Piyush Shah - Design Strategy

Piyush Shah.

Designing an Emotional Father-Son Bonding Service for Fathers

How might we help emotionally overwhelmed fathers convert low-energy moments into simple, high-connection interactions with their children?

Area

Behavior Design,

Service Design

My Role

Researcher, Design Thinking

Duration

Dec 2025 - Jun 2026

Designing an Emotional Father-Son Bonding Service for Fathers

How might we help emotionally overwhelmed fathers convert low-energy moments into simple, high-connection interactions with their children?

Area

Behavior Design,

Service Design

Duration

Dec 2025 - Jun 2026

My Role

Researcher, Design Thinking

Setting up the Context

This case study presents a prevention-focused design project that addresses early emotional neglect in young children by focusing on one group (Fathers).

Early years (0–5) are developmentally critical for children, yet in many households, fathers’ emotional engagement remains limited, not due to lack of care, but due to fatigue, social conditioning, and uncertainty about how to express affection.

Outcome of Project

The outcome of this project is a validated, prevention-focused product concept called Dad & Me Daily, a low-friction, non-digital daily activity system designed to help fathers build consistent emotional bonding rituals with their toddlers.

Behavioral Outcome

Increased father–child verbal interaction & Reduced hesitation in initiating bonding activities

What is Emotional Neglect?

At the core, emotional neglect occurs when a parent or caregiver consistently fails to respond to a child’s emotional needs.

How does Emotional Neglect leaves Life-Long biological scars?

Emotional Neglect TimelineEmotional Neglect Timeline

What we saw in a Typical Indian Household

Source: Interview Responses, In-situ Observation