Single parents face unique challenges in finding time for friendships and support networks due to their busy schedules and responsibilities. They seek out other single parents for advice and companionship since only other single parents truly understand the daily struggles of parenting alone. However, single parents have little free time and difficulty maintaining even their few close relationships. There is an opportunity to help single parents build and sustain supportive communities.

1. Single Parent Research
Mo Goltz - 11/09/22
1

2. Agenda
Project Background
Methodology
Empathize
Key Insights
Challenge Questions
Next Steps
2

3. Project Background
Being a
single parent
is challenging.
3

4. Project Background
Being a
single parent
is challenging!
Extremely
Extremely
4

5. Project Background
“It feels like
having seven
full-time jobs!”
5

6. It is a lot like the
ff
entertainer
good cop
handyman
homework helper
housekeeper
laundry service
life coach
lifegaurd
mediator
nurse
party planner
personal assistant
personal shopper
problem solver
psychiatrist
referee
secretary
spiritual advisor
taxi driver
teacher
travel agent
bad cop
chau
ff
eur
chef
chief
fi
nancial o
ffi
cer
cleaner
coach/cheerleader
drill sergeant
ente
goo
han
hom
hou
laun
life
Project Background
6
jobs

7. Project Background
alone
7

8. There are 18.6 million single parent
households in the United States.
Project Background
Coupled
84%
Single
16%
alone
8

9. “It feels like
having seven
full-time alone!”
They don’t need to be
Project Background
9

10. Project Background
Goal
Discover the unique needs, challenges, and
problems single parents have in order to
uncover opportunities to help them.
Key Questions
1.What are the most challenging aspects of being a
single parent?
2.How do single parents
fi
nd assistance and who do they
go to when help is needed?
3.What hurdles do single parents face when growing and
maintaining their support network?
4.What hurdles do single parents face when making and
maintaining friendships?

11. Methodology
Secondary research
academic papers, articles, blog posts, and
youtube videos
Primary Research
Methods
survey, interviews
Screening Criteria
Single parent (not married)
Living with children (full-time or co-parenting)
Sample Size
82 single parents - Survey
10 single parents - Interviews
Analysis and Synthesis
a
ffi
nity clustering, persona, and empathy map
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12. Empathize Pro
fi
le of a single parent
12
Learn more

13. Empathize Pro
fi
le of a single parent
What makes a single parent unique?
Feeling Isolated, but not lonely - when she takes care of he son, it’s
ultimately all on her shoulders
Often alone in decision making, responsibilities for outcomes is all on
my shoulders
I know only a few other single parents - who truly get what I’m going
through, and it’s hard to
fi
nd other single parents to commiserate with
There is no real way to take a break - I always need to be on
(no sick days from parenting)
13
Learn more

14. Empathize What keeps single parents up at night
Co-Parenting
Dating
Loneliness and isolation
Stress and anxiety
Time and time management
Finances
Raising children
Friends and companionship
Con
fl
ict between parents
Visitation, custody
Extended family issues
Guilt and judgment of and
from others
Self-esteem
Legal issues
14 common issues of concern
14

15. Issues people deal with in life Single Parents Married Parents Single People
Co-Parenting Intense N/A N/A
Dating Intense N/A Low
Loneliness and isolation Intense N/A Low
Stress and anxiety Intense Moderate Low
Time and time management Intense Moderate Low
Finances Intense Moderate Low
Raising children Intense Moderate N/A
Friends and companionship Intense Moderate N/A
Conflict between the parents Intense Moderate N/A
Visitation, custody Intense N/A N/A
extended family issues Intense N/A N/A
Guilt and judgment of others Intense N/A N/A
Self-esteem Intense N/A N/A
Legal issues Intense N/A N/A
Empathize What keeps single parents up at night
Single parents have unique needs
because they do so much on their own.
Life can be more challenging and intense for
single parents because they take on
responsibilities that typically two people would
take on.
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16. Empathize Underserved market
Existing solutions for single parents
are lacking.
There are only two types of smartphone apps
targeting single parents: dating and co-
parenting. There is more to single parents than
that.
iPhone
6 single parent dating apps
10 co-parenting apps
Android
7 single parent dating apps
15 co-parenting apps
Dating Apps Co-parenting Apps
16

17. Empathize Underserved market
The single parent market is
underserved.
Apps only focus on 2 of the main 14 issues
single parents deal with.There is an
opportunity to create a bespoke product and/
or service that caters to single parents’ unique
needs with tailored features and functionality.
Ignored
Opportunity
Issues people deal with in life Single Parents Single Parent Apps
Co-Parenting Intense Yes
Dating Intense Yes
Loneliness and isolation Intense No
Stress and anxiety Intense No
Time and time management Intense No
Finances Intense No
Raising children Intense No
Friends and companionship Intense No
Conflict between the parents Intense No
Visitation, custody Intense No
extended family issues Intense No
Guilt and judgment of others Intense No
Self-esteem Intense No
Legal issues Intense No
17

