Behind the Scenes: week 1+2 meeting the team and start the journey

Getting Started: Forming Teams and Meeting Each Other

In the first two weeks of the project, we began by dividing into teams and getting to know our group members. We’re Group 3, and our team includes: May - Communication

Ziv - Communication

Shira - Communication

Teo - Computer Science

Yuval - Psychology

And this is us :)

Project Theme: "Home"

Once our teams were set, we learned that this year’s theme is "Home." Our first task was to explore innovative, human-centered products designed to address significant challenges related to this theme. Independent Research: Discovering Human-Centered Products

To start, each team member researched on their own, exploring products that solve meaningful problems in the home environment. After gathering our findings, we met up to share ideas and brainstorm. Together, we identified three key areas within the "home" theme that we found most interesting and relevant: sleep disorders, pets and siblings relationships.

Deepening Our Focus: Expert Interviews

For our second task, we chose two final focus areas from our brainstormed list: sleep disorders and siblings relationships. To dig deeper into these topics, we were asked to interview three experts who could help us understand the core challenges and opportunities in these fields. We chose to interview psychiatrist specializing in sleep disorders and parent guide.

Insights from Expert Interviews: Sleep Disorders

In our interviews with experts in sleep disorders, several key needs were highlighted:

1. A Calm Mind for Better Sleep: Achieving restful sleep requires a relaxed state of mind, free from stress, tension, or anxiety. Technologies like white noise or soothing sounds (e.g., rain or running water) can help calm the mind and create a peaceful environment. Additionally, adopting relaxed morning waking habits contributes to overall sleep quality.

2. Consistency and Routine: Maintaining a regular sleep schedule—going to bed at the same time and in the same place—helps avoid disturbances and promotes better sleep.

3. Avoiding Stimuli Before Bedtime: Avoiding screen time (TV or phone) before bed is essential, as it stimulates the brain and interferes with restful sleep. It’s also important to steer clear of environmental and artificial disruptors such as caffeine, alcohol, and sleeping pills, which can harm sleep quality.

Insights from Expert Interviews: Sibling Relationships

Interviews with experts on sibling relationships emphasized several strategies to foster positive dynamics:

1. Creating Shared Experiences: Activities like family trips, movie and pizza nights, or shared quality time in a family setting can strengthen emotional bonds between siblings. Encouraging cooperation during fun activities is key to building positive connections.

2. Limiting Technology Use: Excessive use of phones and computer games can reduce direct interactions between siblings. Minimizing screen time creates more opportunities for meaningful engagement.

3. Parental Influence: The way parents educate and handle conflicts plays a crucial role in shaping sibling dynamics. A supportive and balanced parental approach can significantly improve sibling relationships.

Next up: conducting interviews with end users. There’s definitely something to look forward to!