- PiyoLog is an application that allows you to record and share various information about your baby's feeding and elimination.
- Excellent ease of use while raising children, including one-handed input on the phone and even voice input
- As of April 2020, it has been downloaded over 1 million times and is used by many mothers and fathers.
The free childcare recording application "PiyoLog" won the grand prize in the "BabyTech® Award Japan 2020 Health Management Category" for its ability to share information about children even when partners are away from home and cannot be directly involved, and for its ability to record with only one hand and to enter information using only voice input when hands are unavailable. BabyTech® Award Japan 2020 Health Management Category. The BabyTech.jp editorial team interviewed Mr. Naoyuki Nishizawa, who is in charge of public relations and marketing at Piyolog, the company that developed Piyolog, and asked him about the product, its development, and future plans.
An application that meticulously responded to various requests for a childcare record application
Editor: Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule today. Right off the bat, could you give us an overview of PiyoLog and its features?
Nishizawa: "PiyoLog" is a childcare record application that allows you to easily input records of feeding, sleep, elimination, and so on. There are a wide range of items that can be recorded, and in addition to the aforementioned items, you can also record your baby's height, weight, baby food, vaccinations, and other daily activities as needed. The best feature is that you can share your childcare records with other couples and family members. Recently, there are more and more childcare apps that allow you to share information, but around 2016-2017 when we developed Piyolog, there were still very few.
The couple can share information about the baby's food intake and sleeping hours.
And one of the most appealing things about it right now is that it's voice-enabled - with Siri, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and more, you can type just by speaking without touching your phone.
Editor: We've covered a lot of childcare recording apps from other companies, but it's really rare that voice input is available.
Nishizawa: Sakakibara, who was in charge of development, and I experienced this firsthand. When you're changing a diaper or feeding a baby, your hands are full, and you can't easily touch your phone. If you have other things to do right after that, you may forget to input your childcare records into your phone. With voice input, you can record in real time even when your hands are full. We think it's very convenient in that respect.
Record screen of Piyolog
Editor: So with a smartphone or smart speaker, you can easily keep track anywhere in the house? Specifically, how do you input voice data?
Nishizawa: For example, if you say, "Hey Siri, I took a poo," the time and contents are automatically recorded. For example, if you say, "Hey Siri, I drank some milk," Piolog will automatically record the time and contents. If you answer, "I drank 200ml," the amount and time of the milk you drank will be recorded.
Edit: That sounds great! I've also stopped using some childcare recording apps because of the troublesome input of "time" and "numbers", but I think I can keep using the voice input of Piyolog. By the way, what is the stopwatch icon on the screen for recording?
Nishizawa: It's called a "breastfeeding timer. It's difficult to record the exact amount of breast milk as it is with formula, so instead you can let your baby suckle on your breast and use the nursing timer to count the amount of time it takes to feed your baby. It is quite hard to keep track of how many minutes it was ...... by glancing at the clock while breastfeeding, so this feature has been implemented.
Breastfeeding timer screen
PiyoLog was born out of the difficulty of sharing childcare information, which we experienced firsthand.
Editor: How did you come up with the idea of developing Piyolog in the first place?
Nishizawa: When Sakakibara, the developer of Piyolog, had a child, he and his wife were unable to share their childcare records properly, which made it difficult for them to participate in childcare. At the time, I kept childcare records in a paper notebook that I received from the maternity hospital, but the notebook was only good for a few months. However, the childcare app at the time didn't have a function for sharing information, so I had to tell the person using the app, "I changed your diaper at X time, so please record it. Because of this inconvenience, we decided to create an app that would allow us to share our childcare records, and developed "PyoLog".
Editor: The representative's own experience with childcare was the catalyst for this. I think a lot of people could relate to that frustration, but how many users do you have now?
Nishizawa: As of April 2020, we've had over 1 million downloads.
We update the app more and more according to the voice of users (i.e. the voice of the childcare field).
Editor: 39,000 people have commented on the iPhone app store, what are some of the comments from users in particular?
Nishizawa: Time flies when you're doing housework and childcare, and it's easy to lose track of how many hours have passed since you last nursed or how long it's been since your baby woke up, but people have told us that using PiyoLog has made it easier to keep track of your baby's daily rhythm. We also receive comments from grandparents who live far away. We also received comments from grandparents who live far away, saying that they can feel the growth of their babies even when they are far away. We've also heard from people who are raising twins that they sometimes get confused about which baby's diaper they've changed or which baby's milk they've fed, but with PiyoLog, they can keep track of their babies more smoothly.
Records are graphed, so you can feel your child's growth.
Editor: Is there an upper limit to the number of people who can share information on Piyolog?
Nishizawa: There is no specific limit. In general, it is shared between spouses, but there are also users who share it with grandparents on both sides of the family.
Editor: From a user's point of view, I thought the design of "Piyolog" was very cute and friendly. You can also choose from a variety of background colors, which is unusual.
Nishizawa: On the other hand, some people said the icons were too cute, so we added simple design icons later on.
Editor: Then I thought the ad banner was very small and easy to use even in the free version. I was also impressed by the very helpful tutorial (=explanation) that appears at the beginning of using the app.
Nishizawa: We've listened to user feedback and adjusted the size and position of the ad banners in previous updates. Also, the tutorial was just implemented in February of 2021.
Editor:You are always thinking about the users and keep updating the software.
Nishizawa: In the upper right corner of the PiyoLog menu screen, there's a moon symbol that you can press to switch to dark mode. We implemented this because we heard that if the smartphone screen is too bright when you feed your baby at around 3 a.m., the baby may wake up after feeding, and it may be too bright for the parents. It is also possible to set the screen to be in dark mode from the beginning, from what time to what time.
The related "Piyo Log" series of apps provide even more extensive support for childcare.
Editor: Can you tell us about the future development of the Piyolog app?
Nishizawa: A childcare record application is something you use every day, so we want to make it as convenient as possible with as little effort as possible.
Editor: You've also released a sister app to "PiyoLog" called "PiyoLog Vaccination".
Nishizawa: The information you record in PyoLog Vaccination is also entered into PyoLog. There is another app that works with PyoLog called "Labor Pain Timer by PyoLog" that records your labor pains. This is an app that you can use during your pregnancy before you start the PiyoLog to count the timing of your contractions.
After the interview
The developer was inspired by his own experience with childcare recording apps, so he really understands how to use "Piyolog". That's why I was impressed with the usability of Piolog. The value of sharing information with other couples, the easy-to-read graphs and illustrations, the helpful instructions for use, and the voice input will undoubtedly be felt by those who have truly experienced childcare. Most recently, they've also added support for the Apple Watch, which looks like it will become an even stronger ally for childcare.
PiyoLog official website
https://www.piyolog.com/
