Social Good Project

Overview:

Tasked with designing a new product that can be used by new parents to better serve their babies. The goal is to provide assistance during this challenging time in their lives by offering simple and detailed information, as well as resources for their newborn.

Having a first baby can be overwhelming for parents, and they often worry about keeping track of important tasks such as feeding, diaper changes, and nap/bedtimes. To address this concern, there is a need for a communication tool that enables both parents to log and synchronize these events. The tool should be available as both an app and a web portal, with the ability to provide detailed information when required. While many detailed apps already exist, my goal is to create a simplified yet effective product to meet the unique needs of new parents.

Problem:

The purpose of this tool is to track all aspects of a baby's care, including food, diaper changes, and nap/bedtimes. It enables parents to monitor when these events occurred and anticipate when they might happen again. The tool comprises an app for a simplified experience, and a web portal with more detailed features and additional support options, including blog postings.

Solution:

My Role: Lead Designer, Researcher, Writer & Interviewer

  • Figma

  • Miro

  • SurveyMonkey

  • Google Docs

  • Google Slides

  • Google Sheets

Tools:

The Research

After examining several similar tracking apps, I found that the information provided can be difficult to read due to compressed information. Additionally, while some apps provided larger data points, they did not offer solutions for addressing issues or providing additional information as needed.

Competitor Analysis

I then asked 10 new or expecting mothers about some of their focus and worry points that may or have happened. Questions used in the research were the following:

  • How do you currently track or plan to track your baby's eating, sleeping, and diaper-changing schedule?

  • How do you plan to communicate this information to your partner?

  • What specific information would you like to know about your baby's feeding schedule?

  • What specific information would you like to know about your baby's sleeping schedule?

  • What specific information would you like to know about your baby's diaper-changing routine?

  • What do you feel is important information to have access to and share with your partner regarding your baby's care?

User Research

Taking the Next Step

  • Most apps integrate food, diaper changes, and nap times, along with their most recent occurrences and durations.

  • They offer detailed tracking of these three aspects, including information on duration, type of change, and food consumed.

  • They provide very detailed information in a compact space, enabling a more thorough understanding of the baby's care routine.

Common Themes

  • Provide key points to each of the three major checkpoints for a newborn. Examples are: How often eating a specific food? How many diapers remain? How long / frequent is the newborn sleeping?

  • Simplifying each key point, showing the most important recent information in one highlight area. The app will keep the information simple, while a more detailed section will be available on the web page.

  • The web page will include detailed articles for parents seeking assistance.

Potential for Improvement

Iteration

Wireframe / Sticker Sheet

For the final mock-ups and design process, I wanted to provide fairly neutral baby colors to match the overall concept of the product.

The main focus I was able to achieve was to provide a simple app with relevant detail for first-time parents. This wasn’t meant to overstimulate them with a large variety of charts and metrics, but more simple line items that are refreshed daily.

Information can be synced and shared between parents. The web portal version was primarily focused on a secondary source. However, the additional bonus was curated articles for each section written by industry experts.

Mock-Ups

Lessons Learned

  • Detailed Information

    • Keep the mobile interface simple and provide detailed information on a dedicated web page.

  • Build Upon What Already Works

    • Keep the mobile interface simple and provide detailed information on a dedicated web page.

From A Product Standpoint

  • Broader Thinking

    • I focused on simplifying significant data in a small app design, while still being able to dive deeper and expand on a webpage

  • Deeper Research

    • I found it to be a challenging subject due to the nature of where I am in my life, so spending extra time doing research was extremely beneficial to make me more comfortable with the design.

  • Focused Content Design

    • I designed with clear, intuitive words and design to allow the user to be guided through the flow with expected behaviors.

Personal Reflection