Our beta testing app simply showed a screen with heart rate and oxygen levels numbers as they refreshed every second in real-time. The initial test felt very inhumane and robotic. Additionally, we had dozens of reports of people feeling a sense of anxiety as they watched the numbers slowly move up or down. In the next iteration we revised the display and user interface and surveyed over 300 testers who have used it for over 20,000 hours and without any reports of anxiety. These improved results are crucial to the product’s value proposition, which is to deliver peace of mind to parents. We also wanted to deliver the data on a mobile device as millennial parents were more apt to have a smartphone or tablet and so they wouldn’t be burdened with having to carry around a bulky transmitter to keep tabs on their infants.

The data gathered from the baby’s vitals is very complex. It measures the amount of red light and infrared light entering the sensor. We have to normalize and adjust for the baby’s movements and ambient light that gets into the sensor from the room’s lighting. Instead of trying to simplify the complex data, we made it easier to understand in a basic view of intuitive symbols, simple animation and on a spectrum of good and bad numbers in order for parents to understand. The data readings ultimately tells parents how well their baby is breathing and how well their heart is functioning. The data informs parents if attention is needed or it reassures them that their child’s readings are considered normal. It also alerts them on numbers to be concerned about, and otherwise to relax and not worry about their newborn.