AMU
Nothing as a Typical Family
For you
10 Soothing Techniqu..
gentle ways to bring calm to crying ..
Overview
Amu is a digital platform supporting underrepresented parenting communities—its name inspired by “amulet,” symbolizing protection, care, and connection. Our team addressed the lack of inclusive, culturally relevant resources for parenting by creating personalized community feeds, inclusive visuals, and accessible navigation.
The prototype provides a safe, engaging space for parents to share experiences, access guidance, and build supportive networks.
Role
UX Designer
Team
Debbie Kim
UX Designer
Yeji Hwang
UI Designer
Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Figma
Canva
Duration
April, 4, 2025 -
April, 6, 2025
Tufts Producthon 48hr Competition
Problem Statement
How Might we Build Support for Underrepresented Parenting Groups?
Based on the Spring Producthon theme How can we uplift communities?, our team started by sharing everyday gaps we see in support systems. During that discussion, Debbie pointed out how many parenting tools overlook underrepresented families and proposed building something explicitly inclusive.
Her perspective reframed our direction, and we distilled the conversation into our guiding problem statement: How might we build support for underrepresented parenting groups?. This question anchored our research, survey, and the first version of our solution.
Process
Research & Planning: Exclusion in Existing Parenting Apps
When scheming through top parenting apps, they present a couple with a baby as the default. Visuals and copy normalize mom+dad and sideline other parenting groups such as single parents, queer parents, step families, multi-generational homes, adoptive families, and more.
The single and non-nuclear families may self-select out, lowering sign-ups and long-term retention. For those who do join, advice may feel irrelevant, community matching is narrower, and overall trust in the product declines.
Language
“Find mom friends,” → presumes a co-parent.
Flows & forms
Communities labeled “Moms” or “Couples” rather than roles/needs.
Photography
Smiling heterosexual couples; no diversity
Design Opportunities
Role-inclusive terms
“Parents & caregivers,” “your household,” “co-parents/guardians.”
Imagery system
Use inclusive and diverse visual aids representing parenting groups
Communities by needs, not identity
“Solo parenting,” “shared custody tips,” “newly adoptive,” etc.
Features for diverse setups
Multiple-guardian permissions, aid/resource hubs, personalized for-you page
Survey: Diverse Parents, Shared Needs
We sent a survey to 15 parents specifically to gauge the diversity of parenting groups. The responses revealed how diverse parenting groups are, having half of the parenting groups being non co-parents, underscoring the need for inclusive design and providing quick directional insight before broader testing.
50% Co-parent
20% Single parent
10% Adoptive parent
10% LGBTQ+ parent
10% Blended/step family
User Persona: Diverse Identities
We chose Sam, Matt, and Ashley to cover the widest real-world spread of parenting needs with a small set. Sam surfaces identity and language inclusion, privacy, and multi-guardian access. Matt stresses clarity and reliability. Ashley represents solo logistics and relevant communities. Together they capture diverse household structure (co-parent vs. solo) and decision styles.
“Every app asks if I’m ‘mom’ or ‘dad’—there’s rarely just ‘parent.’
If events clearly said they’re welcoming to all families and let us tag LGBTQ+-friendly spaces, we’d show up a lot more.”
Sam
Pronouns: They/them
Age: 27 years old
Job: Creative Director
Nonbinary creative director co-parenting with Matt. Handles daycare pickup on alternating days and juggles shoots with nap schedules. Frustrated by apps that force Mom/Dad fields and “mom group” labels. Wants inclusive language (“parent/caregiver”), LGBTQ+-friendly tags, and a way to add multiple caregivers to the same event and calendar.
Personal Traits
Enthusiastic
Extrovert
Active
Emotional
Needs
Role-neutral copy, inclusive community tags
Multi-guardian accounts with shared notifications
Pain Points
Forced Mom/Dad fields; “mom group” labels
Can’t add multiple caregivers to one RSVP/calendar
No clear inclusion/safety tags for LGBTQ+ families
Interests
Concert shows
Cycling
Chess
Museum tours
“Half the listings read ‘moms meetup.’ I just want to know: is this inclusive? Give me headcount, accessibility notes, and a shared RSVP so we both get reminders.”