18. Empathize Underserved market
Since apps aren’t enough for single
parents, they join social media groups
and forums.
Since single parents are are already on social
media, they look for existing groups where
they can
fi
nd support and advice by reaching
out to other single parents.
Empathize Underserved market
Feed with extraneous information
Fragmented groups
Distraction from other content
Not Popular
Locked into categories
18

19. 19
Empathize Underserved market

20. Who do adults go to
fi
rst for advice and
support when help is needed?
Most adults go to a spouse
fi
rst for advice and
support. Single parents don’t have that luxury.
They turn to friends
fi
rst, and their parents
second. This means that friends a
fundamental part of single parent’s support
networks.
Empathize Adult relationships
Other
21%
Parent
10%
Friend
16%
Spouse
53%
How many friends does an adult
typically have?
The average number of friends an adult in
America has is 3-5 close friends. These are
the people that single parents go to for
support
fi
rst.
Why is it di
ffi
cult for adults to make
friends and maintain friendships?
The second most common reason adults
don't make friends is because of a lack of time
- they are too busy with other priorities and
responsibilities. (This is what it’s like)
Not Busy
9%
Busy
35%
Very Busy
56%
A majority of single parents self-
identi
fi
ed as very busy.
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Learn more

21. Empathize Adult relationships
Single parents only have 3-5 friends as
their primary support and there is very
little time to cultivate those
relationships.
🗣 “Time to connect [with other adults] is a
big challenge. As a single parent, I have to
weigh my need for socialization against the
impact on my son. Sometimes that can mean
not participating in a social event that I'm
interested in so as to not be away excessively”
61% are open to making new friends, but
can’t make it a priority
63% experienced loneliness and/or isolation
since becoming a single parent at least some
of the time
42% are not satis
fi
ed or only somewhat
satis
fi
ed with their support network
48% have fewer friends after becoming a
single parent
21

22. Empathize Adult relationships
Single parents seek out other single
parents for advice, support, and
friendship.
🗣 “I
fi
nd comfort in being able to support
and be supported by other single parents who
understand this perspective through lived
experience. There is a sense of comradeship
and connection that is unique.”
48% felt it was important or very important
to have friends/people in their support
network who are also single parents
22
Ω

23. Empathize Adult relationships
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24. Empathize Adult relationships
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Less Friendship Less Support
Less Time

25. 1. Lack of time
2. Seeking out other single parents
3. Being single is isolating (going solo)
4. Matching via children
Key Insights A
ffi
nity Clustering
25

26. Key Insight 1
Even when not co-parenting, single parents are catching up on work,
errands, chores, and other things they were not doing while they were
with their children. Most single parents feel like they are “always on”
staying vigilant at all times to juggle responsibilities. To handle it all,
they overschedule their days and nights to ensue nothing falls
between the cracks - especially if they are co-parenting.
“Being a single parent is like having seven
full-time jobs!”
Single parents have little to no time for themselves, let alone other people.
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🗣 When I have my kids, there is so much I need to do/take care of that I
can barely go to the bathroom!

27. Key Insight 2
There will always be friends and family to rely on, but they can only
empathize and sympathize so much. At some point, single parents
just need and want advice that comes from those with similar life
experiences, priorities, struggles, and goals - who just truly and
deeply understand,
fi
rsthand, what it means to live the day-to-day life
experiences of a single parent.
Other single parents provide better advice and support than other people do.
27
🗣 “It is quite important to have single parents in my support network
because they understand the day-to-day struggles more because they
face the same challenges.”

28. Key Insight 3
Parenting alone is isolating (going solo)
Over time, single parents become accustomed to doing almost
everything on their own. they know that they are they are solely and
ultimately responsible for their decisions and actions Often they have
support from friends and family, so they aren’t lonely, but, they are alone -
they don’t have a true partner to share responsibilities with. They get so
used to going solo that they don’t often ask for help when they need it.
28
🗣 “With the responsibility of raising children and work plus
everything else in life - There's no one to share those burdens with.”

29. Key Insight 4
It's advantageous to connect with parents who have children of similar ages.
It’s helpful to connect with other parents who have children around
the same age because they are going through the same things and
they have more in common. This is especially true for parents who
live nearby because they can coordinate schedules and shared
activities with one another more easily.
29
🗣 “It’s helpful to connect with parents who have children who are
around the same age and even the same gender; they are going
through the same things in parallel.”

30. Challenge Questions
1.How might we help single parents
fi
nd and/or make time to connect with other single
parents?
2.How might we make it easier for single parents to connect their children of the same
or similar age while making connections with other adults too?
3.How might we make it easier for single parents to ask for and get the help, support, or
advice they need?
30

31. Next Steps
1.Ideation
2.Concept testing
31

32. Appendix
Research Plan
Secondary Research Notes
Survey Notes
Interview Script
Interview Transcripts
A
ffi
nity Clustering
Research Highlights
Empathy Map
Persona
Research Report
32

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