Design Engineering
Showcase 2020

FamilySense incorporates multiple evidence-based frameworks from Design Psychology, and creates a user experience that aims to address the psychological needs of its target users – adolescent children and parents. Amongst these frameworks, there is a focus placed on how child and parent behaviours and goals can be closer aligned, by a spectrum of self-regulation behaviours and parental “monitoring” methods that are respectively adopted by adolescents and parents. User activities on FamilySense were also designed according to evidence-based sources, such as the inclusion of the “Five Ways to Wellbeing” framework for allocating activities, and using a variety of attention techniques or “nudges” to increase users’ adherence to completing their activities. By adopting these sources and combining them with qualitative primary user research, a set of design principles was formulated, which should be addressed by the final concept design.

FamilySense allows users to complete a variety of digital and offline activities on a token-based ‘level’ system, where progress for all family members is visualised. Activities consist of those which are ‘native’ and do not require external input, as well as activities which work alongside third-party value-aligned partner apps or organisations, which focus on user wellbeing rather than attention. The token-based ‘level’ system allows for users to flexibly gain autonomy or control from their family members, which is dependent on users’ adherence to completing their activities. This is directly informed by the previously discussed frameworks, and provides a means for family members to interact in a guided manner and serves as a platform for negotiation. The eventual goal is for family members’ goals to become closer aligned, with adolescents’ self-regulation and an increase in relatedness between adolescents and parents.

A consumer-facing website was created to embody the value propositions and communicate to prospective end-users how FamilySense can help improve digital wellbeing for them and their family members. Learn more at www.familysense.co.uk.