Overview

People are at the heart of every complex human system--but they’re often the most overlooked. Effective problem solvers today know how to visualize the larger dynamics of the system while staying grounded in the needs of people. In this course, I explored the analytical tools of systems thinking with the creative mindsets of human-centered design to make sense of complex systems challenges. I leveraged mapping tools such as problem mapping, network mapping, and process mapping to identify the right places to focus, surface insights about stakeholders, and pick the most impactful solutions to experiment with to ultimately go beyond the obvious and design lasting solutions.

Draw Your Systems Challenge

For this course, the complex systems challenge that I chose was:
”How might we move from a system that gives tech access to small children who are still developing social skills, relationships, health, and ability to focus without real guard-rails to a system that supports their overall wellbeing as they engage in tech safely for education and play time?”

Visualize the System

A couple of mapping exercises allowed to visualize the intricacies of this complex system. Through these exercises, I started to discover the root causes of its challenges and grasp the interconnections between its various elements. Not only did this process enhance my own understanding, but it also served to establish a shared understanding among stakeholders, particularly during my interviews.

Reflections from my mapping exercises

What do these maps tell about the current state of this complex system?
Today, content creators/influencers/online gamers  have a lot of control over what small kids and their peers engage with online. In regards to government and tech, legislation's approach seems to be more reactive as opposed to planning ahead to set guidelines in a proactive way... not surprising, it is the same here. Legislation has left it up to parents to regulate everything about tech at home while the resources are not easily accessible. It does not help that content creators get financial incentives for promoting content for kids, so there will just be more and more.

Questions that came up:
 What are some ways in which communication between parents and schools could be stronger in regards to tech?
What laws are in place that support kid’s mental health in regards to tech?
Are there any resources for parents to support them in conversations with their small kids about the importance to monitor their activity online and set parental controls?

Surprises about making the map:
There are a lot of stakeholders here! I could have gone bigger, but it was getting a bit complex. I had not spent much time thinking about the benefits of tech at school, although I know that many schools have technology classes as part of the curriculum. It’s a really interesting angle to spend some time thinking about. I learned about Minecraft Education whole co-creating, basically using Minecraft to teach - kind of cool.

Stakeholder Interviews

Capturing My Learnings

Parents:

• Most parents don’t know what their kids are watching online.

• Some know what their kids watch online, but their busy lives make it challenging to keep track.

• Many parents are not tech savvy.

• Only a few parents implement tech guidelines or timing limits set on devices, so it’s a verbal time limit which is often arbitrary with several warnings.

Kids:

• Once kids are on a device and their brains are getting that dopamine rush,  it’s difficult to give it up which often results in meltdowns.

• It takes kids a while to come back into the real world from being in this almost alternative reality.

• Once kids discover YouTube, things can get more challenging because it offers a wider range of content which parents may not be fully, aware and it is often inappropriate for their age.

• Kids consume tech different during school vs. summer.

• With Covid, kids became more dependent on tech because there were less alternatives for activities.

• Hyper consumerism videos are pretty popular with small kids, basically kids showing off the toys, this content makes kids want all the toys, they don’t understand it is a studio, not real life.

Schools:

• Schools use interactive and age-appropriate educational apps to engage kids in a playful and educational manner.

• Some schools have adopted online learning platforms that kids can access from home while teachers can monitor their progress.

• Students can go on virtual field trips, allowing them to explore different places and cultures without leaving the classroom.

• There are summer camps that are teaching technology.

• Apps like Minecraft Education is utilized as school.

Mental Health:

I hadn’t considered the mental health aspect in my original map which is huge for small kids who are developing. The pandemic played a huge impact in small kids’ lives. With virtual school being mandatory in 2020, children who might have not been online yet, started consuming tech for education and for “childcare” as their parents were working with everyone at home. There weren’t options to meet with friends in person, so tech became the safer alternative.

Spot an Opportunity for Design

Prior to this taking course, I had thought a lot about potential solutions for this complex system. There are already reputable resources with technology best practices and tips aimed at parents with small kids, but this information is not getting into their hands easily. Searching and filtering is a huge task for them. This presents a challenge for busy parents who may also not be very technical or completely understand what their kids are doing online. How can I bring this content to these parents in a digestible easy to easy-to-understand way?

After speaking with my stakeholders, I realized that adding one more website, Instagram account, or manual, and expecting parents to look through it, was not an effective solution.

So, I shifted from focusing on: Closing the gap between existing online resources created by reputable sources to educate parents who have small kids who consume tech.
To: Alleviating the tension between parents and their small children, stemming from an unregulated system of children's tech access that lacks adequate safeguards.

Build a Prototype

A board game that teaches small kids how to stay safe online

The goal of the game is to learn as a family how to stay safe online. Players earn as many tokens as possible by answering the questions on the cards. At the end of the game, players earn rewardsby exchanging their tokens and selecting a reward from the list of rewards card that the family chose.

