MARKET RESEARCH
• Existing books are based on a narrative featuring a main character. I will treat my book more as an infographic, with only the necessary words and pictures. I'm afraid that a narrative structure will make young readers feel disconnected from the text and block them from applying the coping mechanisms themselves. Children ages five and six need straightforward communication regarding emotional health and coping mechanisms, unobscured by narrative structure.
• Existing books are traditionally printed and bound. I will use experimental printing and binding techniques to increase the book's tactility and interactivity. The type and illustrations will be printed onto felt. The illustrations should be as graphically bold and striking as the text is straightforward.
• Existing books don't link situations and solutions. I will present specific coping mechanisms as solutions to specific emotions, keeping in line with young readers' emotional intelligence. I want the tactility of my book to match the interactivity and theme of emotions so young readers can apply what they read.
• My consumer audience is kindergarteners, or English-speaking caregivers who buy books from freelance creatives to read with children ages five and six. I should write the text in the present tense from a first-person perspective, use animals as characters, use reflective questions in my writing, stick to simple sight words and predictable rhymes, and use basic words to describe emotions.
SKETCHES & REFERENCES
DRAFTS
USER TESTING
HEIDI, a kindergarten teacher, represents my ideal customer, a parent or teacher of five- and six-year-olds with interests in design and psychology who also buys from freelance creatives.
• Add transparent pocket(s) for interactive felt pieces on covers
• Material elicits the same response as Indestructible Books
• Levels of interactivity and craftsmanship feel developmentally appropriate for five- and six-year-old readers
ELIZA, a high school student
• Not too big and not too small, more pocket-sized than a picture book
• Knots fastening the spine could be easily untied by older children
• Either side of the book, as it is (without a title printed), could be the front or the back
JACQUE, a construction inspector
• Is the book itself washable?
• Add a "how am I feeling today?" page at the end of the book to prompt self-examination and application of new skills
• Primary colors are strong and evoke appropriate nostalgia
AMY, a wedding designer and music teacher
• Tactile material accurately suggests the emotional text and application of the product
• Title idea: I FELT (get it?)
• The felt pages grip each other and stick to themselves, so the book doesn't lay flat without some smoothing
FINAL BOOK
Have you ever felt ANGRY? Well, I do today. I can tell I am angry, in my own way. My mouth frowns, my hands shake, I want to yell! What should I do with this feeling? Well...
This feeling of ANGER, it really is mine. I look around my body and see what I find. Where do I feel it? In my head? In my chest? I lay my hand on that spot, breathe slow, and rest.
After my rest, I do something I like. I dance, I draw, or I pedal my bike. I like to feel love from a person I know, a person who helps me feel in control.
There are many good ways to say how I feel. Ways that are helpful, ways I can heal. I can stop feeling ANGRY, stop when I please. I'm glad I felt ANGRY, and now I feel PEACE.
*Full text was proofread and approved by a school administrator, kindergarten teacher, and a child psychologist.
PITCH DECK
Have you ever talked to an angry kindergartner?? They’re not the best at articulating feelings & calming themselves down.
Here’s where I Felt Angry comes in! This interactive book can be read aloud by a caregiver & played with by five- & six-year-olds. It’s designed with kindergarten psychology in mind as both a preventative & de-escalating emotional tool.
The child handles the felt shapes screen printed with the book’s illustrations & matches the colorful felt cutouts to the B&W illustrations screen printed on the book’s white felt pages. This interactivity both distracts from their anger & helps them apply the insightful text.
Easy to grasp, cheap to produce, and hardy enough to handle the worst tantrums. I Felt Angry combines play, fine motor skills, kindergarten literacy, emotional intelligence, & age-appropriate coping mechanisms into a unique & well-designed interactive book!
Here’s where I Felt Angry comes in! This interactive book can be read aloud by a caregiver & played with by five- & six-year-olds. It’s designed with kindergarten psychology in mind as both a preventative & de-escalating emotional tool.
The child handles the felt shapes screen printed with the book’s illustrations & matches the colorful felt cutouts to the B&W illustrations screen printed on the book’s white felt pages. This interactivity both distracts from their anger & helps them apply the insightful text.
Easy to grasp, cheap to produce, and hardy enough to handle the worst tantrums. I Felt Angry combines play, fine motor skills, kindergarten literacy, emotional intelligence, & age-appropriate coping mechanisms into a unique & well-designed interactive book!