BUCKETLIST. A LIST OF ACTIVITIES FOR LITTLE ONES TO COMPLETE.
Date 2019
Client Nutricia - Aptamil
Role Lead Designer
Type UI
https://raisethemresilient.com.au/
The Project
Key stakeholders:
Client: Nutricia, specifically for the Aptamil Toddler brand
Subject Matter Expert: Dr. Justin Coulson (one of Australia’s leading parenting experts).
Agency/Creative Team: The digital transformation team - UX/UI and design team working in conjunction with the broader creative agency
Nutricia identified a market tension: modern parents are often anxious about protecting their children, yet research shows that over-protection can hinder the development of resilience. The brief was to move the brand beyond a functional product provider to a partner in parenting. They needed a digital utility that could translate Dr. Justin Coulson's complex psychological research into simple, actionable steps that parents could take immediately.
The result, ‘The Resilience Building Bucket List,’ aligned with the brief by gamifying the science. Instead of a text-heavy academic paper, the team delivered an interactive checklist of 10 sensory-rich activities such as ‘Play in the rain’ and ‘Plant a veggie patch’.
The ‘Dig Deeper’ UI element allowed parents to quickly scan the activity for fun, while offering the option to expand for the scientific ‘why’ behind it, satisfying both the need for quick inspiration and deep validation.
The use of warm, illustrative animation and a clean checklist interface made the chore' of parenting development feel like a fun game.
My Role in the Project
My role involved translating the topic of resilience into a light and playful digital experience.
I championed the micro-interactions - animations upon checking off a list item to give parents a small dopamine hit, mimicking the sense of accomplishment they get from helping their child grow.
A significant challenge in this project is managing Nutricia's legal and regulatory team. The campaign promotes ‘healthy risks’ which can be terrifying for a client. My role involved presenting the UI and visual design in a way that emphasized controlled environments to reassure the client while maintaining the integrity of Dr. Coulson’s advice.
Project Success and Learnings
The project successfully positioned Nutricia as a support system rather than just a formula brand. By providing a free, utility-based tool, the brand captured valuable first-party data - parents engaging with the content and increased time-on-site. The ‘Bucket List’ concept gave parents’ permission to let their kids get messy and take risks, alleviating parental anxiety. Things i would do differently is advocate for a more streamlined one-thumb interface, potentially adding a ‘Save for later’ feature or push notifications for rainy days - triggering the ‘Play in the rain’ activity notification when local weather data detects rain.
