In our increasingly tech-driven world, we often focus on how technology can improve our businesses. But what about harnessing its power to solve real-world problems at home? One area ripe for improvement is the way we manage modern households – whether it's families with children, roommates sharing expenses, or even multi-generational living arrangements. These diverse living situations represent a significant portion of consumer spending, yet their unique needs are often overlooked.
The Problem with Single Profile Setup
Most of these are build with a single user in mind. That's convenient for individuals, but not so much for families or groups where everyone contributes. Let's take grocery shopping as an example. Usually, one person ends up managing the entire process – the shopping list, the actual purchases, and the mental load of remembering what everyone wants. This can lead to frustration and an unequal distribution of responsibility, particularly for women who often shoulder a disproportionate share of household tasks in traditional family setups.
A Better Way: Multi-Profile Setup
Imagine if these apps and websites were designed with modern households in mind. Each person could have their own profile, adding items they want, sharing preferences, and making decisions together. Think of it like a shared digital shopping cart, but with everyone's contributions clearly marked. Kids could even get involved by suggesting items, with parents having the final say.
For shared households, such as roommates or co-living situations, this approach can be even more transformative. It streamlines the often cumbersome process of managing shared expenses and ensures everyone's voice is heard when it comes to household purchases.
It makes monetary sense too!
Making e-commerce more household-friendly isn't just a nice thing to do – it's a smart business move. With individual profiles, companies get a goldmine of data about what different household members want and need. This opens up a world of possibilities for personalized recommendations, targeted ads, and a deeper understanding of how families – and other types of households – make decisions. By designing for the modern household, businesses can tap into a whole new market and build stronger relationships with their customers.
The Bottom Line
Tech companies have the power to create real change, and empowering modern households is a great place to start. By rethinking how we design apps, we can lighten the load for everyone, foster a greater sense of equity and cooperation within households, and create innovative products that truly meet the needs of today's diverse living arrangements.
With a firm belief that technology shouldn’t just be about convenience also social good, I plan to highlight more such need-gaps that exist in our lives with future editions of #TechForGood.
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