Starting Montessori

Discover the basics of the Montessori educational method and create new environment and perspective for you and your children.

Introduction

“Starting Montessori” App was created for mothers (and fathers as well) who recently discovered the Montessori Educational Method. The App suggests short-term, basic projects, which mothers can do at home, at their own pace, with professional guidance.

What is Montessori?

The educational method was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900’s. She was a groundbreaking woman, the first female doctor in Italy.

The main idea behind the approach is to respect the child as an individual person, nurturing his independence and his freedom of choice. Montessori said that the child is learning through inner motivation and natural curiosity. The adult’s role is to mediate between the child and the world, and create a prepared environment, so the child can discover and learn by himself.

The Challenge - make Montessori accessible

My goal in creating this App is to make the information accessible to any mother who is interested, in a clear and simple way. The challenge is to create a positive experience for mothers, with precise and accurate content that will not undermine the Montessori Method which is deep and profound and has existed for over hundred years.

UX Research

Studying Montessori’s main principles and values

Before I dived into the design process, I felt that I needed to learn more about the background of the method. I chose six categories that represent the basic principles of the method, and those will assemble the App’s projects and content.

User research - mothers who are new to Montessori

After publishing a questionnaire on a Facebook community called “Montessori at Home” by Efrat Milena Dvir, I decided to narrow my users into mothers who are new to Montessori. I interviewed three mothers who answered this title, asked them about their motivations, what could be their pain point as young mothers who want to make a change and start Montessori.

Motivations

Empathize with the Montessori principles and values, excited about the potential in this method for me and for my children.
Want to raise independent children with self confidence.
Want to feel “successful” in raising children.

Frustrations

Hard to find spare time for extra home projects with the stress and the busy pace of life.
In social media everything looks easy and perfect. The grass is always greener on the other side.
Feels guilty about not being a good enough mother.

Inspiration from different Apps

In order to understand how to create a teaching App, I researched different Apps such as recipes, skills studies, sports (fitness and lifestyle) , family managing Apps and more.