Overview

Role

• Independent Student Project for Google UX Design Course

Problem

Although the birthrate of teenage pregnancies has declined slightly over the years the fact that 4 out of 10 US women will become pregnant before they reach the age of 20 still remains. With such a high number there is a gap that needs to be filled regarding education on the topic.

As someone who is currently past the target age but has seen the effect firsthand, something had to be addressed by the steadily declining number of pregnancies being held for individuals under the age of 20. Although the number is declining, who would help the audience that was already present in society?

Solution

Targeting Smartphones is a Must!

Facts about the Cause

A way to further educate our future parents-to-be!

While researching the current problem I stumbled across an article from the ASPE that states “The Secretary noted that although the teen pregnancy rate is declining, four out of 10 girls become pregnant before they are 20 years old, with some girls having multiple births during their teen years. She emphasized the critical importance of promoting prevention and providing guidance to young people.”

Statistics like the one stated above are not to be overlooked as they are a strong part of the growing demographic!

Competitive Analysis

The competition just doesn’t get it.

Although it’s true that some of the competitors were doing some things right there wasn’t a single app that could come close to knocking out all of the boxes I thought were necessary to give targeted advice effectively. This hole in the competition was exactly where I thought I would attack to solve the problem of non-specific tips and tricks for both young and new parents alike.

User Interviews

Interviewees were all making the same mistake when it came to researching for their children!

7 different interviewees were chosen who had at least one child. Every single one of them said that when it came to finding something online about an issue their child was going through they would simply Google it and didn’t have a dedicated source for their parenting information. I asked the below questions to help identify why that is and whether they’d be open to a change of pace.

Research Questions:

1. How often do you research information about your child?

2. Do you have any peers that are about your age with a child?

3. Do you ever compile notes about your child/children?

4. Are you alone in your parenting journey?

5. Would you say that you would like help on a daily basis when it comes to child care?

6. Would you consider yourself overwhelmed?

Takeaways

There was a common denominator when it came to what the interviewees did when it was time to learn something new.

All of the information that was derived from the interviews pointed to the fact that there was no “real” source for obtaining information related to their child and that Google was really their only choice when it came to research. I noticed that although there are a number of apps out there that are dedicated to the topic none of the interviewees used them and boiled it down to the three points below!

Persona

Setbacks in Design

The importance of acknowledging mistakes

Initially, in the design process, I had planned to make Jenny’s Journal a dedicated website to reach its users. However, as time went on I realized that I would be able to reach more users and more targeted users by first targeting a dedicated mobile app approach to the design. I had lost time on the overall project, but realizing the direction I was taking Jenny’s Journal wasn’t the overall best it could be was a valuable learning experience that I can take and move on with.

Improvements through the Project

Major Improvements That Were Made

Through the aid of feedback, interviews, and peers these were 3 changes that helped iterate the design of Jenny’s Journal.

The Finale

Completed Version of “Jenny’s Journal”

Jenny’s Journal Full File

Moving Forward

Things to Work On!

Jenny’s Journal was my first project where I had combined all of the skills throughout the certification process, and although I am proud of my accomplishments there is still a lot to learn. Below are three of the greatest things that I’ve learned throughout the entire process!

1. Conduct further research on how productive the app is and whether it is giving useful advice to all of the targeted users.

   Iterating on a design is something that never really “stops”. As days go on there is always something that can be improved upon or changed, so staying up to date and realizing iterating is a neverending process the better off you will be.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

   There are so many people on this planet and although everyone does not want your best interest at heart (trust me) there will however be those that do and finding those people and asking them for help can change everything. Early on in the process especially I was ashamed to ask for help because I was just starting and I didn’t want to look like a fool for not knowing how to do something. But that’s the thing, everyone has to start from somewhere so simply get the headstart on others and ask for that extra helping hand.

3. Mistakes are only the beginning of the process.

   We’re all human (I think) and everybody is going to make mistakes regardless of who they are. I think that coming to terms with that and seeing that as a good thing and not something that can affect you negatively really is a game changer. So moving forward I will treat every mistake as what it truly is a step in the long road of eternal learning.
   

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Thanks so much for taking the time to read my first ever UX Case Study if you like what you see or have any questions or just wanna chat feel free to reach out at yani2x4@gmail.com

Thanks again and have a good one!

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