card is used.

Concept Generation

Parent Crowdsourcing Approved Books: The idea is to bring parents onto the website and approve of books that they have read and liked. This way other parents know if the book has been read and if they should or should not ask for it to be part of their order. By crowdsourcing, parents can help other parents. Books can be filtered by amount of approvals and feel comfortable that their child is reading quality content.

Concept Generation

Recommendations Based on Past Purchases: Like Amazon, this idea would show parents books based in past orders. Books would be recommended using an algorithm to get the parent to order familiar books as well as books that they would not consider regularly.

Concept Generation

See What Other Parents are Choosing: This concept is exactly what it sounds like. Parents would be able to see what other parents are ordering, giving them an idea of different kinds of books and removing the cognitive effort necessary to sort through books. This idea is good for trying to find new books but requires some parents to do all the work and others can freeload.