Experience Map
I utilized another research method of experience map, to gather more information about my stakeholders' experience in the car with children, to explore vital touch points and potential pain points. I curated a toolkit filled with various emotions, imagery, words, and colors to help guide the participant to talk about their experience in the car with child passengers.
The task was to think about a memorable car ride with child passengers, reflect on the experience, and collage images showing memorable aspects on the timeline provided below. The time line went on intervals of 15 minutes, until 3 hours. The top of the timeline was designated positive experiences, while the bottom was representative of negative experiences for the participant.
I was able to obtain 3 total participants. They had 20 minutes to create their timelines and 10 minutes to share their thought process. Additionally, I requested that they make a map of where they are in the car, using an image that expressed their emotions.
Participant #1 Response:
They begin to be happy to be together and look out the window.
Like listening to music together like to look out the window.
Then around 45- 1 hour
Everyone is chill settled in taking song requests. Happy, window is down and people are not on the highway yet.
Comfortable in their seats not needing to stretch their legs yet. They are getting
No tablets but fidget toy or game of sorts.
Sometimes they'll ask for snacks or drinks to keep them occupied, dancing and singing to music.
Happiness lasts for 30 minutes then they get over it and begin to get irritated.
Whining and sibling fighting. They get bored and start messing with each other making
Telling them to knock it off. Once they are cranky then gets extra annoyed.
They get more chill and fall asleep after fighting with each other “zoink out” after fighting. And feels relieved.
Car is a honda civic 2016 maroon.
Drives her car with carseats
Ages 4-8
Two kids in back seat. ( The kids) are typically happy until she's not and it's a big issue.
Participant #2 Response:
Starts off calm everyone is chill,
Listen to music and take a nap. Siblings would bring so many blankets and crusty tablet. They would have McDonald’s for lunch at the halfway point of journey and then halfway point get annoyed because I want to reach destination. Siblings would start arguing and then get tired from being bored then go back to bed. When I wake up we stopped for gas again, get snacks and get happy because they are almost there. Kept asking are we there yet?? Arrive to Niagara Falls Canada. My mom would scream at us to behave and my dad would be angry but he’s more chill. Bc my mom is typically driving for longer trips bc my dad has work.
Back seat
She sits directly behind driver. Brother middle and sister behind passengers
Sister in the way back row. My brother would be behind the passenger to take naps.
14 when she went to Canada, sister was 9 and my brother was 5.
Headphones with music. Brother had iPad but mom would get mad if she looked at it for too long bc he would get nauseous
Farm toys, colors and lots of pillows.
Grateful to be traveling and going to Canada.
Try to stretch in car and take shoes off so she can sprawl out.
Overall positive. Likes roadtrips and thinks they are fun but gets tired from traveling.
Really impatient siblings and had to stop frequently. Bathroom breaks crazy.
6-7 hours to get from new York to Canada.
Participant #3 Response:
Trip to Cleveland, OH to visit family.
Does not love to throw screens at them all the time. Tries to go there without screens and then on the way home they get 1 hour no screens then introduce it last hour when they get more irritable.
Mindfulness practices in the car.
takes turns with choosing their songs
Makes animal noises
Mess free water markers
Talk about what we see, what we feel.
Really excited about mindfulness in the car.. Less prone to accidents, be present is super important
What challenges do you face when taking your kids on a trip?
So many things. Literal hell, not great. They love to move and play so being stationary is hard. They don't understand time so long durations in the car are hard for them to grasp. Toddler coping skills turn to verbal abuse and crying. Sibling fights
I feel so angry and stressed. Extra difficult when driving kids along while traveling. Them being upset leads to on edge driving because they just want to reach their destination and make sure everything is okay. Calm in the car is ideal to help with accidents.
How long before your children begin to get irritable in the car?
They do well in short drives, and love cars. One of the others starts to derail the other, siblings are difficult when they start to fight. 1 hour to an hour in a half and they get irritated. Then she has about 1-2 to keep them entertained and hold their patients.. then after 2 -3 hours before they all start to lose it.
What are your go-to activities or tools for keeping your kids entertained during car rides?
Tablets, library books, check out four books each for the drives, prepared activities. Things they can handle.. Has seen issues when they drop them and they cant pick them up. Utilizes water coloring books, snacks, like yogurt.
Can you recommend any semi-stationary practices that require little movement for the car?
I spy, Would you rather, Counting, Letter sounds, Bluey stories, Calm stories, Clouds (sun roof) yoga stretching before
Helps prefacing what is happening, how long they are going for, what to expect
All participants reflected on similar situations. They said their journeys consisted of a wide range of emotions and activities in the car. There were both positive and negative moments. The negative challenges were considered to be sibling conflicts, irritability, and a tense atmosphere. This activity allowed me to hear firsthand experiences of users and better understand key pain points in their travel experiences with children.
