Start Here. A Human-Centered Approach to Family Culture.
Design a culture at home that keeps everyone more connected and balanced.
Many parents spend most of the week frustrated with routines, homework, nagging, rushing, then schedule the weekend and holidays for ‘connection time’. From the children’s point of view, it can feel like they are
working for a mean boss who makes them feel like they are not good enough all week, and still expects them to happily hang out together when they are free.
No parent does this on purpose. In fact, many of the parents we spoke to in our research said this is one of their biggest tension. They feel that they have no choice but to be tough: “How will they ever learn?”
The truth is, most challenges at home are people problems. But yet many of us unconsciously bring work-conditioned approaches to our family life. At work, we are familiar with customer-centricity, user-centricity, or employee-centricity. Even when people are at the center, the real goal is often still profit or growth.
Families are different. At home, the outcome we care about most is relationships. And this is where we can use the human-centered approach in it’s purest form, to build stronger connections and a culture that truly supports the people in it.
What to expect
Here, we explore what it means to design family culture by putting people, including yourself, at the center. Together, we’re building a playbook of tools, mindsets and stories from families on the same journey, so we can all learn to solve challenges in ways that truly benefit the collective, starting with the ones we love.
Where to start
About Me
I’m Evonne Ng-Jääskeläinen, a Singaporean multi-disciplinary designer currently based in Helsinki, with experience in brand and innovation. I’ve worked in creative agencies, business brand teams and innovation consulting, where I led design and helped teams adopt a designer’s mindset.
My family journey has been just as rich and formative. An intercultural marriage, multiple international moves, raising children with special brains, sensitive souls and strong personalities. Out of desperation to maintain sanity, I began applying design methods at home and was surprised by how positively my children responded, and how I accidentally discovered something meaningful I could create by blending my skills and lived experience.
Through Stoodio for Mankind, I partner with families to explore new ways of living and learning together, co-creating tools, sharing stories, and building cultures at home that are grounded on collaboration and connection
We need your help
We are small and there’s so much we don’t know yet. When more families help us test, we learn and improve. Share your challenges, try out the tools & methods, and share with us what works and what doesn’t. Your stories, advice and support helps us improve our work. Skeptics are also welcome ;)