Although Gabby’s Dollhouse already captivates young viewers, most interactions remain limited to passive screen time, offering few opportunities for shared parent–child engagement.
DreamWorks Animation looked to SCPXL for a unique digital platform that would engage a global preschool audience while fostering family bonding, deepen emotional connections, and create lasting, shareable memories that strengthens loyalty across generations.
Through interviews with participants, clients and stakeholders, we gathered valuable insights to better understand and empathize with the needs of our target audience. This allowed us to dive deeper into defining the project's challenges.
The Memory-Making Mom
Name: Sandy
Age: 34
Location: Suburban Texas
Background: Full-time working mother of two
Engagement: Uses the site on her lunch break, values easy steps and instant gratification.
Motivations:
• Wants to make birthdays magical and
• Create traditions her children will remember.
Pain Points:
• Limited time for elaborate party planning
• Wants something quick but meaningful.
The Party-Planning Aunt
Name: Jasmine
Age: 28
Location: Florida
Background: Marketing coordinator, no kids of her own
Engagement: Uses the site as part of a bigger birthday surprise package
Motivations:
• Loves being the “fun aunt” who brings extra excitement to family celebrations..
Pain Points:
• Wants to coordinate with the main party theme without extra shipping costs or delays.
The Tech-Savvy Dad
Name: Alex
Age: 39
Location: Urban California
Background: Software engineer, co-parent of a 5-year-old
Engagement: Completes the process on his phone, helps his child watch the greeting on a tablet.Uses the site as part of a bigger birthday surprise package
Motivations:
• Loves finding unique, interactive experiences that blend tech and storytelling.
Pain Points:
• Dislikes clunky interfaces; wants a polished, mobile-friendly platform.
The Inclusive Daycare Provide
Name: Raj
Age: 42
Location: Toronto, Canada
Background: Owner of a multicultural daycare center
Engagement: Uses the site to create personalized birthday greetings for children in his care
Motivations:
• Wants to offer diverse, engaging experiences that include all children and their families, regardless of background.
Pain Points:
• Seeks content with multilingual support and culturally sensitive messaging.
Our team went through the process of rapidly visualizing, testing and refining thoughts and ideas before the development process. Below is a glimpse of how we defined our vision of the user's journey through the app by highlighting decision points, loops and any potential friction areas.
To help the team determine the priority of information, I designed the placement and layout of content in wireframe form which allowed for rapid iteration, feedback and discussions.
Once approved, I developed the wireframes into a working prototype to help simulate user interaction with the product and address any potential pain points discovered throughout the early stages.
The Gabby’s Dollhouse Video Call's experience was designed to be bright, cheerful, and unmistakably aimed at preschool-aged children and their families with the color palette reflecting the whimsical aesthetic of the Gabby’s Dollhouse brand.
Large, friendly typography is used to ensure easy readability for parents and grandparents, with plenty of spacing to avoid clutter. The layout is simple and linear, guiding users step-by-step from entering a birthday to starting the personalized greeting.
about (creativity). I'm excited to hear about any potential opportunities.
