Muhammad Affan

Muhammad Affan

Muhammad Affan

CareBridge

CareBridge

Project Duration

4 months

My Role

UX Researcher

Team Members

Muhammad Affan, Mustafa Arshad

Project Duration

Project Duration

4 months

4 months

My Role

My Role

UX Researcher | UI Designer

UX Researcher | UI Designer

Team Members

Team Members

Afaq, Muhammad Affan, Mustafa, Sara, Simra

Afaq, Muhammad Affan, Mustafa, Sara, Simra

Context

Context

In orphanages, children often miss out on individualized attention they need due to limited caregivers. Inspired by a desire to bridge this gap, CareBridge is designed to help caregivers track and support each child’s growth, making it easier to offer the personal care every child deserves.

In orphanages, children often miss out on individualized attention they need due to limited caregivers. Inspired by a desire to bridge this gap, CareBridge is designed to help caregivers track and support each child’s growth, making it easier to offer the personal care every child deserves.

Design Cycle

Design Cycle

Project Walkthrough

Project Walkthrough

Task at Hand

Problem Description

Problem Description

In orphanages, caregivers often face the overwhelming challenge of attending to numerous children with limited resources. This shortage of individualized attention can lead to gaps in each child’s emotional and developmental needs. Additionally, caregivers struggle to monitor children's daily progress closely, impacting their ability to provide timely support and guidance.

In orphanages, caregivers often face the overwhelming challenge of attending to numerous children with limited resources. This shortage of individualized attention can lead to gaps in each child’s emotional and developmental needs. Additionally, caregivers struggle to monitor children's daily progress closely, impacting their ability to provide timely support and guidance.

Our Mission

Our Mission

Our mission is to empower caregivers with a simple, user-friendly app that enables them to monitor each child’s well-being more effectively. By bridging the gap in personalized attention, we aim to enhance the quality of care and support each child’s growth and development in meaningful ways.

Our mission is to empower caregivers with a simple, user-friendly app that enables them to monitor each child’s well-being more effectively. By bridging the gap in personalized attention, we aim to enhance the quality of care and support each child’s growth and development in meaningful ways.

Task at Hand

Task at Hand

Task at Hand

Overview

Overview

Our literature review focused on understanding how orphanages globally, and specifically in Pakistan, utilize technology, along with insights into child behavior management and caregiver support. Despite the pressing need for solutions, we found limited technological interventions addressing the daily challenges of orphanages.

Our literature review focused on understanding how orphanages globally, and specifically in Pakistan, utilize technology, along with insights into child behavior management and caregiver support. Despite the pressing need for solutions, we found limited technological interventions addressing the daily challenges of orphanages.

Key Observations

Key Observations

  1. Technology in Orphanages: Globally and locally, technological interventions in orphanages focus on education, healthcare, and donation facilitation, but they often overlook caregivers' day-to-day operational needs, with Pakistani orphanages relying mostly on traditional management and limited caregiver training.

  1. Challenges in Pakistani Orphanages: Pakistan, home to over 4.6 million orphans, faces challenges in providing individualized attention, with studies revealing behavioral problems linked to factors like institutionalization length, caregiver stress, and mental health neglect.

  2. Behaviorial and Emotional Insights: Research highlights significant behavioral and emotional issues among children in orphanages, often linked to a lack of individualized attention and caregiver training. Studies from Pakistan underscore the high prevalence of behavioral problems and mental health issues among orphans.

  1. Technology in Orphanages: Globally and locally, technological interventions in orphanages focus on education, healthcare, and donation facilitation, but they often overlook caregivers' day-to-day operational needs, with Pakistani orphanages relying mostly on traditional management and limited caregiver training.

  1. Challenges in Pakistani Orphanages: Pakistan, home to over 4.6 million orphans, faces challenges in providing individualized attention, with studies revealing behavioral problems linked to factors like institutionalization length, caregiver stress, and mental health neglect.

  2. Behaviorial and Emotional Insights: Research highlights significant behavioral and emotional issues among children in orphanages, often linked to a lack of individualized attention and caregiver training. Studies from Pakistan underscore the high prevalence of behavioral problems and mental health issues among orphans.

