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PRODUCT DESIGN

HoneyComb

HoneyComb

Honeycomb is a mobile app that streamlines parent-school engagement. Designed for inclusivity, it empowers busy and underrepresented parents to stay informed, participate in school decisions, and build community.

Final Design

Final Design

Timeline

February 2023 (24 hours)

Timeline

February 2023 (24 hours)

Team

Lea Hidaka & Me!

Team

Lea Hidaka & Me!

Tools

Pen & paper, Figjam, Figma

Tools

Pen & paper, Figjam, Figma

Context

Honeycomb was created during Design@UCI’s 2023 Design-a-thon with 300+ qualifying participants. Inspired by the theme of Community and Inclusivity, the project aimed to bridge gaps in parent-school engagement by designing a platform that empowers all parents to stay involved.

Challenge

School engagement isn't accessible to all parents.

Many parents face barriers to participating in their child’s education, whether due to busy work schedules, lack of accessible resources, or feeling excluded from traditional school involvement channels like the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). These gaps can leave parents disconnected from important decisions affecting their children.

Challenge

School engagement isn't accessible to all parents.

Many parents face barriers to participating in their child’s education, whether due to busy work schedules, lack of accessible resources, or feeling excluded from traditional school involvement channels like the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). These gaps can leave parents disconnected from important decisions affecting their children.

Challenge

School engagement isn't accessible to all parents.

Many parents face barriers to participating in their child’s education, whether due to busy work schedules, lack of accessible resources, or feeling excluded from traditional school involvement channels like the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). These gaps can leave parents disconnected from important decisions affecting their children.

Solution

An all-in-one digital platform that supports parent involvement.

Honeycomb is a mobile-first solution that empowers parents to stay informed, voice their opinions, and build connections within their kid's school community. By providing easy access to updates, decision-making tools, and peer support, it removes traditional barriers to engagement.

Solution

An all-in-one digital platform that supports parent involvement.

Honeycomb is a mobile-first solution that empowers parents to stay informed, voice their opinions, and build connections within their kid's school community. By providing easy access to updates, decision-making tools, and peer support, it removes traditional barriers to engagement.

Solution

An all-in-one digital platform that supports parent involvement.

Honeycomb is a mobile-first solution that empowers parents to stay informed, voice their opinions, and build connections within their kid's school community. By providing easy access to updates, decision-making tools, and peer support, it removes traditional barriers to engagement.

Background research

Most parents have full-time jobs, and a bunch of other responsibilities, too.

The Employment Characteristics of Families 2021 published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the majority of parents have full-time job responsibilities. Because of that, the highest percentage of schools perceived lack of time on the part of parents as a barrier to a great or moderate extent.

Background research

Most parents have full-time jobs, and a bunch of other responsibilities, too.

The Employment Characteristics of Families 2021 published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the majority of parents have full-time job responsibilities. Because of that, the highest percentage of schools perceived lack of time on the part of parents as a barrier to a great or moderate extent.

Background research

Most parents have full-time jobs, and a bunch of other responsibilities, too.

The Employment Characteristics of Families 2021 published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the majority of parents have full-time job responsibilities. Because of that, the highest percentage of schools perceived lack of time on the part of parents as a barrier to a great or moderate extent.

96.5%

of married-couple families have at least one employed parent.

81.7%

of single-fathers are employed with full-time jobs.

71.2%

of single-mothers are employed with full-time jobs.

Interview

"Who's going to watch the kids while I'm at a school meeting?"

With the limited time we had, we reached out to our own parents as well as a few of their friends to gather their perspectives and experiences with school involvements. The group of parents we spoke to included single parents working full time jobs, immigrant parents with language barriers, and parents of low-income families.

Interview

"Who's going to watch the kids while I'm at a school meeting?"

With the limited time we had, we reached out to our own parents as well as a few of their friends to gather their perspectives and experiences with school involvements. The group of parents we spoke to included single parents working full time jobs, immigrant parents with language barriers, and parents of low-income families.

Interview

"Who's going to watch the kids while I'm at a school meeting?"

