rachelsthesisblog

[rachelsthesisblog]

040519

My next prototype and final intervention idea.

I spoke with Godni (AFB president) about the idea of a calendar, and he loves the idea. So my next step is to send this out to moms and reach out to other organizations as well to see if other moms would like to join. 

I CAN SEE THE FINISH LINE!!!!

[rachelsthesisblog]

040119

My first pass at my intervention ecosystem map. Tomorrow is my meeting with Miya about my final intervention.

I had the hardest time figuring out what an intervention even was! But now I think I get it, it is the event or activity, or whatever it may be, that brings people to my final output project. Literally, an intervention that makes people think, hm, this seems like something I could be a part of.

So my intervention is an information booth/session at a hospital where I can get to give information to parents, and get them to sign up for the Club, but at the moment, since I’m working with A Free Bird, I’ll prototype an information booth type of thing within the hospitals that AFB is already working in and try to get more families that way. So I’m working on making a brochure about the AFB Support Group to see if more parents would like to join the support group.

[rachelsthesisblog]

031819

A rough first pass of what I want to have for the final intervention. A fully functioning program. This isn’t everything, but I think with this, it could start to live on its own.

[rachelsthesisblog]

031819

This is the yoga studio that I found, and it’s a bit closer to Long Island, so my next test will be to test locations, and if moms will come depending on location, which I think they will since one of the comments in the first questionnaire I sent out got feedback saying that location was a big deal. I just need to find a day.

I’ve already emailed the studio so I’m waiting for a response for confirmation of spots, and have emailed the moms from the AFB support group email about another support group event coming up.

Next step is to create personalized invitations and also for those who can’t make it, somehow make it inclusive for them by sending them a ticket to the yoga studio or something to go on their own, or having the mom(s) that go to write something to the mom’s that didn’t go or video or photo or something to make them feel included in the event even if they didn’t make it.

[rachelsthesisblog]

Thinking

031819

Thinking of making a website for my final intervention to live on. Since I want eventually this program to live on its own, I want it to be something that I can present as its own living thing, and also as a part of A Free Bird Organization.

I’ve also started to email another type of event place - yoga!

When I was speaking with the moms, I heard that they would appreciate a physical type of activity. And yoga, being a sort of art, I found a place that does free yoga so I will be setting up and seeing when the best time would be for the moms, and set up a day to go. This event is a bit more vulnerable in my opinion. Since this is a physical activity. And I also want to try doing a “bring a friend” sort of event, so that moms can bring somebody to go with them on the event. To bring a little bit more of a comfort level to the event and maybe a bit more of a social aspect. (we’ll see tho)

[rachelsthesisblog]

022619

Posted on the A Free Bird Instagram page after the paint night! Good feedback! from Karon @kazl82ux a consistent attendee of the support group events (so far have had 2 intervention type events)

[rachelsthesisblog]

Finalizing Intervention

031119

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t do much over spring break, which happened last week. But I did have a lot of time to think about my intervention. I just haven’t had the time to jot them down in my blog. 

I had this idea about Offline Social Club ambassadors! - so that maybe it doesn’t even have to do with volunteers being a part of this thing to take the parents to these events, but the ambassadors, the women who have been to 2 or more events or something become ambassadors and role models for other women. So that it becomes a real sort of club, with more appearances and joining the events, the moms slowly work their way up into assuming a responsibility, that way, they can really be a part of this club and feel like it is theirs - which is the main big reason for my thesis. To give the people something that they can call their own. If I or volunteers cannot go to the events, there can be a mom who has been to more than one to be there and be the greeter.

I have also been working on starting to make this club a standalone piece. Just to test to see if moms would register and let me know that they would like to attend these events. So this week, I’m making an Instagram page for the Offline Social Club and putting up events that cancer community can sign up for as well as using the old photos from previous events up. I hope this works. And as a sort of incentive for moms to consistently come to the events, there will be ranks in the club. Like premium, silver, gold, platinum something like that for moms to want to gain ranks and get stuff, like bringing back the childhood into adulthood - from my previous gates about my thesis principles, one of them being childhood in adulthood. This is amazing. So the childhood piece would be bringing in a sort of badge system, like girl scouts but for parents and when they achieve and come to a certain type of event, they’ve now achieved and unlocked some new status where they can suggest the place they want to have the next event or something like that and start hosting their own events!

[rachelsthesisblog]

022519

Gate 04 - with all main insights from prototypes and all 4 prototypes.

The intervention color is yellow because yellow is the color of childhood cancer, and even if later, this project does continue to develop and become a living thing, it started with childhood cancer caregivers so it will keep its roots in helping and providing opportunities for moms and informal caregivers but maybe it can expand on its own and be something that not only childhood cancer caregivers can be a part of but something more later.

[rachelsthesisblog]

Paint Night

032419

Prototype 3! This was such a home run! The moms recognized each other from A Free Bird, and other organizations as well. 

The fact that moms recognized each other form other organizations was a good sign for me because that told me that if I were to continue with my intervention of the Offline Social Club, moms would hear about the events and even other moms from other organizations will definitely come because they know one another from events!

An insight I found was that positive encouragement happens naturally when in an arts setting. Both moms were looking over at each other’s works and commenting and laughing the entire time. It was nice to see them be able to lift each other up because that’s exactly what they need. It was fun, there were laughs, there was encouragement, and there was comfort and almost a little bit of vulnerability which they were able to overcome by sitting next to each other and encouraging one another.