Gaps and Opportunities

Gaps and Opportunities

Impact on CareBridge

Impact on CareBridge

This review underscored the need to design solutions that cater to the specific cultural and infrastructural needs of Pakistani orphanages, addressing behavioral and emotional challenges by equipping caregivers with tools for personalized support. We envisioned our app to focus on enhancing administrative tasks, allowing caregivers to manage responsibilities more efficiently while providing insights and reports for each child to improve care quality.

This review underscored the need to design solutions that cater to the specific cultural and infrastructural needs of Pakistani orphanages, addressing behavioral and emotional challenges by equipping caregivers with tools for personalized support. We envisioned our app to focus on enhancing administrative tasks, allowing caregivers to manage responsibilities more efficiently while providing insights and reports for each child to improve care quality.

Literature Review

Literature Review

Literature Review

Overview

Overview

For primary research, we opted for semi-structured interviews as our primary research method to allow for flexibility while ensuring that we gathered consistent, comparable data across participants. This approach enabled us to explore specific themes while also providing room for caregivers to share their unique perspectives, which was essential for understanding the diverse challenges faced in orphanage management. Semi-structured interviews allow for dynamic conversations, where we could adapt the questions based on responses, enabling us to probe deeper into important issues as they arose.

For primary research, we opted for semi-structured interviews as our primary research method to allow for flexibility while ensuring that we gathered consistent, comparable data across participants. This approach enabled us to explore specific themes while also providing room for caregivers to share their unique perspectives, which was essential for understanding the diverse challenges faced in orphanage management. Semi-structured interviews allow for dynamic conversations, where we could adapt the questions based on responses, enabling us to probe deeper into important issues as they arose.

Initial Interview Protocol

Initial Interview Protocol

The initial protocol was developed with the goal of gathering a comprehensive overview of orphanage operations, including caregiver responsibilities, children’s daily routines, and the role of technology. The questions were broad, designed to explore:


  1. Staffing and Operations: Caregiver roles, training, workflows, and interactions with children.

  2. Children’s Well-Being: Behavioral and emotional challenges, as well as how these were managed.

  3. Technology: The extent of existing technology use and its applications in daily tasks.

  4. Administrative Challenges: Key obstacles faced by management in ensuring effective operations.


While the initial protocol provided a strong foundation, it became evident after the first round of interviews that some areas lacked depth. For example, questions around technology were too general, leading to responses that didn’t reveal actionable insights about specific needs. Similarly, while caregivers touched on challenges related to individualized attention, the questions didn’t allow for a thorough exploration of this critical theme.

The initial protocol was developed with the goal of gathering a comprehensive overview of orphanage operations, including caregiver responsibilities, children’s daily routines, and the role of technology. The questions were broad, designed to explore:


  1. Staffing and Operations: Caregiver roles, training, workflows, and interactions with children.

  2. Children’s Well-Being: Behavioral and emotional challenges, as well as how these were managed.

  3. Technology: The extent of existing technology use and its applications in daily tasks.

  4. Administrative Challenges: Key obstacles faced by management in ensuring effective operations.


While the initial protocol provided a strong foundation, it became evident after the first round of interviews that some areas lacked depth. For example, questions around technology were too general, leading to responses that didn’t reveal actionable insights about specific needs. Similarly, while caregivers touched on challenges related to individualized attention, the questions didn’t allow for a thorough exploration of this critical theme.

The initial protocol was developed with the goal of gathering a comprehensive overview of orphanage operations, including caregiver responsibilities, children’s daily routines, and the role of technology. The questions were broad, designed to explore:


  1. Staffing and Operations: Caregiver roles, training, workflows, and interactions with children.

  2. Children’s Well-Being: Behavioral and emotional challenges, as well as how these were managed.

  3. Technology: The extent of existing technology use and its applications in daily tasks.

  4. Administrative Challenges: Key obstacles faced by management in ensuring effective operations.


While the initial protocol provided a strong foundation, it became evident after the first round of interviews that some areas lacked depth. For example, questions around technology were too general, leading to responses that didn’t reveal actionable insights about specific needs. Similarly, while caregivers touched on challenges related to individualized attention, the questions didn’t allow for a thorough exploration of this critical theme.

