Creation of persona and scenario thereafter is essential to
understand the project’s target group. It will help me understand how the target group utilizes my design, and the type of information they need
most from my deliverable.
I had initially prepared a few scenarios and approached my guide.
However the scenarios appeared incomplete. I was asked to understand my project
with more clarity and there upon base my parameters for scenario building. I
was also asked to look up the various intelligences an individual possesses and
how it is utilized. Various questions had to be anwered such as— Who are
children? What is their actual purpose? What do they want from education?
“Absorbent Mind” by Maria Montessori came to my aide. It made me
realize that each child is a constructor of man he is to be. I got several
insights on the psychic behind many behavior patterns of children. “You’re
smarter than you think”-by Dr. Thomas Armstrong and “Children: How to manage
them now that you’ve got them” were useful as they tried to explain children
and their behavior in simple language.
Based on the above readings I reframed the scenarios. From amidst
the various interviews I have had of parents, I observed that few incidents
were repeating in many families. So I have taken up four problems which I found
predominantly in my interviews.
Scenario One: Hearing impairment being a cause of worry for parents.
Nikhil is a five year old boy who suffers from hearing impairment
and is assisted by hearing aid. His world revolves around abacus. He enjoys
playing games on the computer. He loves his activity and puzzle books. Whenever
his mother takes him to the children’s park near his house, he carefully
observes everyone around. He also enjoys solving picture puzzles. Sometimes he
juggles up the puzzle pieces and begins to solve them over and over again.
Everyday his father drops him to school and his mother picks him. Occasionally
when he meets his grandparents, he prefers to stay close to his mother. He is
quite reserved and is mostly occupied with the things he is fond of.
The environment around him:
He lives with his parents in a rented apartment. His grandparents
stay in another city. The family belongs to middle income group. His father is
afinancial analyst in a bank. He leaves for work at around 8.30 and returns
home by 9 at night. Mother is homemaker. She used to work as an interior
designer but had to quit as she discovered Nikhil’s illness. They feel their child
needs special attention and therefore they try to be very patient with him.
They aspire that Nikhil grows up like a normal being and lead a healthy life. At times his mother’s friend who lives next door pays them a
visit. But that is seldom. Twice a year they take Nikhil to visit his
grandparents. There is not much of neighbor intrusion. Usually in the evening
mother takes Nikhil for a walk and plays with him in the Children’s park.
Problem:
In the month of April, when the news arrived from Kendriya Vidyalaya
that Nikhil has got admission- his mother became extremely nervous. She was
happy but at the same time worried. She was worried as to how would he be able
to manage so many hours without her. Would teachers help him, would they
understand his situation and give her son the attention he needs. Often she
used to cry to herself about her son’s condition on leaving him all by himself
in school.
Scenario Two: Child takes time to realize.
Meher is a four year old girl, who is very talkative and energetic.
She loves to sing songs by herself and often requests her father to play her
favourite music. She is stubborn to an extent and at times dictates. When a
guest is at home, she starts singing and dancing and often has to be dragged to
the corner to stop. She does not like it when she finds her mother frowning at
her and often goes and sits in her balcony alone. Her father usually drops her
to school and her mother picks her up.
The environment around her:
Meher lives with her parents. Her grandparents stay in another
village near by. Her father is a sound engineer and works for All India Radio
Mumbai. He usually leaves by 9 and returns home by 7-7:30. Her mother is a
homemaker. Meher is slightly scared of her mother and enjoys her father’s
company. Meher’s mom feels that it is essential for the child to love what it
is doing and so she does not force her to color or solve puzzles. She lets her
do things by her own will. She believes that gradually Meher will understand
and learn by herself. Since she is the only grandchild-she is very much
pampered by her paternal grandparents whom she meets once in two months. They
love to splurge on her with toys and dresses.Problem:
Meher had been fine for the first week of her school but later
when she realised that she had to stay in school for quite some time she began
to object to it. For four days she was fine but on Friday morning she had to be
dragged for brushing- she started crying that she did not wish to go to school.
She clung to the door. Her mother felt that Meher was acting very stubborn and
shouted at her. This made her cry even more and so both the parents decided to
let her stay back. However both parents remained baffled as to why all of a
sudden she did not want to go to school.
Scenario Three: Scared of school route
Malay is a five year old boy. He loves to play with his father’s
mobile because he finds the apps very interesting. He also enjoys playing games
on computer. Moreover he is fond of watching birds and often asks about them.
He is not only friendly with the neighborhood kids but also loves to play with
the dogs and cats in his compound. He is keen of visiting zoo and aquarium. He
loves to help his mother when she is pruning plants and watering pots in the
balcony. Often after coming back from school he likes to decide the clothes by
himself and also looks forward to wearing good contrast of colors. At times he
fights with his elder brother. He loves to wear his elder brother’s t-shirts
and caps.The environment around him:
He stays with his parents and an elder brother who is nine years
old. Father is a graphic designer at an advertising agency whereas mother has
been freelancing as illustrator. Father leaves home by eight and comes home by
10-11. Father has a very stressful life. He only gets off on Sunday.
Malay’s mother does not put much restriction on him and lets him explore his
environment by himself. She encourages him to spend time outdoors and also asks
his elder brother to play with him. Since they stay in a colony, many children come to play in the
evenings. While his mom goes to meet her friends from the neighborhood, Malay
joins his brother along with his friends. He does not talk much but is a good
listener. He often accompanies his grandparents to the temple on Saturdays. He
enjoys their company.
Problem:
Since Malay’s school was nearby, his mom used to walk with him and
drop him to school as well as pick him up. After three days of beginning his
school- Malay refused to walk further. He began to wail out and cry loudly begging
his mom to take him back. Again, the next day when his grandmother was taking
him to a shop which lies on the same route, he began to cry asking his grandma
to take him back. She tried explaining him that they are not going to school,
yet he continued to cry till she had to return back.
Scenario Four: Difficulty in interacting with peers
Shayar is five year old. He is an aggressive child. He loves to
play indoor games such as snake and ladders and carom, etc. He enjoys watching
television and playing Angry Birds on his mother’s phone. He loves to hear his
mom read him stories but feels too lazy to do it himself. He throws a lot of
tantrums if his grandparents or parents leave him and go.
The environment around him:
He lives with his parents and grandparents. Father owns a business
while mother is a teacher in the junior section of a reputed school. Father
leaves home by 10 o’clock in the morning and returns by 7 whereas mother leaves
home by 8:30 and returns by 1. Since he is the only child of his parents and
the only grandchild he is very much pampered at home. Both parents feel that
Shayar should open up and start talking to others. Whenever guests come home
and he sees his mother talking to them and not paying him sufficient attention,
he gets annoyed and runs about throwing things. Shayar’s family rarely interact
with the neighbors.
Problem:
Shayar was looking forward to attend his new school and learn
more. However after a few days the teacher noticed that he refused to share his
things with others. He would also end up quarrelling with other children many a
times and often came back home crying. At home he would not share what happened
in school , leaving his parents uncertain of his behavior and well being in
school.