Day Care Centre Photo and Video Diary Project June 19, 2006, Pauliina Smeds

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Day Care Centre Photo and Video Diary
ProjectJune 19, 2006, Pauliina Smeds
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Photo and video diary project what is it all
about?

• The day care centres take photographs and videos
  of the days events with multimedia devices
  supplied for pilot use and send them for parents
  to see.
• The pictures are transferred to the day care
  centres picture folders, protected by passwords,
  via an Internet service called
  Kuvaboxi (www.kuvaboxi.fi).
• The day care centre staff and the parents have
  user codes for accessing the picture folders.
• In addition to photos and videos the folder
  offers a chance to exchange messages.
• The experimental service was launched in four day
  care centres in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area on
  May 19th 2006.
• Central idea parents can participate in the
  events of the day care centre in a new way.

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Feedback collected from
day care centres and
parents

• Personal interviews in two day care centres
• Online questionnaire to the parents of three day
  care centres (one centre introduced the service
  slightly later than the others the questionnaire
  is to be sent to parents of the fourth day care
  centre later in the autumn)
• The study aimed to find answers to the following
  questions
• General impressions of the service what are the
  best features and what is best liked about the
  service, what kind of suggestions do the users
  have for developing the service?
• General views of the user friendliness of the
  service (a more in-depth study of user
  friendliness will be conducted in the next phase
  of the project)
• Data collected in the study is used for
  developing the service, finding suitable
  operating environments for its expansion and new
  areas of application.
• Further studies involving the users will be
  carried out in the autumn interviews and a
  questionnaire.

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Early collection of feedback is central
to all Forum Virium
Helsinkis projects

• The Day Care Centre Photo and Video Diary Project
  is an excellent example of a fast innovation
  process carried out jointly by companies
  participating in FVH the concept was put
  together in mid- February and the service was
  ready for experimental implementation with the
  first user groups in May from rapid ideation to
  implementation in just a few months. Overall
  coordination was handled by Forum Virium
  Helsinki.
• All Forum Virium Helsinki projects aim at
  collecting user feedback from the very early
  stages on
• Truly customer driven service development
• Early failure is cheap introducing new
  concepts to users for evaluation as early as
  possible saves companies money unnecessary
  product development costs are avoided, go/no go
  decisions can be made as early as possible and
  adjustments are made correctly during concept
  development.

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Day care centre photo and video diary
first weeks provide promising
results

• Staff have been enthusiastic about taking photos
  and videos and parents have been active in using
  the service
• The day care centres that have started to use the
  service most actively have sent out as many as
  300 photographs or videos to parents during the
  first few weeks of use.
• The three day care centres participating in the
  study have sent out an average of 20 photos or
  videos per day to parents.
• In terms of individual files photos 74 , videos
  26. Data traffic percentages are reversed.
• Most parents use the service at least once a week
  and the day care centres have received very
  positive feedback from parents.
• The day care centres and parents both hope the
  service will be continued after the pilot.

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Exceptionally high overall rating

• As a whole, the service has been rated
  exceptionally high on a 17 scale parents have
  given the service an average rating of 6.47.
• Almost two thirds (62) of the parents
  participating in the study view the pictures at
  least once a week. 57 of the respondents would
  like to see new images added to the service more
  than once a week, 16 would like to see more
  added daily.
• Images are viewed throughout the day, with
  emphasis on afternoons and evenings, but also
  during working hours.
• 63 of the respondents viewed the images at work,
  78 at home. Most viewed photos and videos at
  home, also with their kids.

It brings to life a time that you dont see, yet
it forms an important part of the childs life.
Average on a 1-7 scale 5.50 or above ? very
good 4.90 5.49 ? good 4.30 4.89 ? fairly
good 3.75 4.29 ? satisfactory 3.74 or below ?
poor
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Examples of parent feedback from
the day care centre
photo and video diary pilot
The possibility to transfer photos and videos
from day care centres is extremely valuable and
important for parents, an excellent innovation
with insight for a real need. I believe the
service is definitely here to stay and will be
used by the day care centre even after the pilot
phase.
This is an excellent service and I will
certainly continue to use it myself. It is
wonderful that this type of service has been
invented and that day care centres have accepted
it for everyday use!!!!
Thank you, this was a very pleasant experience
I would love to see it continued.
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Parents interested in day-to-day events

• Most parents (84) are particularly interested in
  photos and videos of the centres day-to-day
  routines and events
• As a parent Im very happy to see what my own
  little one is doing in the day care centre during
  the day. Its like being a fly on the ceiling
  watching the everyday activities of the centre.
• All material, photos and videos are wonderful
  they are the day-to-day activity and events that
  we normally do not get to see.
• The day care staff, too, see familiar things in a
  new light the special importance of everyday
  life.
• Now I pay attention to childrens activities in
  a different way its nice to discover a fun
  situation and capture it.
• My first reaction was Oh no, this is going to
  bring so much more work I ll be tied to the
  computer for long periods to develop a program so
  that we can get pictures on the Internet.
• Now Ive noticed that the ordinary events of
  everyday life are interesting.

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Ease of use is a key feature

• Trouble-free operation, speed and ease of use are
  crucial in taking photographs and videos
• Photos and videos do not have to be sent on from
  the mobile phone and there is no need to delete
  old pictures that take up the phones memory
  space the technology incorporated in the phones
  does all this for the user - a feature viewed as
  being of crucial importance
• The day care centres have been surprised at how
  easy the service is to use in advance some
  thought that it would be more difficult and that
  it might require too much work with the fast
  tempo of the day care centres activities.
• Its fun taking the photos.
• It does not feel like an obligation.
• Ease of use the key to success the service
  either takes off or not - it all depends on the
  day care centres enthusiasm, motivation and
  keenness a complicated service would not arouse
  enthusiasm. The enthusiasm and attitude of the
  centres management plays a central role.

