Playtopia-Coloring Dreams with Affordable Designs
Overview
Role
Tufts University’s Producthon is held once a year with student teams from any university in Boston.As a team and UX Lead of the team, we were the winner of Education Track with a product solving problems regarding art education among low-income communities in the United States participating in Tufts University's 2024 Producthon.
UX Lead
Timeline
Dec 2023, 72 hours
BACKGROUND
Kids from low-income families involved in arts have better long-term academic, occupational and social outcomes than their peers. Art Students are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievements. 46% of youth studying art for 2 hours a week did not engage in violent behavior, even once.
Target Users
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Family Income: $58,000
Motivation & Goals:
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Loves drawing animals but has no one to ask for guidance
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Wants to explore his love for art at home and make friends
Little Jimmy
Age: 8 years old
Pain points:
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School’s art program is underfunded
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Parents can’t afford art lessons
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Doesn't like watching art tutorials on YouTube as he thinks he's "bad" at art if he can't keep up
Curious
“I want to draw dolphins and planets!!”
Sensitive
Shy
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Occupation: Art Instructor
Motivation & Goals:
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Wants students to develop communication, empathy, & discipline through the arts
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Wants to expand arts program
Ava Miller
Age: 42 years old
Pain points:
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Budget cuts
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Lack of qualified instructors
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Parents & teachers unaware of benefits of arts
Passionate
Realistic
Firm
“I wish there was a way to foster creativity in our students without burdening our budget.”
The Problem
When the Budgets are cut,
Art is the first one to go.
~40%
of cut time in a school week is arts education
Only 32 States
consider the arts a core subject
15.1%
decline in 18-year-olds who received any arts education
The Solution
Playtopia is where imagination takes center stage. Children explore art, music, dance, and more without teachers dictating their path while providing affordable arts education to alleviate school budget concerns
Learn
Imagine
Connect
Watch fun & quick demos by specialists that inspire creative thinking
Picture, play, perform! Bring your creativity to life
Dream big by sharing your work with friends
UNLEASH YOUR INNER CREATIVITY AT ANY POINT
This is the main page, or map, where children can click on any star to begin learning, imagining, and creating.
Now, let’s click on a star, which will lead us to a demo and activity. These demos are filmed by experts, where students can watch and get inspired, with no pressure to follow step-by step, or even follow at all!
SEE WHAT YOUR FRIENDS CREATE AT THE GALLERY
Our activities focus on concepts and problem-solving, rather than techniques or following instructions.
After each activity, students earn cool stars to show off to family and friends.
Earn & Show Off the Stickers
Why keep your amazing creations to yourself, when you can share work at the gallery?
This encourages kids to grow their skills and venture into uncertain, but exciting paths, helping them find the courage to continue pursuing the arts!
Next Steps
-
Collaborate with experts to create activities/tutorials
Research
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Analyze & evaluate customer feedback
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Refine content & functionality
Beta Test & Refine
Development
Connect
Launch
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Implement key functionality: Receive demo videos from experts
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Map, navigation bar, etc. interface
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“Gallery” function for sharing work
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Find which school districts need arts education supplements
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Offer discounted fee to tester schools
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Real-world testing
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Track initial revenue/KPI
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Focus on marketing (ads/referrals)