Design for parenting, with John Zimmerman

Insights from a discussion with John on the ‘Reverse alarm clock’ and more….

The moment we found out about the reverse alarm clock (https://www.engadget.com/2007/05/11/reverse-alarm-clock-keeps-the-kids-in-bed-so-you-can-party/) and the designer John Zimmerman, we knew he would be of great help to our project on the involvement of parents in their child’s bedtime routine. The meeting led to a number of insights(see below) that helped us narrow in on what the ‘product’ should do.

• People emotionally bond to physical products, as against digital
  A storybook we read as kids is special and brings back fond memories, whereas a book on kindle will not hold a similar position.
• Design for the long-term goal and not just to solve an immediate issue.
• Focussing on what already works well and making it better is tougher (and more useful) than making something that is bad less bad.
• Focus on ONE problem and do it well.
• Understand the deeper drives of the users.
• Don’t make the product educational just because it is for kids.
• You don’t need a reminder for something if you are already doing it. Design smart products that aware of the environment.
• Sleep is one of those things that take care of itself. What happenes before and after that is available for us to think about.
• Test what you think is horrible. This way you can test your judgements on what is horrible and what is not.
• Promote behaviour change. This does not happen by giving information or trying to convince users.

“Don’t design for the world you want to have. Design for the world you have.”