Matt
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 30 years old
Job: Marketing Manager
Marketing manager who likes clear details and structure. Needs fast scan of time, location, vibe/size, stroller/access notes, and an easy RSVP → calendar flow that notifies both parents. Finds it alienating when communities are labeled only for “moms.”
Personal Traits
Extrovert
Strict
Planner
Sensitive
Needs
Filters (indoors/outdoors, cost, accessibility, stroller)
Clear refund policy and host credibility
Pain Points
Vague listings (missing time/location/vibe/size)
Reminders go to one parent only; poor calendar sync
“Moms meetup” wording feels excluding
Interests
Cooking
Science
Library story time
Community sports
“Most apps say ‘invite your spouse’ or ‘ask your partner to watch the baby’—that’s not me. I need clear info I can act on alone, plus single-parent groups and maybe a childcare-swap option.”
Ashley
Pronouns: She, her
Age: 32 years old
Job: Lawyer
Single mom and lawyer balancing court schedules with childcare. Relies on group chats and often hears about events late. Looks for nearby, low-pressure events with clear transit/parking, refunds if plans change, and communities for solo parents. Feels excluded by copy that assumes a spouse or partner.
Personal Traits
Introvert
Honest
Active
Compassionate
Needs
Solo-parent groups and filters
Nearby, low-cost events with clear transit/parking
Pain Points
Event copy assumes a spouse/backup caregiver
Hears about events late; info scattered across chats
Interests
Playing tennis
Going to book fairs
Parent support circles and online talks/webinars
Goal
Parenting App for Everyone: 3 Key Principles
Inclusive
Language, visuals, and partnerships reflecting diverse parenting realities
Personalization
Content and resources tailored to parenting stage and family type
Interaction
Community forums, discussion threads, and peer-to-peer support
Content Structuring
Our design centered on making support feel personal and inclusive so parents wouldn’t have to “figure it out” themselves. Early concepts relied on one shared community, but surveys showed diverse family structures needed more tailored spaces.
We introduced a personalized onboarding flow where parents shared their caregiver status, partner type, and child info, enabling the app to recommend relevant groups and content.
The feed highlighted matching posts and chats, category tags clarified interests, and group chats offered real-time advice. Quick post and reply options lowered effort and strengthened a sense of belonging.
Style Guide
Fonts(English)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Pretendard
Add a photo
Add a Video
Add a document
Celebrate an occasion
Share a story
Logo
Components
Sent a friend request!
Sign in with Apple
Sign in with Google
#D3DEFF
Colors
Primary Color
#F9DEC1
#FFFFFF
1B5FDC
#E1E8FF
Market Evaluation
Gaps between Existing Parenting apps
The market evaluation showed that while existing parenting apps provide useful features, each has clear gaps. Our solution stands out by emphasizing diversity and inclusivity, allowing different family structures to feel represented
Diversity
Informative
Personalization
Interaction
Amu creates a single, cohesive platform where parents can both access resources and build meaningful community.
Peanut creates strong interaction through community forums but is less informative and not fully inclusive of non-traditional households
Kinedu focuses on early childhood learning and development, offering personalized activities for parents, but it is limited in diversity and broader community support.
Wonder Weeks provides highly informative, science-backed insights for infant development, yet its scope is narrow and interaction is minimal
High Fidelity
Onboarding & Setup
The onboarding flow begins with simple login options, followed by school email verification. Parents then personalize their profile. The process ends with a welcoming confirmation screen, reinforcing trust and clarity before entering the app.
Personalized Feed & Discovery
Once inside, parents are greeted with a tailored feed. This helps parents immediately find the information and communities most relevant to their situation.
Reflection
Feedback from the judges highlighted both challenges and opportunities for improvement. They noted that while the concept addressed parenting support, it did not fully solve the ultimate problem statement and lacked clear distinction from other existing apps.
This opened space for refinement, such as introducing cross-household calendars, flexible pickup and contact management, and shared RSVP features that sync to a calendar accessible to both parents.
This project let me realize that inclusive is not just visual — it’s structural. Building trust with marginalized users means reflecting their realities in both content and interaction design.
Going forward, I would deepen early co-design with target communities to ensure the platform evolves directly from their input.
Other Projects
Bona Lee© 2025 All Rights Reserved.
Bona Lee
About