2023
Parent Playground
— Design Strategy
Project Team: Supanit, Lakeisha, Rhea
Parent Playground aims to design for improved accessibility by unifying all virtual and in-person communication between families and schools. Through research, concept development, prototype testing, and iterations, we introduce a range of activities, varying in effort level, that promote stronger accountability. Parent Playground measures engagement by integrating itself as a plug-in on existing channels, effectively tracking and translating engagement into redeemable incentives.
To view the article on MSSDM Parsons Spring 2023 Exhibition, click here.
Challenges.
The current below-average scores in Reading and Math proficiency of middle school students in The Bronx deprive them of future opportunities.
Research links higher parent engagement to improved students’ academic achievement and social behavior (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2022). Most factors limiting family engagement in NYC schools are rooted in language barriers, cultural differences, socio-economic conditions, and app fatigue.
How might we support the supporters of middle schoolers to create efficient collaboration?
Approach.
One size does not fit all.
Aiming to incentivize family engagement by meeting parents where they are, we quantify engagement on existing touchpoints into reward points and allow the parents to redeem their rewards of preferences on personal scoreboard webpage.
The notable features of Parent Playground’s dashboard include a language-inclusive interface, a live scoreboard, a notice board to highlight information across various channels, a school directory, a Password Vault, and a reward store where offerings from local businesses are compiled as incentives. On the School’s end, Parent Playground provides insights into engagement trends that can help inform future events or activities. In the future, we hope to continue building this service by implementing a low-fidelity WhatsApp version of Parent Playground as a longitudinal study before launching it in the market.
The concept was co-designed and tested using different research methods with 50+ parents, teachers, and school administrators at PS:31, The William Lloyd Garrison School. This project was also guided by many Department of Education and NJ Teachers’ Union experts who helped formulate a better understanding of the landscape.
We used a variety of qualitative research methods to test desirability, feasibility, and viability of Parent Playground. In the process, we engaged more than 50 parents and teachers and 10 industry experts.
Project testing collaborators (for access to key stakeholders and school infrastructure) : PS/MS 31, The William Lloyd Garrison School, District 7, The Bronx
To experience the prototype, click here.