We come across dozens of design breakthroughs and technological innovations daily--so many that it's easy to miss important trends emerging in the chaos all around us and not connect the dots to see the BIG picture. Here at The Institute for Customer Experience (ICE), we understand the business and design value of capturing the right trend insights at the right moment. We observe and analyzed trends in design, technology, and business, and keep our fingers on the pulse of the global zeitgeist. In this series of trendbriefs, we bring you alerts on what's trending in our world and their possible impact on our future. Subscription to ICE Breakers - http://eepurl.com/S1ZFL

1. ICE Breakers by
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tention.
Why Cry: Baby Crying Analyzer -Baby Zone courtesy of Disney
Teddy - The Guardian
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IMPACT ON UX
• Designs will need to convey that they are safe, reliable, hygienic, helpful, etc. in order to
induce trust in parents.
• Should ensure a short learning curve.
• ‘Motherly’ experiences - Interfaces need to be pleasing, playful, engaging, comforting,
etc. for the child and they may need to emulate voice patterns, heartbeats, and other
characteristics of human parents.
• Adaptive UIs that change with the child’s moods and needs.
Tech Mother
“…perhaps robots will
make parenting easier
and thus more popular.”
(New York Times, Aug. 2013)
The Increasing Role of Technology in Baby Care
Technology plays a pivotal role in many aspects of our lives. Baby
care is not an exception. More and more families are embracing
new technologies in the area of self quantification, health tracking
and mobile apps to help them take care of their babies. Predic-
tions show the rising importance and need of mobile technology
in healthcare.
Working parents who are unable to pay constant attention to
their babies’ health are one of the most significant beneficiaries
of health tracking technologies. With increasing working hours
and better technologies the future of baby care will be in the
hands of tech mothers.
“Total number of women with dependent
children in the workplace has leapt by
almost a fifth since the mid 1990s.”
(The Telegraph, Jan. 2014)
During the first year of a baby's life, it is very difficult for new parents to understand why their
baby is crying. The Why Cry baby crying analyzer interprets the various reasons for why your
baby cries and displays the answer on an easy to ready LCD screen
Teddy is a smart bear who has sensors built into his paw. When a child squeezes it, it collects
heart rate, oxygen level, and body temperature data in about two to five seconds. It disguises
what could be scary medical technology inside a soft toy.