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Togit: Enabling employed mothers to have better work-life balance

Grand Finalist - Philips Service Design Challenge '23

Area

Interaction Design

Service Design

My Role

Researcher, Strategist,

Prototyper, Motion Designer

Duration

December 2022 - May 2023

Industry

Childcare & Maternal Care

Women Empowerment

View Process Booklet →

View Credential Badge →

Discover the final solution, its scope, the business rollout strategy, and more here

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Discover the final solution, its scope, the business rollout strategy, and more here

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Discover the final solution, its scope, the business rollout strategy, and more here

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The Problem

Employed mothers in India face increasing difficulty in balancing childcare and careers as traditional support systems have weakened and reliable, affordable childcare options remain scarce.

The Solution

Togit eases the childcare burden for employed mothers by providing affordable, intergenerational care, helping them achieve a better work-life balance.

By repurposing local spaces and partnering with communities, Togit creates a supportive environment where trained caretakers and elderly volunteers provide personalized care, fostering trust, growth, and connection.

Facets of the Solution

Intergenerational Care

Involving elderly residents as volunteers to provide individual attention to children, fostering trust among mothers and addressing loneliness in the elderly.

Intergenerational Care

Involving elderly residents as volunteers to provide individual attention to children, fostering trust among mothers and addressing loneliness in the elderly.

Intergenerational Care

Involving elderly residents as volunteers to provide individual attention to children, fostering trust among mothers and addressing loneliness in the elderly.

Real-Time Parental Assurance

Implement app-based live updates, allowing mothers to monitor their children's well-being throughout the day.

Real-Time Parental Assurance

Implement app-based live updates, allowing mothers to monitor their children's well-being throughout the day.

Real-Time Parental Assurance

Implement app-based live updates, allowing mothers to monitor their children's well-being throughout the day.

Community-Based Childcare

Establishing childcare centers within residential societies, making them easily accessible and reducing transportation concerns for employed mothers.

Community-Based Childcare

Establishing childcare centers within residential societies, making them easily accessible and reducing transportation concerns for employed mothers.

Community-Based Childcare

Establishing childcare centers within residential societies, making them easily accessible and reducing transportation concerns for employed mothers.

Flexible Expansion Model

Repurposing existing facilities and partner with institutions to scale the service, adapting to various locations and community needs.

Flexible Expansion Model

Repurposing existing facilities and partner with institutions to scale the service, adapting to various locations and community needs.

Flexible Expansion Model

Repurposing existing facilities and partner with institutions to scale the service, adapting to various locations and community needs.

Holistic & Affordable

Maintaining a low child to caretaker ratio by combining elderly volunteers with trained staff, ensuring quality care at a sustainable cost.

Holistic & Affordable

Maintaining a low child to caretaker ratio by combining elderly volunteers with trained staff, ensuring quality care at a sustainable cost.

Holistic & Affordable

Maintaining a low child to caretaker ratio by combining elderly volunteers with trained staff, ensuring quality care at a sustainable cost.

Read the detailed research process here

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Read the detailed research process here

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Read the detailed research process here

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How did we discover the perfect formula for balancing work and childcare?

Employed mothers experience significant stress and career compromises due to insufficient support systems, lack of flexibility, and overwhelming mental and emotional strain.

"People need to understand that she is a human before she’s a mother. A woman’s needs are always neglected, she’s never a human being and always has a role to play."

Who all are involved?

Exploring the interconnected web of stakeholders in childcare for employed Indian women, this ecosystem map reveals how aligning various elements can effectively address work-life balance challenges.

Discovering challenges & building empathy through bodystorming

Through field visits, interviews, card-sorting, and empathy-building exercises, we gained deep insights into the unrecognized labor of mothers and the unique challenges employed mothers face.

"I don’t have any time to do what I like doing in fact I can’t recall the last time I picked a book. My favourite thing to do was to read and watch TV — watching TV is pretty much cartoons now; reading books is 'grufallo' or something else I read for my son."

This journey map captures the daily life of employed mothers, emphasizing the emotional highs and lows as they juggle work and childcare. It details key actions, thoughts, and pain points across each stage of the day, highlighting stressors like inadequate support and mental overload.

The map also captures our emotional experience trying to enact a day in their life through bodystorming.

Invalidated assumptions & other discoveries

Our research and empathy-building activities opened our eyes to the daily challenges employed mothers face, which often go unnoticed.

"Once you join back work, there is a very little chance that you would meet a empathetic manager or a supportive team where they would understand that your life has changed and at some point your priorities have changed."

They also helped debunk many societal assumptions we initially believed to be true.

Arriving at the final problem

How might we help employed mothers find a well maintained, safe and reliable childcare service which ensures proper care while accommodating their busy schedules?

Addressing this is crucial for fostering well-being, financial independence, and reducing gender disparities. It ensures long-term security, career opportunities, and a positive impact on psychological well-being, creating a foundation for generational financial literacy.

Ideation & Co-creation

We co-created with five employed mothers and their children, which significantly deepened our understanding of their needs. From this, we developed three key concepts and involved 70 mothers in an A/B testing process, using posters, storyboards, and key service features to identify the most favourable idea.

The three concept posters that were used for A/B testing

The Togit App

The Togit application primarily connects parents, caretakers, and the elderly. It also offers features to track the child, monitor activities, and follow growth, reducing parents' worries.

The onboarding kit

The onboarding kit features interactive tap-in ID cards for parents & children, along with engaging games and stickers. It also includes a brochure to help users better understand the service.