The initial protocol was developed with the goal of gathering a comprehensive overview of orphanage operations, including caregiver responsibilities, children’s daily routines, and the role of technology. The questions were broad, designed to explore:


  1. Staffing and Operations: Caregiver roles, training, workflows, and interactions with children.

  2. Children’s Well-Being: Behavioral and emotional challenges, as well as how these were managed.

  3. Technology: The extent of existing technology use and its applications in daily tasks.

  4. Administrative Challenges: Key obstacles faced by management in ensuring effective operations.


While the initial protocol provided a strong foundation, it became evident after the first round of interviews that some areas lacked depth. For example, questions around technology were too general, leading to responses that didn’t reveal actionable insights about specific needs. Similarly, while caregivers touched on challenges related to individualized attention, the questions didn’t allow for a thorough exploration of this critical theme.

Revised Interview Protocol

Revised Interview Protocol

Building on the insights from the initial interviews, the revised protocol introduced targeted questions to address gaps and delve deeper into areas of significance. The revisions focused on three key areas:


  1. Individualized Attention: Recognizing that many caregivers struggled to provide personalized care, we added a dedicated section to explore how caregivers identify and address the unique needs of each child. This addition provided richer insights into how caregivers balance the needs of individual children with group responsibilities.

  2. Behavioral and Emotional Support: Building on initial findings about the emotional struggles of children, we expanded questions to understand how emotional needs are identified and addressed. This refinement allowed us to probe deeper into the emotional well-being of children and the resources caregivers needed to better support them.

  3. Technology and Administrative Tools: Feedback from initial interviews highlighted gaps in existing tools for managing administrative tasks and tracking children’s progress. The revised protocol introduced questions to explore the extent of use of technology in specific situations.

Building on the insights from the initial interviews, the revised protocol introduced targeted questions to address gaps and delve deeper into areas of significance. The revisions focused on three key areas:


  1. Individualized Attention: Recognizing that many caregivers struggled to provide personalized care, we added a dedicated section to explore how caregivers identify and address the unique needs of each child. This addition provided richer insights into how caregivers balance the needs of individual children with group responsibilities.

  2. Behavioral and Emotional Support: Building on initial findings about the emotional struggles of children, we expanded questions to understand how emotional needs are identified and addressed. This refinement allowed us to probe deeper into the emotional well-being of children and the resources caregivers needed to better support them.

  3. Technology and Administrative Tools: Feedback from initial interviews highlighted gaps in existing tools for managing administrative tasks and tracking children’s progress. The revised protocol introduced questions to explore the extent of use of technology in specific situations.

Building on the insights from the initial interviews, the revised protocol introduced targeted questions to address gaps and delve deeper into areas of significance. The revisions focused on three key areas:


  1. Individualized Attention: Recognizing that many caregivers struggled to provide personalized care, we added a dedicated section to explore how caregivers identify and address the unique needs of each child. This addition provided richer insights into how caregivers balance the needs of individual children with group responsibilities.

  2. Behavioral and Emotional Support: Building on initial findings about the emotional struggles of children, we expanded questions to understand how emotional needs are identified and addressed. This refinement allowed us to probe deeper into the emotional well-being of children and the resources caregivers needed to better support them.

  3. Technology and Administrative Tools: Feedback from initial interviews highlighted gaps in existing tools for managing administrative tasks and tracking children’s progress. The revised protocol introduced questions to explore the extent of use of technology in specific situations.

Building on the insights from the initial interviews, the revised protocol introduced targeted questions to address gaps and delve deeper into areas of significance. The revisions focused on three key areas:


  1. Individualized Attention: Recognizing that many caregivers struggled to provide personalized care, we added a dedicated section to explore how caregivers identify and address the unique needs of each child. This addition provided richer insights into how caregivers balance the needs of individual children with group responsibilities.

  2. Behavioral and Emotional Support: Building on initial findings about the emotional struggles of children, we expanded questions to understand how emotional needs are identified and addressed. This refinement allowed us to probe deeper into the emotional well-being of children and the resources caregivers needed to better support them.

  3. Technology and Administrative Tools: Feedback from initial interviews highlighted gaps in existing tools for managing administrative tasks and tracking children’s progress. The revised protocol introduced questions to explore the extent of use of technology in specific situations.

