The Dinner Table Toolkit
A collection of activities and games designed to build communication, collaboration and trust between parents and children.
PROJECT NAME
The Dinner Table Toolkit
TYPE OF WORK
Student project at Parsons School of Design
SKILLS & PROCESSES
Design Research
User Research
Prototyping & Testing
DURATION
15 weeks
TEAM
Anamika Gopi, Soumil Panwar,
Sara Rebelo, Brielle Yang
DATE
12/2022
Challenge
The CDC states that 1 out of 7 children aged 4-17 experience a mental health struggle in any given year. Due to the lack of mental health support infrastructures in most public education systems across the world, especially in primary and middle schools, children often face obstacles in identifying and expressing their anxiety, depression, stress, or anger.
Solution
The Dinner Table Toolkit takes this problem to the child's home as a starting point in navigating difficult topics and encourages light-hearted as well as emotionally revealing conversation. Its interactive and engaging activities aim to foster communication and trust between parents and children through discovery and play, which may enable identification and assistance in further mental health support.
Children often aren’t exposed to therapy or focused emotional guidance before high school and can feel anxiety or stress around communicating difficulties to adults - no matter how big or small.
Mental health should be navigated by professionals, but how can trust and communication begin to be built in the home environment? How might we leverage everyday events such as a family dinner into opportunities for bonding and sharing?
Conceptualised Approach
Design Process
1.1 Secondary Research (Desk) Overview
2.1 Primary Research (Interviews & Surveys) Insights
3.1 Prototyping & Testing
Our team conducted interviews with 12 individuals including middle and high school teachers, psychiatrists and parents.
The MVP prototype of the Dinner Table Toolkit consisted of:
1. Conversation Guide & Game Manual
2. Table Talk Card Game
3. Show Me Your Face Card Game
Finished Product (MVP)
Conversation Guide & Game Manual
The manual provides information and instructions on the toolkit and the games it consists of as well as guidelines and activity prompts for a comfortable, communicative and trusting environment at home.
The manual communicates the toolkit’s objectives of mindful listening and empathetic conversation through creativity and play.
Table Talk Card Game
The Table Talk Card Game has a range of questions designed to encourage conversation. From casual to emotional, the game places point values against different questions according to how vulnerable the player must get to continue. To ensure players feel comfortable, the game also provides cards to skip a question and ask any question they like.
Show Me Your Face Card Game
The Show Me Your Face Card Game consists of facial features - eyes, noses, mouths, hair - that are to be combined in unique creative ways by players. Players must then collaborate to tell a story around each other’s “artworks” and vote for the best artwork. This game encourages creative thinking, storytelling and gives players the confidence to tell quirky stories.
