Major Project II - All Tasks

4.2.2025 - 25.3.2025 / Week 01 - Week 08
Tan Zhao Yi / 0363285
Major Project II / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
All Tasks

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LIST

Task 1: Proposal Exploration

A. Re-evaluating Problem Statement

B. Strategic Repositioning

C. Contextual Challenge

D. Understanding Information Needs

Task 2: Project Execution

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INSTRUCTION

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Major Project II: Little Care

We are Group 5, and we call us BlackJack, because we all wear black jackets! In MP2, we decided to spread into individual work to ensure we all pursue the outcome we desired.

Task 1: Project Exploration

Small recap: Final Presentation Slide in MP1

Fig 1.1. Final Presentation Slide in MP1 

A. Re-evaluating Problem Statement

During the development of Major Project I, several practical and contextual gaps emerged that challenged the initial assumption of simply creating a platform to “connect parents with verified babysitters.” While the proposal emphasised trust as a key value, it did not sufficiently define how trust could realistically be constructed within the Malaysian childcare context. One critical gap identified was the ambiguity of service structure: 

• Does the babysitter travel to the client’s home? 
• Or do parents send their child to the babysitter’s residence? 
• If the service is in client's house, are parents psychologically ready to allow a stranger into their private domestic space? 

These questions revealed that trust is not achieved through listing services alone. Instead, trust must be designed as an experience, supported by visible processes, screening mechanisms, and decision-making clarity. 

Fig 1.2 Computers in Human Behavior 

(Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214006827)

Research from this book shows that users form trust in a digital platform primarily through its website characteristics, especially during their first interaction before any transaction occurs. Elements such as clear and accurate information, good usability, reliable technical performance, and professional visual design strongly influence whether users feel confident with a service. It also highlight that trust and distrust are shaped by different factors. While helpful content and accessible support can increase trust, issues like poor structure, low-quality content, or unfamiliar layouts tend to create distrust. To explain these effects, Wang and Emurian (2005) group trust-building features into four dimensions:

1. Graphic design (visual impression)

2. Structure design (ease of navigation)

3. Content design (credibility and completeness of information)

4. Social-cue design (human elements such as contact options or staff presence)

B. Strategic Repositioning

As suggested in the literature, trust is a multidimensional construct, consisting of three different facets: benevolence, honesty, and competence. This insight reframed the project from being a directory of babysitters into a decision-support system that reduces uncertainty for parents. 

To address the gap, the project direction shifted toward analysing intermediary platforms such as Grab and Foodpanda. Research on digital platforms describes them as two-sided markets that connect providers and users while facilitating transactions neither side could easily perform alone. These platforms do not own vehicles, restaurants, or services themselves. However, they succeed because they:

• Standardise entry requirements for providers
• Control onboarding and verification processes
• Reduce user decision fatigue
• Function as trust mediators rather than service owners

These platforms facilitate complex interactions among diverse participants and enable more efficient allocation of services through data and coordination mechanisms, which means the value is not the car, food, or babysitter. The value is the system that organises trust and access. (Reference: https://chr.ewapub.com/article/view/23968?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

This platform logic became a key reference model for restructuring the babysitting service. Instead of allowing any babysitter to list themselves and leaving parents to evaluate credibility manually, the proposed solution now adopts a closed onboarding system, where only pre-screened caregivers are allowed onto the platform. This removes an additional cognitive burden from parents, as users no longer need to ask, “Is this babysitter trustworthy?”

Based on these insights, I rewrite the problem statement:

"Working parents in urban Malaysia frequently require ad-hoc childcare support to accommodate unpredictable schedules and work demands. However, they currently rely on fragmented sources such as social media recommendations, informal referrals, and personal networks to locate babysitters. This scattered approach makes it difficult and time-consuming to evaluate a caregiver’s trustworthiness, availability, and suitability. With no integrated decision-support system to streamline the search and verification process, parents must manually compare options, verify information, and manage communication across multiple channels. For those with limited prior experience in hiring childcare, this creates uncertainty and leads to a stressful, delayed process that ultimately reduces confidence in their decision-making."

C. Contextual Challenge
I discovered a major local constraint through further investigation. Unlike some other countries, Malaysia doesn't have a recognised licensing system specifically for babysitters. This created a contradiction: If no national accreditation exists, how can the app claim that babysitters are "verified"?

Rather than abandoning verification, I explored an alternative multi-layer validation model. Proposed onboarding requirements include:

• IC / Passport documentation
• Affiliated childcare centre name
• Affiliated childcare centre registration number
• Existing childcare-related certificates (e.g. early childhood training)
• Mandatory platform-led screening interview

The inclusion of a structured interview introduces a qualitative assessment layer, ensuring that verification is not only document-based but also examine babysitter's communication ability, caregiving understanding, and professionalism.

D. Understanding Information Needs
To confirm what information does parent usually requires to make childcare decisions, I went through some babysitter service website like Kiddocare and Sitly.

Fig 1.3. Kiddocare

Fig 1.4. Sitly

These references suggested to indicate:

• Service type
• Availability
• Preferred age group (e.g. newborn, toddler)
• Care provided
• Parents' reviews