Impact on CareBridge

Impact on CareBridge

The iterative refinement of our interview protocol demonstrates the adaptive nature of qualitative research. By responding to emerging insights and refining our focus, we were able to gather richer, more actionable data. This informed the development of CareBridge as a tailored solution that addresses caregivers’ most pressing needs, particularly in providing personalized care and managing administrative tasks efficiently.

The iterative refinement of our interview protocol demonstrates the adaptive nature of qualitative research. By responding to emerging insights and refining our focus, we were able to gather richer, more actionable data. This informed the development of CareBridge as a tailored solution that addresses caregivers’ most pressing needs, particularly in providing personalized care and managing administrative tasks efficiently.

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

Overview

Overview

Through 15 semi-structured interviews with orphanage staff and administrators, we identified key themes that highlighted the challenges and opportunities in caregiving at orphanages. These findings informed the development of CareBridge to address gaps in individualized attention, communication, and operational efficiency.

Through 15 semi-structured interviews with orphanage staff and administrators, we identified key themes that highlighted the challenges and opportunities in caregiving at orphanages. These findings informed the development of CareBridge to address gaps in individualized attention, communication, and operational efficiency.

Key Themes

Key Themes

  1. Individualized Attention: Caregivers emphasized the importance of personalized care but noted significant challenges due to high staff-to-child ratios. Many relied on older children to support younger ones, a strategy that, while practical, raised concerns about effectiveness and fairness. This theme underscored the need for tools to better track and address the unique needs of each child.


  1. Communication Gaps: A disconnect between administrative staff and caregivers emerged as a critical issue. Administrators expressed a desire to oversee daily activities more closely but were often consumed by managerial tasks. Caregivers reported inconsistent communication channels, leading to missed updates on children’s needs and incidents. This gap highlighted the potential for technology to streamline information sharing and decision-making.


  1. Technology Usage: Most orphanages maintained digital and physical records of children’s details, but technology was not fully integrated into daily operations. Smartphones were commonly used for communication, and some orphanages had computer labs for children. However, there was limited use of technology to support administrative tasks or caregiving responsibilities, pointing to a significant opportunity for intervention.


  1. Emotional Support and Counseling: Caregivers frequently referred to “counseling” as informal conversations to address children’s issues, but professional psychological support was rare. Only one orphanage employed a psychologist for regular sessions, signaling a gap in addressing children’s emotional needs systematically.

  1. Individualized Attention: Caregivers emphasized the importance of personalized care but noted significant challenges due to high staff-to-child ratios. Many relied on older children to support younger ones, a strategy that, while practical, raised concerns about effectiveness and fairness. This theme underscored the need for tools to better track and address the unique needs of each child.


  1. Communication Gaps: A disconnect between administrative staff and caregivers emerged as a critical issue. Administrators expressed a desire to oversee daily activities more closely but were often consumed by managerial tasks. Caregivers reported inconsistent communication channels, leading to missed updates on children’s needs and incidents. This gap highlighted the potential for technology to streamline information sharing and decision-making.


  1. Technology Usage: Most orphanages maintained digital and physical records of children’s details, but technology was not fully integrated into daily operations. Smartphones were commonly used for communication, and some orphanages had computer labs for children. However, there was limited use of technology to support administrative tasks or caregiving responsibilities, pointing to a significant opportunity for intervention.


  1. Emotional Support and Counseling: Caregivers frequently referred to “counseling” as informal conversations to address children’s issues, but professional psychological support was rare. Only one orphanage employed a psychologist for regular sessions, signaling a gap in addressing children’s emotional needs systematically.

Impact on CareBridge

Impact on CareBridge

These insights directly informed the design of CareBridge, emphasizing features to streamline administrative tasks, enable efficient tracking of children’s progress, and improve communication between staff and administrators. By addressing these pain points, the project aimed to empower caregivers with tools to enhance both operational efficiency and the quality of care provided to children.

These insights directly informed the design of CareBridge, emphasizing features to streamline administrative tasks, enable efficient tracking of children’s progress, and improve communication between staff and administrators. By addressing these pain points, the project aimed to empower caregivers with tools to enhance both operational efficiency and the quality of care provided to children.