Reflections From The Prototype

My questions:

1. Will kids play it?

2. What is engaging + educational content for kids?

3. What should incentives/rewards look like?

4. Will this reduce tension between parents + small kids in relation to tech?

5. What do kids need to learn?

What I learned:

The kids really enjoyed playing the game. They thought it was a great approach to learning about tech while bonding as a family – it fostered a “non-tech” family activity. It was a great time to bring conversations about staying safe online. There was feedback about the actual game: maybe it does not end (like Monopoly), add a self-regulation station, a movement station, the rewards could be non-tech (extra book at night, family move time).

Were there any surprises?

Initially I thought that this would be an educational app, but decided to make it a board game instead. They loved that it was not yet another app because it allowed everyone to engage, learn together. Some of the information was new to parents, so it really educates everyone! The conversations that arise from playing the game are pretty interesting and surprising. Kids thought that it was a fun way to learn.

Based on my deeper understanding of the system and the stakeholders, are there any new questions?

Instead of focusing on educating busy parents – which could work or not, focusing on creating a system that educates and encourages positive behavior in small children is a better choice is a more effective approach. Another learning is that by empowering children, parents and kids are on the same page and have starting conversations in a more positive way.
I am curious about teachers perspective regarding the game… how to reach influencers to such conversations to get them on board. How can this game reach more people? Regarding the game itself, a lot more exploration needs to happen, with experts, focus groups, etc

Anything else to explore?

How can other stakeholders can promote this kind of game? Parents’ plate is already so full. Are there other game options similar to this approach? Feels like I am just scratching the surface of this super interesting complex system… more to come!!

The Ideal Future State of the System

A day in the life of Raquel, an 8 year old living in Philadelphia…

Introduction/background

Meet Raquel, an 8 year old kid who lives in Philadelphia with her parents Lara and Chris, puppy Coco and cat Mika. She attends the neighborhood Montessori school and enjoys playing sports with friends, in particular baseball (she’s a huge Phillie’s fan). She loves watching animal related videos on her tablet, and her favorite online game is Minecraft where she plays the creative mode because she understands that it is the appropriate mode for her age.. She really wants to start playing Roblox because her friends as school talk about it a lot. She has been in conversations with her parents to figure out if this game is an option for her. They will research the topic together and decide if this game aligns with their family values.

Let’s take a look at a weekday in the ideal future of my system:

6:45 AM - Raquel’s mom wakes Raquel up. She gets dressed.

7:00 AM - Raquel comes down to meet her parents in the kitchen while they are already making her favorite breakfast: Waffles with strawberries and freshly squeezed orange juice (her mom is super into juicing lately). She prepares her school lunch and eats (her first chore which earns her extra books at night) <—This time used to be a huge moment of friction because Raquel wanted to use her tablet as soon as she got downstairs. The family got into arguments about it, which set the tone for the rest of the morning.

7:20 AM - The Alexa alarm goes off, letting her know that it is time to brush her teeth. She runs upstairs, brushers her teeth and hair, gets her socks, and comes downstairs.

7:40 AM - The Alexa alarm goes off letting her know that it is time to put on her shoes and jacket. Time to go to school.

4:00 PM - Raquel comes back from school. She asks her parents if she can use her tablet for 1 hour. <— Raquel had gotten into the habit of expecting to be on the tablet for the rest of the evening and had meltdowns when it was time to turn off her device.

5:00 PM - The Alexa alarm goes off letting her know it’s time to set the dinner table (another chore, completing it gives her extra tablet time).

5:30 PM - Family dinner time. They play a game while they eat. No phone or tablet allowed during dinner time.

6:15 PM - Raquel feeds Coco (another chore) and takes him out to play in the backyard. <— Raquel was becoming less active and often preferred to stay online than to go outside.

6:45 PM - The Alexa alarm goes off letting her know that it’s time foe her shower. Raquel puts her clothes in the hamper (another chore) and takes a shower. <— Bedtime was very difficult time for Raquel because it meant that she would be missing out on whatever mom and dad were going to do (even if that meant watching the news). Her little body was just so exhausted and needed rest, but she resisted regularly.

7:10 PM - Raquel puts on her pijamas, brushes her teetch and hair.

7:30 PM - Raquel is in bed. Mom or dad come in for story time. Yay, time for another chapter of The Hobbit!

7:45 PM - Mom or dad set the Calm app bedtime story to help Raquel fall asleep.

All transitions happen without any friction, specially anything technology related. By empowering Raquel, she understands the value of technology. In the mornings, her alarms help her get everything done, so she can get to school on time. Evenings are a better time to engage in tech. Tech rewards are given as incentives when she does her chores. The family is also engaging in important conversations when it comes to certain games or content that Raquel is interested in consuming. Weekends are a little different, but that is a story for another time ;)

Stay safe online!

IDEO U: User-Centered Systems Thinking Certificate