1. On Target
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
Second Time Moms & IoT
2. On Target
When moms see bad behaviors in their kids,
they blame it on themselves because if they
were the ones who taught a bad behavior,
they can also make it better.
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
3. On Target
Time
Control*
Perceived Control
Actual Control
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
*Moms define
control as the
ability to make
things better
1st Time
Moms 2nd Time Moms
4. On Target Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
Mom is nervous about the future, so at first
she tries to control everything.
…But she quickly learns she can’t.
5. On Target
“You have to accept that you can't control everything. It
was like, me at the beginning, … I was like, if he goes to nap
at 11 I'll be able to do that and that and that. And then it
was 11 and I was shaking him like that so he could go to
sleep, but he would stay awake, until like noon, and then
my obligations I would have to postpone them, and I was
getting angry. With myself, with him. So at some point you
just accept, I'm gonna do work when he lets me do work.
And that frees your mind.”
Maria:
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
6. On Target
Experience tells Mom which battles are worth
fighting, and gives her something to reference
when situations come up repeatedly.
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
7. On Target
What kind of information matters to Mom?
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
8. On Target
Jess:
“I was a great student two months before
labor and delivery. I did all of my homework
and did all of my preparing with my husband,
which, a lot of them got thrown out of the
window when you're in the hospital room. But
the second time, I think now, it's more that I
remember what I've been through.”
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
9. On Target
Moms are interested in their kids’ personal
progress, not just national comparisons.
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
10. On Target Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
For moms, raising a child can feel like wandering through
the forest, not quite remembering where she came from,
and never being sure where she’s headed. We can’t show
her the future of her child, but we can help her feel less
nervous going into it by reminding her of her how far she’s
come.
11. On Target Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
A cairn is a man-made pile of
stones. Hikers use them to
mark the way in places where
the trail is unclear; the cairn
means, “don’t worry, you’re
not lost, you’re still on track.”
The experiences Mom has
with each child are cairns that
she leaves along the way.
12. On Target
Design Principles
• Target can help a new mom keep track of these cairns so she can
reference her own experiences. Being able to look back at the progress
of her child encourages her when she’s nervous about the future.
• Target can also remind Second-Time-Mom of spots in the trail she’s
already seen, so on her second and third time going up the mountain
she can say, “OH HEY LOOK! There’s my cairn. I’m doing OK!”
• Mom already has enough things to worry about. Target should map
these cairns for mom so that she doesn’t have to spend time
cataloging her progress.
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
13. On Target
n Target
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
…our solution?
On Target helps moms compile and visually represent the past so
that they can feel less nervous about the future. By placing non-
intrusive sensors in everyday objects, Target can gather data for
mom about her child’s development, and synthesize it so that she
can see trends and benchmarks. On Target is split into three
stages:
15. On Target
HEALTH
• Sleep (crib mat)
• Weight (crib mat)
• Nutrition (nursing blanket, bottle sleeve)
n TargetBABY
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
16. On Target
n TargetTODDLER
DEVELOPMENT
• Potty training (toddler toilet)
• Walking (shoe sole)
• Learning (toys)
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
17. On Target
n TargetKID
SKILLS AND HABITS
• Instrument practice (sound sensor)
• Sports (shoe sole, bicycle sensor)
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
18. On Target Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
Track progress online
19. On Target
Cairn for Mom
Alice Fang | Jeff Kastenbaum | Rachel Olney | Dafna Szafer
Editor's Notes
2nd time moms = women who are about to have their second child
Take Cindy, a life coach living in South San Jose. A beaming Cindy told us stories about her daughter Ellie showing generosity, attributing this good behavior to Ellie’s personality and taking no personal credit for this success. Meanwhile, Anne, a very thoughtful mom who works at the Law School, immediately blamed it on her own parenting when her daughter Eleanor was hitting other kids at school. This led us to wonder why moms insist on taking the blame for their children’s failures.
If control to mom means being able to make things better for her kid, it makes sense that she’d want this all the time. Moms start out thinking that is possible. However, Moms very quickly learn that there are plenty of things they can’t control.
That’s why second-time moms are more relaxed than first-timers: they already have data for lots of situations to tell them what’s normal.
Things like parenting classes, internet info and statistics may be interesting to moms, but ultimately don’t make the cut. Jess, a mom in Sunnyvale, talked to us about the delivery of her daughter Macaria. Jess was nervous so she prepared a lot but when she was in the delivery room “it all went out the window.” She says that this time it’s more that she remembers what she’s been through.
Of all the types of data available to mom, her own experiences are ultimately the only ones she really cares about. This was interesting to us because in our research we found a lot of IOT products that use statistics to help moms understand their kids’ growth. What we found is that moms are actually much more interested in their kids’ personal progress, and with the exception of health-related measurements like weight, don’t really care about how their kids stack up against others.
Mom is nervous about the future, so at first she tries to control everything, but quickly learns she can’t. For her, it feels like wandering through the forest, not quite remembering where she came from, and never being sure where she’s headed. We can’t show her the future of her child, but we can help her feel less nervous going into it by reminding her of her how far she’s come.
A cairn is a man-made pile of stones. Hikers use them to mark the way in places where the trail is unclear; the cairn means, “don’t worry, you’re not lost, you’re still on track.”
Mom climbs this mountain with each child, and the experiences she has are cairns that she leaves along the way. When mom comes back to hike the same mountain a few years later, seeing the cairns she’s left makes her feel much more comfortable. On her first time up the mountain, it’s scary for Mom to explore uncharted territory, but seeing the cairns behind her allows her to feel good about her progress.
Here is how we can do this!
Our research revealed that moms care about tracking different things during different stages of development, so On Target is split into three bundles: baby, toddler, and kid.
On Target baby is concerned with the tracking of the baby’s physical development. Growth, nutrition, and sleep are some of mom’s biggest concerns during this stage. Items in the On Target baby bundle include a crib-mat that tracks the baby’s sleep and weight and a nursing blanket that uses temperature sensors to detect when it’s being used. Similarly, a sensorized baby bottle or breast pump will do the same for bottle-fed babies.
On Target toddler is concerned with tracking developmental changes like walking, potty training, and learning the alphabet. Mom can keep using the items from On Target baby to track physical development, but new items from On Target toddler account for her changing concerns. Such items include toys with sensors that measure learning over time, and a potty that helps track potty training. In other words, mom can see her kid’s progress without having to write down every time they poop.
On Target kid is concerned with skill development and forming healthy habits. It includes items like a sound sensor where the child practices violin or piano, recording frequency and duration of practice. On Target kid also tracks athletics with sensors placed on bicycles, or in the sole of a shoe to quantify how much exercise they’re getting.
On Target gives mom a comprehensive picture of her kids’ progress. By using the Internet of Things to collect small bits of information, Target can track incremental growth for mom where she wouldn’t be able to track it on her own. Every experienced mom knows there are plenty of things she can’t control, but this wealth of data helps her approach new situations with confidence instead of fear. With Target’s help, moms can more accurately use the past as a reference, giving them peace of mind and confidence for the future.
Finally, mom can just walk through the forest and enjoy the scenery.
