HIRO - Service Design
HIRO - Service Design
What was the project
This was a service design project focused on the home space. After tossing around a few ideas, my team decided to look at new parents. We explored new mothers going back to work as well as breastfeeding. As we researched we discovered a multitude of problems new parents face, especially mothers. They are inundated with services, products and contradictory information. Although we wanted to help, we found the service space too saturated to offer without adding more to her plate.
So we pivoted. To Dads.
What we did
Our team found that parents are juxtaposed between a deep love for their children and family, and utter exhaustion. Fathers had significantly less access to services, and often felt on the outside even within their own family. The dads said the first six months were a blur, and that raising their kids felt like an ongoing natural disaster.
From our interviews wanted to increase access to services for fathers, while enabling them to take action and support their family. Many families reported similar issues within the first 2 years of a child being born but that issues often varied from child to child. Support networks also struggled to know exactly how to help and often left families feeling abandoned, especially after the first child.
Our service needed to:
Provide the right information when families need it
Facilitate functional and emotional support
Recognize progress & accomplishments
Enable personal time-out
Who was on the team
Tara Flippin, Veerapriya Veerasubramanian and myself
What I did
Conducted primary and secondary research. Recruited and conducted interviews with new parents. Built value web. Co-created storyboards and illustrated storyboards. Presented service to stakeholders.
Signing up through HIRO is simple. Users determine their priorities, so packages can be customized. When crises occur, there are existing packages with 3 services each based around needs, like "Need a nap?" Users can use the app to order services or call directly. Once packages are picked, physical services are delivered to the home, and digital services are delivered through the app, like consultations with lactation consultants or nurses. Payment is done by user or from family and friends through gifting.
What tools we used
10 video interviews with parents with children under 2 to understand the challenges they faced, how they prepared and what help they needed with most
Photo diaries with 6 parents during a week
Expert interview with a lactation consultant to understand needs of new mothers immediately after pregnancy
Value webs and service blueprints to map out how the service would work
Low fidelity prototyping including a fake website we used to solicit feedback
High fidelity mockups and app design
Storyboards to present use cases and service flow
Do Dads really need HIRO?
New parents face many challenges. They prepare as best they can, but it's hard to feel completely ready. HIRO helps respond to what they can't prepare for.
Stop crises before they start
When new babies are struggling to put on weight while breastfeeding and your fridge is running low, HIRO can get parents the help they need on demand.
HIRO delivers relevant on-demand services
Understanding the needs of new parents, HIRO empowers dads to get the services they need immediately to stop crises before they begin, to built trust and prevent resentment.
Family and friends can support when needed
HIRO's model enables help only when needed, which encourages family and friends to support new parents knowing their gifts will be utilized when they need them most.