With the limited time we had, we reached out to our own parents as well as a few of their friends to gather their perspectives and experiences with school involvements. The group of parents we spoke to included single parents working full time jobs, immigrant parents with language barriers, and parents of low-income families.

pain points

The PTA is not for all parents.

Traditionally, the only channel for parents to be informed and stay involved with their child's education is through the Parent Teacher Assosications (PTA). However, PTAs are not designed to be accessible for parents. They often exclude busy families due to inconvenient meetings, exclusive leadership, and scattered communication,

pain points

The PTA is not for all parents.

Traditionally, the only channel for parents to be informed and stay involved with their child's education is through the Parent Teacher Assosications (PTA). However, PTAs are not designed to be accessible for parents. They often exclude busy families due to inconvenient meetings, exclusive leadership, and scattered communication,

pain points

The PTA is not for all parents.

Traditionally, the only channel for parents to be informed and stay involved with their child's education is through the Parent Teacher Assosications (PTA). However, PTAs are not designed to be accessible for parents. They often exclude busy families due to inconvenient meetings, exclusive leadership, and scattered communication,

⏳

High Time Commitments

PTA involvement requires extreme time dedication for meetings, events, volunteer work, and more. Parents with jobs and a busy schedule simply don't have this kind of capacity.

🔒

Extremely Exclusive

Most PTA positions require nominations and a lengthy application process. Parents without an established network in the school community are disadvantaged from the start.

🤔

Lack of Credible Information

Many parents struggle to find school district updates, let alone ways to contribute. Immigrant parents face an additional language barrier, further limiting their access to information.

opportunity for design

How might we support underrepresented parents in their pursuit of school involvement to foster an inclusive education system?

opportunity for design

How might we support underrepresented parents in their pursuit of school involvement to foster an inclusive education system?

opportunity for design

How might we support underrepresented parents in their pursuit of school involvement to foster an inclusive education system?

Information architecture

Streamlined access to everything that matters.

Honeycomb’s information architecture focuses on quick, intuitive navigations to help parents easily access important school updates, decision-making tools, and community resources. With a focus on clarity and ease of use, Honeycomb ensures that all parents, regardless of language or tech skills, can stay informed and engaged.

Information architecture

Streamlined access to everything that matters.

Honeycomb’s information architecture focuses on quick, intuitive navigations to help parents easily access important school updates, decision-making tools, and community resources. With a focus on clarity and ease of use, Honeycomb ensures that all parents, regardless of language or tech skills, can stay informed and engaged.

Information architecture

Streamlined access to everything that matters.

Honeycomb’s information architecture focuses on quick, intuitive navigations to help parents easily access important school updates, decision-making tools, and community resources. With a focus on clarity and ease of use, Honeycomb ensures that all parents, regardless of language or tech skills, can stay informed and engaged.

sketches

Rapid ideation to explore potential solutions.

In this stage, quick sketches were used to brainstorm and refine Honeycomb’s design concepts. By visualizing the user flow, we were able to quickly iterate on potential designs and ensure the app’s flow is intuitive and user-friendly.

sketches

Rapid ideation to explore potential solutions.

In this stage, quick sketches were used to brainstorm and refine Honeycomb’s design concepts. By visualizing the user flow, we were able to quickly iterate on potential designs and ensure the app’s flow is intuitive and user-friendly.

sketches

Rapid ideation to explore potential solutions.

In this stage, quick sketches were used to brainstorm and refine Honeycomb’s design concepts. By visualizing the user flow, we were able to quickly iterate on potential designs and ensure the app’s flow is intuitive and user-friendly.

Disclaimer

Due to the time constraints of the design-a-thon, we skipped the typical iterative process of exploring multiple variations and user testing. Instead, we made assumptions based on initial insights and jumped directly to a high-fidelity prototype.

Disclaimer

Due to the time constraints of the design-a-thon, we skipped the typical iterative process of exploring multiple variations and user testing. Instead, we made assumptions based on initial insights and jumped directly to a high-fidelity prototype.

