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       About

Meeko

Online extension and app that empowers kids to be safe online.

Project Summary

Meeko was created to guide the child as they move through and interact with the internet while giving parents peace of mind that their children are safe.



Define the Problem &
Why Does It Matter?

The rapid increase in access to technology has resulted in a new challenge for parents and guardians of young kids: keeping them safe online, where they don’t have full jurisdiction. These effects have shown in Millenials and younger generations and will continue to harmfully effect new generations unless a safe, informational tool can be implemented without abusing the power that comes with it.




Research Takeaways &
Pain Points

  • Overwhelmed—Parents feel parenting is harder than ever and don’t feel prepared to educate their young children on how to use the internet effectively
  • Too controlling—Several available resources at the moment work by restricting or imposing on how children interact online as opposed to teaching them

   

Social Media Statistics




1Social Media Victims Law Center, Understanding Social Media and Mental Health.
2Emily A. Vogels, Risa Gelles-Watnick, & Navid Massarat, August 10, 2022, Teens, Social Media and Technology.
3Alexandra Jones, November 16, 2022, The Good, the Bad, and the Cringe.



Target Audience

With the rise of technology in the 21st century, children are getting smart phones as early as 13. There is a rise in internet use since 2015 and teens are feeling overwhelmed while on social media due to various reasons including drama or pressure to get likes and comments on their posts. Meeko will help guide and empower children ages 7-13 while they explore the internet and social media.




Interviews

“Cyberbullying takes social media to a whole new level because it allows hundreds of people to participate in the bullying behavior and it extends the time that a child can be bullied from a school day to 24 hours a day.”
—Maggie Armstrong, Educator for 12 years

“During the pandemic, students learned that there weren’t consequences for being disruptive on social media platforms, which set students back in social media maturity.”
—Amanda Listiak, Educator for 2.5 years

“In Evelyn’s middle school, they don’t talk about social media much but some teachers somewhat encourage the students to follow some content creators on Instagram or Tik Tok.”
—Alex Deike, Mom of 2, Evelyn age 13 & Cole age 9





Brand Personas







Competitive Analysis

Based on our research, there is a need for a service that guides the child as they encounter situations on the internet. We evaluated what companies are currently doing and what their weaknesses are:

  • Too broad and focus on general security
  • No personal connection with the child
  • Targeted towards parents more than the child
  • Too protective, shelters the child from learning as they encounter things

By analyzing what’s currently out there, we are able to create a service that bridges the gap between child safety and social media.



How might we...










USP (Onliness)





Brand Voice






Tagline



Meeko is the only service that guides children as they interact with social media and the internet. As an online adventure guide, Meeko empowers the child as they encounter situations as soon as they happen.



  • Encouraging
  • Friendly
  • Educational




Go Safe, Go Kind, Go Aware, Go Meeko


  • Going Safe: Keeping your secure passwords, location and conscious of screen time ad technology addiction
  • Go Kind: Being sincere, no bullying, reporting account, celebrating differences
  • Go Aware: Scammers, viruses, malware, fake/spam account, fake information
  • Go Meeko: Spreading education as your trusted online adventure guide!



What does online safety mean?

 
To be safe online, the user needs to understand the internet, what’s on it, how it’s used, and how it operates. It also means protecting yourself and others from online risks like sharing personal information, interacting with spam/fake accounts or bullying that can affect your safety and mental wellbeing.



User Jouney Map

Before designing, the user journey needed to be figured out. How does the child sign up? How does Meeko interact with the child? 

These questions are answered by the user flows below. It lists out the steps that are needed to be taken for the child to get signed up and start interacting with Meeko. The second user flows shows how Meeko interacts with the child through an app like YouTube.






Misson Statement & USP



Meeko is the only social media safety service that guides and teaches the child as they interact with the internet and social media to instill healthy and safe online practices.

Meeko aims to make the internet—social media specifically—a safer place for young people. Think of Meeko as parent taught driving. The child is in control but Meeko is there to help guide the child as they interact with the internet.














Illustration Design

I used Spline 3D design tool to create Meeko’s environment. When researching illustration styles, I kept coming across 3D modeling and set out to learn the software. I used a template provided by Spline and customized it to fit what we needed for Meeko’s home.

The 3D world allows for a more interactive experience for the child and helps keep them more engaged with Meeko.




App Onboarding

The onboarding is a very crucial part of the app. This is the first interaction the child will have with Meeko. It’s important for Meeko to introduce himself to the child and ask the child for their name. This invites and welcome the child to feel comfortable. Meeko also has to explain that he will be with the child and will help guide them as they explore the internet.

The app onboarding would take place after the parent goes through the website onboarding. The app is soley for the child to interact with Meeko. Ideally, the parent would set up their child’s account online and then proceed to download the app and go through app onboarding together.




Tip Notifications

Meeko’s main purpose is to guide the child as they interact with the internet. This is achieved by a character based extension. The categories that Meeko focuses on are safety, kindness, awareness and education to help with their digital citizenship.



  • Having strong passwords
  • Keeping your location secure


  • How to keep your personal information private
  • Conscious of screen time and technology addiction


  • Being sincere to others
  • Not partaking in bullying


  • Celebrating differences
  • Spreading positivity and compassion


  • Awareness of fake accounts
  • Recognizing misinformation

  • Conscious of scams
  • Attentive to viruses and malware


  • Spreading education on the internet and social media safety


  • Sharing with a trusted adult of possible problems or if feeling unsafe, anxious or depressed



Extension

Meeko is a character-based extension that is with the child while they explore the internet. It is like parent taught driving. The child is in control of the car, but the parent is there to help guide and instruct the child as they encounter situations while driving.

The child is in control of their own social media and internet surfing but Meeko is there to guide them through situations as they face them.






Tip Archive

The notifications will be archived on the app for the child to look back on at a later time. They will also appear on the parents account online. This helps spark conversations between the child and their trusted adult, leading to a mutual understand of social media and online literacy.




Educational Games

The app includes games that help engage the child in online safety. The games help educate them on what it means to be safe online and how to react in potential situations they could encounter. The child can gain points to use in the reward shop.

The games focus on the 3 different areas of social media safety, going safe, going kind, going aware. This is accomplished by parts of Meeko’s environment that the child can explore including the ‘Plains of Going Safe’, ‘The canyons of Going Kind’, ‘The isles of Going Aware’, and ‘The forest of Speaking Out’.




Rewards and Points

The points gained from the games can be used in the reward shop in the app. The points can be used to purchase room decor for Meeko. This provides an incentive for the child to open the app daily, play games and follow the tips they receive while online.




Meeko’s Room

Feel free to zoom in and play in Meeko’s room and environment! 


What I learned:

For this project, I learned 3D modeling in Spline to create Meeko’s environment. When our group was researching illustration styles, I kept coming across 3D figures and worlds. I set out to find a software where I could learn and create Meeko’s world. I came across Spline and watched videos and taught myself how to build and render on this software. I really enjoyed learning a new tool and figuring out how to add the interactive element to the project.


With more time and resources:

Meeko was accepted into the SXSW Innovation Lab in mid-March. Two of our group members attended and design professionals were recommending our group to patent Meeko. Another attendee said he wanted to possibily invest in the project. With more time, it would be interesting to conduct more market research and see the likelyhood of Meeko in the real-world.