CHALLENGE
How parents could keep their children's diets healthy in Irish schools
The school period is when children are more exposed to the consumption of processed foods, which are not a healthy option.
How the Slunch box could help parents who are more concerned about the quality of their children's food, or even children with food allergies could have their meals delivered fresh to schools, and how to make less engaged parents aware of the program.
TIMELINE
We developed the entire process in a Design Sprint of 6 meetings.
THE TEAM
Was composed by a multidiciplinary team
SPRINT GOAL
Create an easy-to-use platform promoting awareness of the importance of healthy eating.
DISCOVERY
Within an enriching experience, we co-created during 6 workshops an atmosphere of empathy with the different actors within the process.
​During the lightning talks with the Decider, the team started the HMW, seeking to understand our challenge, and subsequently defined the"Long Term Goal" where we identified long-term expectations and goals.
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The tool Can We gave us the possibility to also see the risks and friction points that could make the project fail.
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Through activities in a Co-creation Laboratory it was possible for us to suggest and work as a team on the importance of active listening to the user, in this case parents, students and schools.
PROBLEM FRAME
What were the challenges that needed to be faced to achieve the Sprint Goal? What risks could make us fail?
We identified and voted on what we needed to focus on in the Sprint. If we could address the challenges, and mitigate key risks with a solution, then the idea would be validated.
Challenges and Risks identified:
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Challenges (top rated HMW)
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Identify an appropriate platform. (User friendly, stable, reliable, etc);
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Encourage partnerships with local producers;
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Capture and analyze data;
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Measure impact and reporting progress,
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Risks/Sprint questions "Can We" most voted
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Collect enough data to get started;
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Provide reliable data;
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Provide training;
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Ensure long-term engagement;
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Encourage action with vulnerable people and marginalized groups.
IDEATION
After identifying opportunities and risks, we understand which direction we are going and what needs to be achieved for the Sprint to succeed.
In the first stage of the Sprint we defined the problem we were trying to solve, the vision and the Long term goal. This help us understand where we were going and what needed to be achieved along the way.
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In the second stage, we knew which challenges needed to be addressed to achieve the Sprint Goal, and what risks could lead us to an error scenario.
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So we held a Brainstorming session to build the user's Journey Map, identifying actors, stages and the location of the Heat map, that is, what we should focus our efforts on in this Sprint, which was to test a first version of the membership system and achieve the first subscriptions for the program.
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Then we worked on Visual thinking within the Solution Sketch process, leading participants to think about the process in 3 stages: Beginning, middle and end, which provided us with enough material for the Storyboard, where we began to visualize the prototyping stage.
PROTOTYPING AND TESTING
We invited six parents from different communities in Dublin to test the Slunch Box solution.
We chose the Wizard of Oz prototype, where we simulated user navigation within the application. After testing, we conducted an interview where parents were asked about infant feeding, difficulties and fears.
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Six parents from different local communities were invited, who during the test fed the research process with extremely important information for its validation.
FEEDBACKS AND INSIGHTS
Child obesity
Concerned and aware of the worldwide growth of childhood obesity, parents were more interested in their children's diet outside the home environment as well.
Interest in solutions that collaborate in infant feeding
70% of the interviewed parents showed interest in practical digital platforms and solutions that collaborate with the feeding of children and teenagers.
Chronic noncommunicable diseases in teenagers
In Europe, serious repercussions on health and the appearing of chronic diseases in teenagers, attributed to the high consumption of processed and high-sugary foods, was one of the biggest concerns of parents.
LESSONS LEARNED
It was necessary to engage stakeholders within the creative process, recognizing users, suppliers and communities as stakeholders in the project.
Engagement and recognition of value is a fundamental part in this process.
After the first two workshops we were approached by the client. She had doubts whether it would be possible to prototype and test the service within the period established by the sprint, in addition to uncertainties regarding the management of the post-sprint structure.
The importance of transparency and communication between agency and stakeholders was fundamental. Listening with clarity and empathy was one of the keys to the whole process.
In the Slunch box case, we gathered and talked about the relevance of connections with local producers, chefs, schools and communities. How this would become a “stream of good” and actors would advocate for the project when engaged.
During the pandemics, Slunch box met with Dublin producers and restaurants who provided more than 2000 meals to people at risk during the lockdown, strengthening ties and highlighting the importance of service to society.