The Problem
During pregnancy, moms-to-be don't account for the lack of sleep after the baby is born and during first weeks of taking care of the baby (postpartum period). Sleep deprivation, lack of support and inability to ask for help are strongly linked to postpartum depression.
The mom-to-be doesn't have all the information to consider exactly the help/services she might need during the first weeks after birth and requires a comprehensive list of available support.
Friends are very excited for the new mom and are willing to help but don't know what exactly she might need after the baby is born and how might they help. They will benefit from a checklist/wishlist of help items and things she will need that reflect her individual needs.
The Need
Help, support, promote self-care, getting enough rest to be able to happily continue motherhood duties and eliminate risk for postpartum depression and social isolation.
What is The New Mom's Wish List (NMWL)
NMWL is a digital application that allows soon-to-be moms, recent mom's or friend's and family of moms to create a maternal "registry" of postpartum services that focus on maintaining mom's mental health and well-being during prenatal and postnatal periods. With over half a million moms experiencing postpartum depression every year, there is a growing awareness and push to create environments and services to help prevent it. We want to break the stigma surrounding postpartum depression by creating a tool that taps a mother's network to help support her through a challenging time via monetary contributions to a New Mom's Wish List. NMWL not only connects mother to services she may not on her own be able to afford or even knows about, it connects her to her network by providing friends, family, and acquaintances with a low-impact but a high-value way of showing their support for the new mom.
The Value Proposition
The value of NMWL is creating a network of support for a new mom in the gifting of prenatal and postnatal services aimed at mitigating PPD. Unlike a baby shower, NMWL aims to put the mom and her mental health first, allowing to create a wishlist of services she couldn't afford on her own or services that may have previously felt weird to ask for in the context of a baby shower.
Beyond the gift itself, engaging with the tool will help mom to feel supported by her network during this emotional and unsure time however far they may be. It will also help her to feel more in-control of her pregnancy without worrying about money and access to quality services.
Moreover - our low barrier to gift-giving impact will encourage more friends to participate.
User Base
PRIMARY USER: First-time mom Sosha
Context: Sosha is in her 2nd trimester of her first pregnancy
- 27 years old
- Works as an executive assistant (demanding but lower-paying job)
- Just relocated to a new city away from family for her new job, doesn't know many people yet outside of those she works with
Pain Points:
- Hasn't had the time to plan for her pregnancy that she would've liked to have
- Is anxious about having a baby without her family and network nearby and feels lonely
- She wants what's best for the baby, but she's not even sure what that is, and even so, is scared she wouldn't be able to afford it
Needs:
- Feel in control of her post-partum plan
- Feel connected and supported by her network during an emotional time
- Access to expensive but meaningful services to help in her post-partum experience
SECONDARY USER: non-parent casual friend Ronnie
Context: Ronnie is a former colleague of Sosha's.
- She hasn't talked to Sosha since she moved away, but recently saw a post on Facebook about her registry and pregnancy. She always liked Sosha is excited that she can let Sosha knows she's thinking of her without buying some extravagant gift
- 30 years old
- Has never had children, but has frequently bought gifts for other's
Pain Points:
- Feels like she's spending an insane amount of money between babies, showers, and weddings without ever knowing if the gift is truly ever used
- Not having time to shop for the perfect gift
Needs:
- An easy way to let friends who are new mothers know that she is there for them
- Give an affordable and desired gift
- Recognition of her gift-giving
Design Focus
For this sprint, we are focusing now on first-time expectant mom - how might we engage her to start to use our product early in her motherhood journey. We know that we need to help moms to plan their postpartum period in advance, so we are focusing on the pregnant moms to understand what would engage them effectively with the solution.
Our previous sprint showed that friends were not engaging with the mom when she asked for help AFTER the baby was delivered. It's too late, and friends are confused "Why would she need help?"
The whole idea about asking for help is very difficult to address; "asking for help" goes against the cultural norm. That's why we have shifted our focus to a celebration of a new life away from helping a mom. And there are 3 important high points in the new motherhood journey:
- a pregnancy announcement (2nd trimester)
- a baby shower (3rd trimester), and
- a baby's birth.
The idea is to get moms aware of NMWL while she is making her public announcement on FB.
Through surveys and in-person interviews using a low-fidelity prototype as a prompt, we worked to uncover insights around key questions such as:
- Would mom feel comfortable asking friends for help in this way?
- Would friends feel happy to give help using the tool?
- How would a friend feel about her friend being pregnant?
- Will a friend plan on helping somehow to her mom-to-be friend?
- What do you think 1st-time moms need? How would you figure this out?
- Would a friend want to find out about mom's wish list?
- Would a new mom-to-be share her wish list?
- Would a new mom-to-be have enough friends to fulfill her wish list?
Sprint Results
We have learned that friends don't know what moms need and want to offer a meaningful contribution ($20 toward $800 felt insignificant)
Prototype Test Results
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