A service system for family living and child growth
Famharbor
Type
Personal Project
Service product system design & Space Design & Interactive Design
Time
04/2023
Location
Beijing, China
FamHarbor is a long-term rental apartment service designed specifically for young families with children, aiming to explore new ways of family living in modern society. The project primarily uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore solutions from different design disciplines when addressing the same audience and related needs.
01 BACKGROUND
Living long in the city, I’ve noticed that many areas have lost their warmth. Tall buildings and uniform housing make people more isolated, with fewer interactions. The lack of public spaces and basic services also makes it hard for people to enjoy community life.
Changes in Residential Environment
In China's urbanization process, traditional neighborhoods have been replaced by modern high-rises. This change has led to big shifts in living: close neighborly ties have turned into life in dense, closed apartment blocks.
Due to various social realities, more people in China will choose the rental housing model in the future.
02 design space
In this context, how can we strive for a better living environment? I have reflected on the following aspects.
Design Opportunities
Ultimately, I chose young families with children as the primary target group. In today's society, parenting, work-life balance, and homeownership are persistent challenges for this demographic.
Beyond architectural and spatial design, how can designers further create a more positive and healthy living environment and lifestyle for young families through service design and user experience design?
03 RESEARCH
Persona
From the user's perspective, I conducted questionnaires and face-to-face interviews to gain deeper insights into the problems and challenges faced by modern families.
·Insight·
Pains
1
The child plays mostly with peers from the same school or social circle.
2
He often misses after-school socializing due to direct pick-up by parents.
3
Parents lack personal time and self-care due to work and child care.
4
They concerned about safety during outdoor activities.
Gains
5
He hopes broader social skills by interacting with diverse backgrounds.
6
He hopes more after-school activities and social time with peers.
7
They hope to get better personal well-being through improved time management and self-care.
Spatial Observation
From a spatial perspective, I analyzed the issues inside, between, and outside family spaces, exploring how these environments impact daily life and relationships.
·Insight·
8
Common areas within the home, like the dining room and living room, naturally encourage interactions among family members.
·Insight·
9
In high-rise buildings, public spaces are significantly minimized, reducing opportunities for neighborly interaction.
10
Narrow, long corridors prompt residents to pass through quickly, limiting chances for neighborly exchange.
11
Key services like dining and education are spread out along the community’s edge, making them less convenient to access.
12
The community lacks spaces for children to play alone or with friends, limiting their social and learning experiences.
Flowchart：A Day of A Family
From a timeline perspective, by studying the daily routines of multiple families, I identified key characteristics and challenges at each stage, examining how their needs change over time.
13
Rushed mornings create stress and cause conflicts; sometimes children complain about repetitive or unappetizing meals.
14
Parents often struggle to balance work with school pick-ups, sometimes needing help from grandparents.
15
Parents focus more on academics and skills, so children rarely help with chores.
16
Safety concerns mean children are rarely allowed to go out and play alone, limiting independent interaction with peers.
17
At the same time, parents value these activity opportunities, so they set aside time to accompany their children to ensure safety.
04 research SYSNTHESIS
I categorized and organized the insights gathered from the research, and based on their interconnections, I outlined user needs to provide key insights for designing more targeted products and services.
Based on the above analysis, I summarized the design goals as follows:
05 Blue Ocean Strategy
With initial goals and design ideas for each dimension, I analyzed the indirect competitors in the market to better refine the design positioning.
06 ideation
Based on the previous research, I established the design goals. Through the Blue Ocean Strategy analysis, I further refined the detailed design direction.
Finally, I divided the project into two design components to propose solutions.
· Service Product System Design : Build a comprehensive residential brand ecosystem.
· Digital Product Design : Enhance daily family interactions.
07 Service blueprint
The service blueprint outlines FamHarbor's living experience and services for families, from moving in to daily life and leaving the community.
08 Space design
In this residential model, the ground floor includes open commercial and entry spaces, the second floor is a shared area for studying, dining, and entertainment, while the upper floors house private units. The layout moves from open to private spaces as you go up.
09 Digital Product
In the FamHarbor community, we provide digital products – the mobile app Fami and the interactive screen FamiCanvas. As a community-integrated platform, they offer family task management, online community shopping, and interactive features through partnerships with local shops.
FamiCanvas
From a spatial perspective, I analyzed the issues inside, between, and outside family spaces, exploring how these environments impact daily life and relationships.
Fami App
The mobile app primarily integrates family task management, community shopping, and event participation functions.
10 STORYBOARD
This storyboard follows the Li family’s journey to find a new home in Beijing. It highlights their challenges and how FamHarbor’s family-oriented services and housing options helped them settle in.