Disclaimer

Due to the time constraints of the design-a-thon, we skipped the typical iterative process of exploring multiple variations and user testing. Instead, we made assumptions based on initial insights and jumped directly to a high-fidelity prototype.

final design

HoneyComb: empowering all parents.

The final design focuses on delivering a product that directly addresses the barriers to parent involvement. By combining information access, decision-making tools, and community features into one intuitive platform, Honeycomb ensures that all parents can easily stay informed, contribute, and build connections within their school community.

final design

HoneyComb: empowering all parents.

The final design focuses on delivering a product that directly addresses the barriers to parent involvement. By combining information access, decision-making tools, and community features into one intuitive platform, Honeycomb ensures that all parents can easily stay informed, contribute, and build connections within their school community.

final design

HoneyComb: empowering all parents.

The final design focuses on delivering a product that directly addresses the barriers to parent involvement. By combining information access, decision-making tools, and community features into one intuitive platform, Honeycomb ensures that all parents can easily stay informed, contribute, and build connections within their school community.

My Feed

Personalized feed that allows the parent to stay up to date with the school district.

My Feed

Personalized feed that allows the parent to stay up to date with the school district.

My Feed

Personalized feed that allows the parent to stay up to date with the school district.

Events

Concise calendar to effortlessly keep track of ongoing events.

Events

Concise calendar to effortlessly keep track of ongoing events.

Events

Concise calendar to effortlessly keep track of ongoing events.

Advocacy

Vote on ongoing initiatives to promote inclusive decision-making.

Advocacy

Vote on ongoing initiatives to promote inclusive decision-making.

Advocacy

Vote on ongoing initiatives to promote inclusive decision-making.

Community

Foster a sense of belonging for all families.

Community

Foster a sense of belonging for all families.

Community

Foster a sense of belonging for all families.

Check out the Figma Prototype

Check out the Figma Prototype

Check out the Figma Prototype

recognition

HoneyComb won 2nd place!

Out of 75+ qualifying projects, HoneyComb placed second in the Design-a-thon, receiving notable recognition and valuable feedback from a panel of experts in design and engineering.

recognition

HoneyComb won 2nd place!

Out of 75+ qualifying projects, HoneyComb placed second in the Design-a-thon, receiving notable recognition and valuable feedback from a panel of experts in design and engineering.

recognition

HoneyComb won 2nd place!

Out of 75+ qualifying projects, HoneyComb placed second in the Design-a-thon, receiving notable recognition and valuable feedback from a panel of experts in design and engineering.

reflection

What I learned from my first Design-a-thon.

reflection

What I learned from my first Design-a-thon.

reflection

What I learned from my first Design-a-thon.

Research builds the foundation for design

Despite the time constraints, much of our success stemmed from solid user research. By leveraging existing quantitative studies and conducting concise interviews with our target users, we gathered key insights that directly guided our design decisions. This research-driven approach allowed us to present features backed by data rather than intuition.

Humanize design through storytelling

In the final presentation, we used storytelling to establish an emotional connection with the audience. By presenting a persona that represented our target audience, we painted a vivid picture of a busy parent’s daily life and how HoneyComb comes in the picture. One judge, a working father, expressed how he could imagine himself using the product.

Adrenaline + Sleep deprivation = Magic

The rush of competition and tight deadlines turned out to be a powerful motivator for me. I’ve learned that timed design challenges evokes my creative flow, pushing me to produce my best work under pressure. Although this is not a sustainable working style, it's definitely exciting to partake in such sprints every once in a while!

The end

Thank you for reading!

The end

Thank you for reading!

The end

Thank you for reading!

check out my other work

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Thanks for stopping by-

Let's grab a coffee.

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© Made with love and kombucha in Seattle, Washington 👩‍💻

Thanks for stopping by-

Let's grab a coffee.

LinkedIn

Resume

Email

© Made with love and kombucha in Seattle, Washington 👩‍💻

Thanks for stopping by-

Let's grab a coffee.

LinkedIn

Resume

Email

© Made with love and kombucha in Seattle, Washington 👩‍💻