[rachelsthesisblog]

021219

YESSS! Next event coming right up!

I was looking for another event space to donate tickets or something to the organization and I was able to get 4 free spots for paint night for the AFB Support Group for moms! Thank you Lord!

[rachelsthesisblog]

First-round Logic Model

[rachelsthesisblog]

HYPOTHESES

OLD HYPOTHESES FROM ABOUT A MONTH AGO, BUT I WANTED TO POST THEM ANYWAY SINCE THIS POST WAS SITTING IN MY DRAFTS FOLDER

1. Self-discovery activities contribute to family happiness.

2. Moms feel complete in making/creating something for themselves.

3. Moms went on wine and paint night and kids liked her painting, so she felt validated and happy.

4. Validation encourages moms to be more creative.

5. Creativity and breaking rules of adulthood decrease anxiety levels.

6. Social support improves the self-efficacy of life.

[rachelsthesisblog]

Planning Prototype 04

021019

What: Theater night When: Weekend of Feb 15 or the weekend after

What do I want to learn? How do mothers interact with one another? What sorts of stories do they share? What do they laugh at? How do they feel knowing that this night was for them?

[rachelsthesisblog]

Meeting with Miya

020419

What is my thesis?

Giving mom’s with children in cancer treatment to have opportunities to explore (you need to define and prototype what this is) creative “self-care” (need a new word) and way focus on themselves (need) through interactions that are (you will test these “hypotheses”):

- With other moms who share my experience - Frequent interactions so that I can take a break from the cancer space **Prototype and test so that you don’t create burden - Positive and artistic - Giving back to the organization by participating in the event

Barriers

- Unpredictable situations will come up which will get in the way of attending - Someone new may not know it’s right for them - Enjoyment in a “night for her” but she also had some moments of taking care of others - Laughter (emotions) is memorable and meaningful

[rachelsthesisblog]

Hypothesis

020319

If I make the support group for both parents and their children, it motivates more families to join the organization. 

(in a hidden way, I’ll be focusing on the parent by targetting the kids) Planning things that kids might think is great but actually brings their parents more joy.

____________________________

Event ideas from interviews with mothers:

- Pottery Class - Photography Class - Comedy Club (is great! - feedback from moms) - Shows

[rachelsthesisblog]

Akshata Malhotra - Prototyping Lecture

012819

Akshata Malhotra

- Your best judgment of answers you have to questions we have right now. - Testing the assumption we have through the process of prototyping. - How do you help people to understand the value of design when they have no idea what it is - WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR THESIS TOPIC? (write it down)

Hypothesis-driven prototyping

- Incorporate the main question into all the prototypes - What is my current hypothesis about my thesis? - Even if it’s a single conversation, how does that evolve the new hypothesis? - Gain clarity about why it matters to you - Before you test your prototype, write your hypothesis - Pay attention to your intuition - Fall in love with the problem, not the solution - Find ways to gain trust from your audience an get feedback - Anchor existing motivations to create new behavior (can’t create new motivations) - A probe is meant to discover something (to discover issues and barriers) - Prototypes are for inquiry

____________________________

AKSHATA’S PROCESS

1. Create a hypothesis question for each prototype 2. Create a journey map of the thinking behind which organization the families decide to become a part of. 3. Glean the learning/insight 3a. Steps 1-3 - do it 3 times or so 4. Behavioral patterns (+3) 5. Join insights and behavioral patterns into a final intervention

____________________________

MY PROCESS (what is happening right now that doesn’t need to happen? - what is my ideal future state)

What is my problem? - Mothers of children with cancer and other chronic illnesses need support - Caregivers do not have time or opportunities for self-care - Why should moms care about caring for themselves? (what can I do that will help them to care - what is there that moms can relate to that makes them understand that they need to care for themselves? - they care about their kids) - caring for yourself helps your motivation to help your kids/family while feeling less burnt out and there is also a decrease in anxiety.

What are my audience’s unmet needs?

What did I learn from my research? - Mothers don’t have a lot of time - They need self-care - Moms are happy when their family is happy - Moms feel guilty when they take time for themselves

What is my “How Might I”? - How might I create time for self-care for mothers who don’t have a lot of time?

What is my hypothesis (an area that suggests a solution to the problem)? - Moms do not have the (courage) to do things for themselves - Moms don’t know what to do with their free time - Moms don’t have enough opportunities for self-care - Moms don’t have anybody to keep them accountable for their self-care - If I make support group for both parents and kids, that motivates parents to join for the organization. (in a hidden way, focus on the parent but target the kids as well) - Do things that kids might think is kind of great but also gives the parents joy - Incorporate physicality. Call it something other than “support group” - Cave day - combatting procrastination - Hidden agenda for moms but for kids - have all the things for moms not to feel guilty but also be able to have a good time while their kids are there

What will it take for my audience to do more self-care? - More opportunities

Next steps: - Prototype of: Create flyers of different support group events and send out to the moms to see which events they are most interested in - Map out between now and May 1, the timeline of my plan for my thesis - What is the shared activity that moms can do while their kids can also do - How often can I hold these events? How frequently does it need to be for moms need to feel they are getting the care they need - Education towards that cancer their child’s cancer situation - What is the value that keeps them coming back?