Wednesday, November 30, 2011

hi our names are josh and jessi and this is a picture of an adorable duckling. he is about to be an apt metaphor for the communication problem our design intervention is trying to solve.

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this is an xkcd comic demonstrating a duck-loop. ducklings need a leader. without the mother to follow, they could get stuck in a super cute but ultimately fruitless circle, never getting anywhere, never making any progress. the communication problem we seek to solve is the ease of conversation between families, and particularly between parents and children, about money matters. when parents and families have a hard time talking to their kids about nances, people grow up with a shaky understanding, and might be thrown in over their heads once they have to start taking care of their money and bills and budgeting all on their own. then, they struggle through until they get the hang of things enough to get by. unfortunately, they will likely have a hard time expressing to their own kids how theyve gured things out, because they dont have any model of, or experience with, how those conversations should go. This means that their kids, just like them, may end up struggling, perpetuating the loop.

dollarsdollars
Wednesday, November 30, 2011

our design intervention, the school of dollars and sense, would help put the mama duck back into the duckloop.

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AWWWWW DUCKS R GREAT

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the school of dollars and sense takes the form of 5 levels of workbooks for families with school-age children. these workbooks would be distributed through a school organization not unlike operation aware or junior achievement, ideally with some sort of simulation or interactive experience to stimulate thinking to kick things off within the school environment.

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each book level introduces a few age-friendly topics with puzzles, quizzes, real-life practice suggestions, and discussion questions. our hope is that these books can help overcome the awkwardness or confusion of talking about money and pave the way for a continuous dialogue of growing complexity up until the child becomes responsible for his own nances, which he will be able to handle without panic because he's been practicing, and he knows that he has someone to turn to for advice and reassurance

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the books are double-sided, so that the adults and children would collaborate, encouraging a level of teamwork and support. reading from one direction speaks directly to the kids, while the other is written for parents and mentors.

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by providing a communal touchstone for both adults and children, lled with simple information and frameworks for further discussion and life experiences, the school of dollars and sense would help everyone, regardless of income level, blaze a trail for healthy and REALISTIC dialogue between the family about nances. this dialogue can allow children to step condently into responsibilities, even when they are young, which is not only helpful for the future but can also allow them to begin to help take care of business in the here and now.

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each level is represented by a denomination of american money. for kindergartners through 2nd graders, for instance, is level one, or the "pennies," and so on all the way up to the "dollars," who are about to graduate from high school. the family teaching guide features just that money,

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while the fronts feature families holding up the metaphorical weight of money together.

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the notion here is that once a conversation is begun with a child, it will be easier to keep up that dialogue all throughout adolescence and the growing-up period, without the need for one, or even several, big, uncomfortable capital-t talks wherein the adult lectures and the child listens passively.

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their curricula vary widely from level to level. level one, for instance, could include the basics of coins, and how they add together, along with instructions to have a hunt for change and count whatever you nd, and encouragement for adults to let their young children help them pay for small purchases using cash.

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level three, for instance, could contain an introduction to checking accounts and how to use them. families in this level would be encouraged to start a junior checking account for their kids.

Anatomy
Your name and mailing address are printed here when you order checks.

of a

Check
This is each checks number. This allows you to track which checks go where, and when they go through.

You will put the date here when you write a check so that you can track spending.

The name of the person or company to whom the check is written goes here.

name 1234 Main St. Apt. 101 Kansas City, MO. 64112 pay to the order of date

1001

In this box, you write in numerals the dollar amount of the check, including decimals.

$
dollars

Your Bank
Address of Your Bank

The location of your checking account goes here.

Kansas City, MO. 64112 for M P

123456789

1234567

On this line, you will write out the dollar amount in full words ending with and (?)/100 to denote any change.

The name of the person or company to whom the check is written goes here.

This routing number, used by electronic processors, refers to your bank.

This number is your checking account number. You should try to memorize it!

Your signature will go here when you are done writing a check. Its signing a contract.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

and these books would include diagrams explaining how to ll out checks...

Anatomy
Here is where you write todays date.

of a

Deposit Slip
These are the dollar columns. Write your dollars so that the single dollars are in the column closest to the decimals. These are the decimal columns. Change up to a dollar belongs in these columns. In this row, you will write how many dollars & cents you want to deposit in cash. If youre not depositing any cash, go ahead and leave this row blank.

Here is where you write your name.

Cash
date name Account Number

Checks
In these rows, you will write the amount separately for each check you want to deposit. If you need more rows than this, there are often more spaces on the back of the deposit slip.

If you successfully memorized your account number, write it here. If not, you can look at one of your checks to find it. The bank teller can also help you, if necessary!

Subtotal

Your Bank
Address of Your Bank Kansas City, MO. 64112

Less Cash TOTAL

In this row, you write the total sum of all the cash and all the checks you have listed so far.

Your banks info will already be printed on your deposit slip.

In the last row, you will write the total of your deposit minus your cash back. This is the money you are actually putting in the bank.

In this row, you write how much cash you would like back after the transaction.

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and deposit slips.

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level ve, targeted towards high school juniors and seniors, would have information about nancial aid, to embolden even those who arent sure if college is an option to at least nd out what there is, and a place to write down notes about the colleges they research,

Weekly Budgeting
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

total

week total

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as well as advice on how to create a realistic budget and places to track spending.

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lastly, a fun opportunity for feedback can be found in the notion of students being able to bring completed workbooks, signed by both parents and students, back to the organization to redeem for a tshirt to symbolize completion of the level and eventually the whole program. then, ideally, the student would be ready to take on the nancial world by themselves, well educated, well supported, and unafraid.

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and when they have children of their own, students of the school of dollars and sense can feel condent in their ability to share their knowledge and experience, too.