Data Analysis

Data Analysis

Data Analysis

Overview

Overview

The design solutions for CareBridge were developed to address the key challenges identified through thematic analysis, focusing on improving individualized attention, streamlining communication, and enhancing administrative efficiency. The proposed solutions were tailored to the needs of caregivers and administrators while considering the resource constraints and technological familiarity of orphanages in Pakistan.

The design solutions for CareBridge were developed to address the key challenges identified through thematic analysis, focusing on improving individualized attention, streamlining communication, and enhancing administrative efficiency. The proposed solutions were tailored to the needs of caregivers and administrators while considering the resource constraints and technological familiarity of orphanages in Pakistan.

Proposed Features

  1. Child Progress Dashboard: A centralized dashboard allows caregivers and administrators to monitor each child’s development and needs in a structured manner. This should ideally include

    1. Individual child profiles with milestones, health updates, and behavioral notes.

    2. Alerts for overdue tasks, upcoming milestones, or unresolved issues.

    3. Visual progress indicators


  1. Communication Log System: A digital log streamlines information sharing between caregivers and administrators, bridging the communication gap. This should ideally inlcude:

    1. Incident reporting system for caregivers to log children’s issues or behaviors.

    2. A notification system for administrators to provide feedback or updates.

    3. Shared access to a timeline of events for transparency.


  1. Administrative Task Manager: An integrated tool simplifies daily operations, reducing the burden on both caregivers and administrators. This should ideally include:

    1. Task scheduling for caregiver responsibilities such as meal prep or school drop-offs.

    2. Automated reminders for recurring tasks like health checkups or reports.

    3. Resource tracking for donations and inventory.


  1. Emotional and Behavioral Support Tracker: A specialized tool to address the gap in systematic emotional and behavioral support for children. This should ideally inlcude:

    1. Customizable questionnaires for caregivers to assess children’s emotional well-being.

    2. A recommendation system suggesting age-appropriate interventions based on caregiver inputs (e.g., group activities or one-on-one counseling).

    3. Optional integration with external professionals, such as psychologists, for periodic evaluations.

  1. Child Progress Dashboard: A centralized dashboard allows caregivers and administrators to monitor each child’s development and needs in a structured manner. This should ideally include

    1. Individual child profiles with milestones, health updates, and behavioral notes.

    2. Alerts for overdue tasks, upcoming milestones, or unresolved issues.

    3. Visual progress indicators


  1. Communication Log System: A digital log streamlines information sharing between caregivers and administrators, bridging the communication gap. This should ideally inlcude:

    1. Incident reporting system for caregivers to log children’s issues or behaviors.

    2. A notification system for administrators to provide feedback or updates.

    3. Shared access to a timeline of events for transparency.


  1. Administrative Task Manager: An integrated tool simplifies daily operations, reducing the burden on both caregivers and administrators. This should ideally include:

    1. Task scheduling for caregiver responsibilities such as meal prep or school drop-offs.

    2. Automated reminders for recurring tasks like health checkups or reports.

    3. Resource tracking for donations and inventory.


  1. Emotional and Behavioral Support Tracker: A specialized tool to address the gap in systematic emotional and behavioral support for children. This should ideally inlcude:

    1. Customizable questionnaires for caregivers to assess children’s emotional well-being.

    2. A recommendation system suggesting age-appropriate interventions based on caregiver inputs (e.g., group activities or one-on-one counseling).

    3. Optional integration with external professionals, such as psychologists, for periodic evaluations.

Impact

Impact

By focusing on data-driven features tailored to the operational realities of orphanages, CareBridge aims to empower caregivers and administrators to deliver better care and support for children in need.

By focusing on data-driven features tailored to the operational realities of orphanages, CareBridge aims to empower caregivers and administrators to deliver better care and support for children in need.

Data Analysis

Data Analysis

Data Analysis

Copyright © 2024 - Muhammad Affan Ashraf

Copyright © 2024 - Muhammad Affan Ashraf

Copyright © 2024 - Muhammad Affan Ashraf

Copyright © 2024 - Muhammad Affan Ashraf