Aiming to provide "emotional support" to anxious new mothers and fathers! Papa to Childcare (Renewed Version)

One of the most distressing aspects of raising a child for the first time is the baby's crying. New mothers and fathers are often at a loss as to how to make their babies stop crying. A smartphone application called "Papatto Ikkoiku" (Papa's Childcare), introduced this time, has created quite a stir with its revolutionary feature ...... that analyzes the "baby's cry" and guesses the reason why the baby is crying. The BabyTech.jp editorial staff interviewed Mr. Tomoyuki Hattori and Mr. Yudai Chiba (honorifics omitted) of First Ascent Corporation, the provider of the app, to get an overview of the renewal, its aims, the impressions of those who have used the renewed version, and its future development. We asked them about the overview of the renewal, its aims, the impressions of those who have used the renewed version, and future developments.

(We spoke to...)

First Ascent Inc.
Tomoyuki Hattori, Representative Director and CEO

First Ascent Inc.
Yudai Chiba, Executive Officer and CMO

The theme of the renewal is "future-oriented user interface improvement.

Editorial:Could you give us an overview of the purpose of the renewal of "Papa to Childcare"?

Hattori:One of the purposes of this renewal is that we decided that the old "Papatto Ikigi" was not user-friendly enough as a platform for the various useful services we plan to release in the near future. Another reason for the renewal is that seven years ago, when the old "Papatto Ikigi" was released, iPhone and other smartphone screens were still small, and even if you held a smartphone with one hand, you could reach the entire screen with your finger. Therefore, the old "Papatto Ikigi," which placed icons used to keep a record of child-rearing on the entire screen, was fine, but smartphone screens have since become larger and larger. The purpose of this renewal was to improve overall operability by, for example, consolidating icons at the bottom of the screen so that the application could be used with one hand even when the user was carrying a child.

The top screen of the renewed "Papatto Ikko" (Papa's Childcare)

Editorial:You mentioned that the renewal is for services that will be released sequentially in the future.

Hattori:This will be the "Consultation" tab that we have created at the bottom center of the screen in this renewal. At the moment, there are still only two menus, "check the level of urgency" and "check the nearest local government childcare consultation service," but we plan to add more functions there that will support childcare, such as solving the problems of mothers and fathers.

Editorial:So when moms and dads have problems with childcare, they can press the "Consultation" tab in "Papatto Childcare" to find a menu of solutions.

Menu screen after pressing the consultation tab of "Papatto Childcare

Hattori:At present, the functions in the consultation tab are only for stand-alone use, but since we are acquiring past childcare records through the application, we are planning to analyze the contents of these records and incorporate functions that predict and respond to what moms and dads want to know in a more personalized manner. In fact, "Papatto Ikko" can be used to provide a variety of consultations, and we are considering, for example, responding to consultations on weaning food and nutrition.

In addition, the development of the "New CryAnalyzer Auto," hardware equipped with a cry diagnosis function that analyzes the emotions of babies based on their crying, was selected for the "Monozukuri Startup Ecosystem Construction Project" by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. We are now preparing functions and services to further support mothers and fathers. We expect to be able to start offering this service by March of next year.

Image of CryAnalyzer Auto

Editorial:What are some of the other major changes in this renewal?

Chiba:The number of icons available in the child care record has been increased from 20 to 30. Also, more detailed data can now be viewed in the "Summary" section of the childcare record.

Hattori:Although not yet implemented, we will soon be improving the design of the diary menu in the record tab to make you want to write more diary entries and post images (Editor's note: updated in the latest version on 10/12). All in all, this renewal is a major overhaul of the "user experience.

Renewed diary screen

The renewal has clearly improved the user experience.

Editorial:How have users reacted to the renewal?

Hattori:The users seem to appreciate the renewal, judging from the figure that "the frequency of inputting childcare records has improved.

Chiba:We have been conducting a survey of users who have been using "Papatto Ikko" since the previous version, and many users have commented that it has improved. Of course, there are still improvements to be made, so even after the renewal, we continue to make frequent updates based on user inquiries. The fact that 90% of the most recent store reviews gave us 5 stars shows the high level of appreciation we have received. Particularly highly rated was the "childcare record" section. Looking at the free-entry section of the survey,

The renewal also seems to have been well received by the users who have been using the system for a long time, and the detailed input experience has been improved based on their feedback.

Hattori:The renewed version displays the "cry diagnosis" icon in the top image, resulting in an even higher usage rate of the cry diagnosis.

The "Crying Diagnosis" icon, synonymous with "Papatte Childcare," is on the top screen.

All new services are for "moms and dads struggling with childcare

Editorial:Can you tell us a little more about the new menus "Check the urgency level" and "Check the nearest municipal child-rearing consultation service" that have been added to the consultation tab?

Hattori:Before the new corona, many parents would casually visit a pediatrician for even minor problems, but after the new corona, the number of parents who do not go to a pediatrician for fear of infection has increased. Therefore, the newly released "Check Urgency Level" menu is intended to help parents to avoid excessive refraining from seeing a pediatrician by judging their child's condition, and to reach out to medical care appropriately.

By answering the questions, a decision will be made as to whether you should go to the hospital or not.

Hattori:In addition, the menu item, "Find out the consultation counter of the local government," was created to address the issue of postpartum depression, so that parents who are struggling with child rearing can consult the local government counter with pinpoint accuracy so that they are not left in the lurch.

Editorial:How did you come up with the list of municipal consultation offices?

Hattori:This is our own creation based on our research of all the contact points of more than 1,700 municipalities throughout the country.

Editorial:That's a lot of work. ......

Using location information, you can easily find a nearby consultation center.

After the interview

The menu screen of "Papatto Childcare" has been renewed with a clean and cute look, but behind the renewal lies the results of extremely sophisticated big data analysis and a vast amount of verification testing, the results of which are likely to appear one after another as actual services in the future.... I had such an impression. In fact, "postpartum depression" has become a serious social problem, and the power of IT will be indispensable in solving it. The "New CryAnalyzer Auto" will be exhibited at CES, which is scheduled to be held online in January next year, and we will continue to keep our eyes on the company's cutting-edge baby tech activities.

Papatte Childcare" introduction homepage
https://papaikuji.info/

Projects selected for the "Monozukuri Startup Ecosystem Development Project
https://startup-f.jp/ecosystemproject/