Challenges
CHALLENGE #1
There is one thing parents don't have – and that's time
Between doctor appointments, daycare organization, shopping, household tasks, and leisure activities, there is little room for extensive planning or even research.
Yet, many everyday tasks are connected to exactly this kind of planning and research, including the search for a suitable playground.
While one might initially assume that choosing a playground is simple – you just pick one nearby – the reality looks entirely different.
CHALLENGE #2
Playground Fit
At the latest, when trying to accommodate the needs of multiple children of different ages, parents face a significant challenge. Adding to this is the need to fit playground visits into the rest of the day’s schedule.
To save parents from investing their valuable time in research and trial-and-error attempts, Platzsy helps them find the perfect playground. This application was developed during the Open Data Hackathon 2022/2023.
Approach
To enable a user-centered design process despite the relatively short timeframe, an initial analysis was conducted. This involved closely examining the user groups of parents, daycare centers, and the city. Based on a detailed description of these user groups and corresponding scenarios, use cases for the application were derived.
The use cases were discussed, grouped, and prioritized within the team. Based on these insights, a product backlog was defined for the higher-priority use cases. Using this backlog, individual features were grouped according to functionalities and distributed among the team.
APPROACH #1
MVP
Before starting the conceptual phase, an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) was defined to help maintain focus on the essential features from the backlog throughout the design and development process.
For the conceptual phase, wireframes were first created on a whiteboard. These were then divided among the team and developed into more detailed prototypes in Figma. The prototypes were implemented component by component. After completing the implementation of a feature, the results were reviewed by other team members to ensure the feature could be marked as completed.
Functionality
Three essential features were identified and implemented for the MVP. First, a map-based overview is provided, displaying all playgrounds based on broad characteristics (e.g., size: small/large, water play: yes/no). This allows users to determine how playgrounds can be incorporated into daily routes or which playgrounds are located near specific places.
To prevent users from being overwhelmed with irrelevant information, a filtering feature was implemented. In the current prototype, users can filter playgrounds by equipment, distance, children’s age, rating, and accessibility. When a filter is applied, only playgrounds matching the specified criteria are displayed on the map.
In addition to the overall playground map, Platzsy offers a detailed view of individual playgrounds. This view displays all relevant factors (e.g., distance, current information, children’s age, equipment, environmental features, location, and reviews). Additionally, Platzsy allows users to submit reviews for selected playgrounds.
The Application
The application was implemented as a web app using various tools. The content management system Strapi was used for data preparation and structuring on the backend. The data foundation consists of data from OpenStreetMap as well as additional data collected by team members about playground equipment, environmental features, and seating options.
The Vue JavaScript framework was utilized for the implementation. To ensure a consistent look and feel while avoiding excessive time investment in developing a custom component library, the Vuestic UI framework was employed for frontend design.
Key Learings
LEARNING #1
Time Management and Prioritization
With limited time during the hackathon, I learned to prioritize features through careful use case analysis. By defining an MVP early, we were able to stay focused on delivering core functionalities rather than spreading efforts across a wide range of features.
LEARNING #2
Focus on Accessibility and Inclusivity
Designing features like accessibility filtering reinforced the importance of creating applications that cater to diverse user groups, ensuring inclusivity in design and implementation.
Platzsy - Your Playground Assistant was developed as a group project during the Open Data Hackathon 2022/2023, receiving a grade of 1.0.