Maira designed a mobile application to provide CSN parents with a common language to reflect and share their perspectives on thinking about the future.
Parents with CSN experience higher levels of caregiving and stress, and often have difficulty thinking about the future. This project is being developed in collaboration with The Ontzorghuis, a Dutch organisation founded to support parents of children with special needs. The aim is to improve the ability of the CSN parent community to meet their basic psychological needs, which are essential for psychological health and well-being.
The project began by understanding the context of CSN parents and their unique needs, perspectives, concerns and dreams. This was done through desk and field research, including qualitative interviews, social media netnography and research probes. The findings from this phase were used to define a strategic vision and identify promising design directions.
The proposed solution, Future Journeys, is a mobile application that helps CSN parents to think about their future and share their perspectives with others. The tool is based on the concept of resourcefulness, which helps parents to adapt creatively to their challenging circumstances. The tool has the potential to improve parents’ well-being by providing a common language for thinking about the future. The app encourages self-reflection through a guided metaphorical thinking exercise and completes the experience with social interactions where users share their perspectives to inspire others.
