Once I understood the problem, I needed to decide exactly what I was building, who it was for, and what would make it different from everything else out there.
I needed a clear statement I could use to guide every decision — if a feature didn't serve this vision, it didn't belong in the app.
| Element | What I Decided | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Sleep-training parents of children 0–3 years, especially those with more than one child | These parents specifically can't go back into the room to check or adjust — they need to get it right the first time |
| What they need | To dress their baby safely for sleep without guessing | It's both an emotional need (anxiety) and a safety need (SIDS risk) |
| What the product is | A bedtime clothing guide (mobile app). Free for 1 child, Premium for more. | It's a simple utility tool, not a complex baby tracker |
| Key benefit | Instantly recommends what to dress your child in for the whole night | "Whole night" is the differentiator — no one else plans for 3am |
| Instead of | Static TOG charts, expensive nursery gadgets, DIY weather checking | These are what parents currently use, and they all fall short |
| What makes it different | Combines overnight forecast + child's age + safety guidelines in one 10-second interaction | Nobody else brings all of these together |
I mapped out what parents are trying to do, what frustrates them, and what "good" looks like — then checked that my app actually addresses each one. This helped me make sure I wasn't building features nobody asked for.
I plotted the existing solutions on two axes that matter most to parents: how personalised the recommendation is, and how easy it is to access (cost and effort). This helped me see where the gap was.
Snug Tonight sits in the top-right: highly personalised, easy to access, no cost for 1 child.
The top-right is where parents want to be — a solution that's highly personalised but doesn't cost anything or need special equipment. Sleep Like Goldilocks gets close on personalisation but needs a physical device (~R700). TOG charts and Google are free but generic. Snug Tonight is the only solution that's both personalised (age-aware, overnight forecast, specific outfit recommendations) and easy to access — free for 1 child, with a Premium subscription for families with multiple children.
Competitor research: sleeplikegoldilocks.com · ergoPouch TOG Guide
Not all parents are the same, so I grouped them by priority. I designed V1 for the primary group first — and will expand to the others over time.
First or second-time parent, baby aged 0–3 years, actively sleep-training. Does NOT enter the room after bedtime. Highly anxious about overheating and SIDS. Checks phone frequently. Likely already uses other baby apps. The app already covers all age bands from newborn through toddler (0–3 months, 3–12 months, 12+ months), so recommendations adjust automatically as the child grows. This is who every V1 decision was made for.
Parents managing 2+ children across different ages. The app already covers all age bands (0–3 months, 3–12 months, and 12+ months), so each child gets age-appropriate recommendations. They need to dress each child for the same room temperature, track separate wardrobes, and manage bedtime for multiple kids. Multi-child profiles are a V1 Premium feature for this group.
Babysitters, grandparents, or daycare workers who don't have daily context of what the baby usually wears. They need clear, simple guidance when caring for someone else's baby overnight. A possible V2 feature could be "share with caregiver" mode.
These are the rules I used to make decisions throughout the project. Whenever I wasn't sure whether to include a feature or how to design something, I came back to these.
Every recommendation must follow paediatric guidelines. When in doubt, I recommend on the safer side. I always reference where the safety information comes from.
My user is exhausted and holding a fussy baby. If it takes more than 10 seconds to get the answer, I've failed. Speed is a feature.
Always recommend based on the coldest expected point of the night, not the current temperature. This is what makes Snug Tonight different.
Don't show a chart. Say "2.5 TOG sleep sack + long-sleeve onesie." Parents want to be told what to do. Save the "why" for those who want to tap and learn more.
A newborn and a 2-year-old have different body temperature regulation, different safe sleep gear, and different risk profiles. I never give advice that ignores the child's age.
The app works with just a phone. No nursery gadgets needed. It also has dark mode for nighttime use, because parents use this app in the dark.
Safety guidelines I followed: The Lullaby Trust (UK) · Red Nose (Australia) · American Academy of Pediatrics
A fair question: "What stops someone else from building the same thing?" Here's how I thought about it.
I don't just show the current temperature — I factor in the predicted overnight low to recommend clothing for the coldest point of the night. This is the key insight competitors miss: bedtime temperature is not the same as 3am temperature.
My clothing logic works across three age bands (0–3 months, 3–12 months, 12+ months), each with different sleepwear rules and safety considerations. A static TOG chart can't do this.
Parents with more than one child can manage separate profiles with individual wardrobes and age-specific recommendations. No competitor offers this. Currently parents have to look things up separately for each child.
I built this because I needed it myself. That means every design decision comes from real experience — not from a product brief. Parents can feel the difference when an app is built by someone who actually uses it.
The closest competitor needs a physical device that costs around R700. Snug Tonight is free for 1 child with an affordable Premium subscription for families with multiple children. For new parents who are already spending a lot, this matters.
I wanted the core experience to be accessible to every parent, while offering extra value for families who need more. So I went with a model where the app is free for 1 child, and parents who want to add more children upgrade to Premium.
Why this model: The free tier lets every parent experience the full core value with one child, including insights and pattern detection. Premium is for families who need multi-child support and sleep history — exactly the parents my research showed have the biggest pain point and the strongest willingness to pay.
| Question | My Answer |
|---|---|
| What's the vision? | Every parent gets a confident, safe clothing answer for their baby in under 10 seconds |
| Who am I building for first? | Sleep-training parents with children aged 0–3 years |
| What makes it different? | Overnight forecast + age-specific + multi-child = dress for 3am, not 7pm |
| What kind of product is it? | A bedtime clothing guide (mobile app) |
| How do I measure success? | How many parents check the app before bedtime every night |
| Pricing? | Freemium: Free for 1 child. Premium subscription for multiple children + advanced features |
| How will people find it? | Word of mouth through parenting communities and WhatsApp groups |
| What comes next? | AI chat for parents to unpack insights and learn about sleepwear, safety, and sleep training; caregiver sharing mode; smart thermometer integration |