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Day care centres have adopted the service with
enthusiasm

• The overall concept has received praise
• Thoughts of the staff, Id like to have the same
  kind of service in the day care centre where my
  own kids are.
• Taking pictures of kids in day care centres has
  increased significantly
• A mobile phone is usually the easiest and most
  natural way to capture images
• Videos especially are considered a lively way of
  capturing life in the day care centre and
  conveying the atmosphere to parents
• Kuvaboxi has also been used to distribute
  pictures taken with a digital camera and some
  centres take picture with both digital camera and
  mobile phone.
• It is hoped that the service will continue even
  after the pilot.

The kids have been enthusiastic and have also
wanted to view pictures on the computer with us
care staff. They have also said that they have
viewed the pictures at home.
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Picture selection is a feature appreciated
by the day care centres

• THE DAY CARE CENTRES WANT TO TRANSFER PICTURES
  SEPARATELY TO FOLDERS PROVIDED FOR PARENTS
• The day care centres want to ensure that the
  photos or videos distributed to parents contain
  no sensitive situations
• The day care centres appreciate that the service
  enables the controlled selection of images. This
  makes the shooting of pictures more spontaneous
  and more pictures are taken.
• In practice very few pictures end up not being
  transferred to parents. Thus far only poorer
  quality or otherwise failed pictures have been
  deleted.
• Transferring photos and videos to folders
  provided for parents was described as being
  incredibly easy and quick, and it can be done
  flexibly whenever there is time, even at home in
  the evening.

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Service seems to bring day care centres
and parents closer together

• Activities, day-to-day routines and atmosphere
  are conveyed and made realistic to the parents in
  an entirely new way.
• The parent also sees how the child manages and
  responds in the day care centre in a new way.
• Even the gestures and expressions of a child on
  a video tell the parents a lot.
• Communication is more
• efficient and openness is emphasised.
• Parents appreciate the day care centres
  commitment to the use of the service.
• Possibility to make more use of the service for
  exchanging messages in the future.

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Possibilities for expanding the service,
challenges and development proposals

• Parents are interested in possibilities for
  expanding the service, for example, incorporating
  an electronic notice board of the day care
  centres activities or the childs
  electronicformat development folder in the same
  service.
• Parents want have the service continued as the
  child progresses to preschool
• Day care centres want camera phone batteries with
  longer life.
• More new features wanted for the Kuvaboxi
  service possibilities for creating subfolders
  etc.
• Cultural or religious issues all families do not
  appreciate/allow their children to be
  photographed.
• How to keep up the initial enthusiasm?

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Implementers and sponsors

• Forum Virium Helsinki coordinated the entire
  pilot from concept development to partner
  sourcing, communication and handling of practical
  matters
• Futurice, Fromdistance and Hewlett Packard
  technical implementation
• Nokia, Elisa and TeliaSonera as sponsors
• City of Helsinki three day care centres
• Tenava day care centres
• The Ministry of Transport and Communications
  Luoti Programme data security consultancy

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Summary

• The day care centre photo and video diary has
  succeeded in responding to a real, existing need.
• Exceptionally high scores in the user study
• Ease of use and automated transfer of files
  extremely important for day care centres
• The use of the service is solidly linked to the
  day-to-day life of the users presumably it has
  a high stickiness level, i.e. is a service that
  is likely to remain in everyday use.
• The concept can be expanded and adapted to many
  other applications, interesting possibilities for
  international distribution.

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Further information

• Pauliina Smeds, Forum Virium
  Helsinki, tel. [phone]
• Hanno Nevanlinna,
  Futurice,
  tel. [phone]
• Jouko Vierumäki,
  Fromdistance,
  tel. [phone]

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Personal interviews with day care centres and
visual material

• If desired, representatives of the day care
  centres can be interviewed in person
• Auringonpilkku day care centre in Helsinki
  Juha
  Koskelainen, tel [phone].
• Printable visual material for media use is
  available in addition to the photo and video
  diary recordings.
• Visual material can be obtained by contacting
  Pauliina Smeds pauliina.smeds_at_fvh.fi,
  tel. [phone]

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Forum Virium Helsinki

• Forum Virium Helsinki is a cooperation cluster, a
  consortium formed by partners, focusing on the
  development of digital services
• The cluster was founded on the initiative of
  significant players in the sector. In addition to
  private enterprises, the City of Helsinki and
  other key players in the public sector play a
  crucial role in the cluster
• The engine i.e., anchor companies of Forum
  Virium Helsinki include Digita, Elisa, Nokia,
  TeliaSonera, Finnish Road Enterprise,
  TietoEnator, Veikkaus, WM-Data, YIT Group and
  the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE
• The clusters partner companies include
  Hewlett-Packard, IBM, MTV, Siemens, SOK, Swelcom
  and publicly administered bodies, including the
  City of Helsinki, Sitra, Tekes and VTT
• Forum Virium Helsinki aims at fast, user-friendly
  innovation and international visibility for
  Finnish digital services
• Other ongoing projects of Forum Virium Helsinki
  include Finnish mobile TV, mobile payment and new
  traffic services, such as making school journeys
  safe with the aid of digital services
• For further information, see www.forumvirium.fi