BabyRoutine: Planning App for Parents
Role
Research & Analysis, Concept Development, UX/UI Design
Timeline
Dec 2021 - March 2022
Project Overview
Background
BabyRoutine app is a personal project, inspired by the challenges I faced as a first-time parent.
Problems
Challenges of Establishing Baby’s Routines & Stress from Immediate Meal and Playtime Decisions
Establishing daily routines becomes crucial as babies outgrow the infant stage. However, first-time parents often struggle to manage their baby's evolving routines due to conflicting advice from numerous online sources and the lack of a convenient way to edit and access these routines. Additionally, parents frequently experience stress trying to decide on meals and playtime activities on the spot.
Solution
A Baby Routine Planning App: Helping Parents to be Proactive and Less Stressed with Guided Planning
The BabyRoutine app guides parents in establishing baby’s routine with expert curated templates. The template is easy to personalize and preview. It also encourages and helps parents to plan kids meal and activity in advance so they can feel confident and relaxed while taking care of babies.
Why is Baby’s Routine so Important?
It’s important for BABIES because…
Predictability of routines Provides Security and Stability.
It regulate sleeping, eating, and playtimes, promoting Physical and Emotional Well-Being.
It supports Cognitive Development, fosters independence, and aids Self-Regulation.
It’s important for PARENTS because…
Predictability and structure help them Manage Time effectively and get Better Sleep.
It Reduces Stress and Anxiety, and creates a sense of order and stability in their daily lives.
It Boosts Parental Confidence and competence.
Market Opportunity
Opportunity Found in Routine Planning Solution for Older Infants & Toddlers
Baby apps excel at infant activity tracking but lack planning features for older babies and toddlers.
General planning apps are not optimized for baby and family routine.
Paper Planners or White Boards are Not Easily Modifiable Nor Accessible.
Insights from User Interviews and Experience Sampling
After talking with other parents and reflecting on my own experience, I discovered the following insights regarding managing baby’s routine.
Routine creation requires constant exploration and updates
In the planning stage, parents draft and compare various hypothetical routines. Also, the routine continuously changes based on the baby's age and the family's circumstances.
First-time parents actively seek guidance to establish ideal schedules for their baby(ies)
First-time parents often lack knowledge of age-appropriate sleep and feeding schedule, prompting them to seek sample routines online.
Less thinking and more doing reduces stress when caring for babies
Advance planning, especially of meal menus and playtime activities, can reduce the stress and anxiety of caregivers while taking care of babies.
Baby's routine planning involves addressing the needs of all family members simultaneously.
In the planning stage, parents consider how to align the schedules and situations of all family members.
Research Summary
Research indicates a need for a planning app to help parents establish and manage their baby's daily routine, meals, and activities, reducing stress and building confidence.
Turning Insights into Product Goals & Features
Goal #1
Help Parents Establish & View Baby’s Routine Easily
Features
Expert curated sample routine database organized by age
Calendar with template routine integration
Goal #2
Enable Parents to Explore & Refine Routine Easily
Features
Template stage allowing duplication and modification of routines before applying it to calendar
Calendar function with sample routine integration
Goal #3
Help Parents Coordinate Multiple Children’s Schedule
Features
Add multiple family member’s schedule
View and edit multiple family member’s schedule in single screen
Make Meal & Activity plan effortless
Features
Easy add button in the calendar for meal and activity
Dynamic entry optimized for each category
Suggestions for age appropriate meal menus and activities
Goal #4
Focus #1
Help Parents Establish & View Baby’s Routine Easily
Reducing Search Effort with Sample Routine Database
Database organized by age for easy search
Developmental information on top to help parents see what’s expected
Readily available expert-curated sample routines save parents’ time and effort to search around
Reducing Data Entry Effort with Sample Routine Calendar Integration
Downloadable sample routines can be applied to your calendar tap, saving time and effort to manually input event one by one
Schedule Viewing Enhanced with Thumbnail Images & Color Coding
Thumbnail images of the plan help viewers in processing and remembering information quickly and effectively
Color-coded events by category help viewers find needed information quickly
Focus #2
Enable Parents to Explore & Refine Routine Easily
Template Stage:
Letting Parents Draft Routine Without Losing the Original
Parents can duplicate and modify routines before applying it to calendar, allowing them to explore different routines.
Focus #3
Help Parents Coordinate Multiple Children’s Schedule
Multiple Schedules on One Screen for Holistic Planning
The calendar allows viewing multiple people's schedules on one screen, giving parents a complete picture of their family for better planning
Focus #4
Make Meal & Activity Plan Effortless
Dynamic Entry:
Quick Inputs & Tailored Suggestions for Easy Meal & Activity Planning
Small Plus button to add Meal and Activity Plans
Add Activity Plan: Gives parents age appropriate activity ideas
Add Meal Plan: Gives parents age appropriate meal ideas
Reflection
Main Challenges & Lesson Learnt
Initially, I tried to incorporate conflicting features into the calendar view, causing the product to lose direction. However, through feedback from fellow designers and target users, I simplified the functions and steered the product in a better direction. This experience reminded me the importance of setting clear product goals and getting other’s feedback.