Why Purple Duckling built Day2Day
Purple Duckling is a small company started by two sisters. It began with one family’s day, when the visual support Emma’s son had at school wasn’t there for him at home.
It started at home
During COVID, my son’s school closed, and when it reopened, school was virtual. At school, his day was shown on a laminated schedule with Velcro. It showed activities such as speech, adaptive gym, class, and lunch. When an activity was finished, it moved into a completed row. He could also earn stars that could be exchanged for rewards such as a break, watching a show, jumping on the trampoline, or having a snack.
At home, I didn’t have that same kind of support, and it was difficult to explain what his day would look like.
At the time, I couldn’t find an app that gave us the combination of a calendar, pictures, and rewards that I was looking for.
I talked with my sister Caroline, who works in technology, and she suggested that we build it ourselves.
We tested several versions before launching, getting feedback on everything from the size of the icons to the flow of the app. The first version we launched was already very similar to the Day2Day experience today, and we have kept improving it since, most recently with a major update.
We still use Day2Day with our own family, and we keep asking families and professionals what would make it work better in real life.
What I hope Day2Day does is simple: make daily life easier for both the person using it and the caregiver supporting them, and provide a little more security in knowing what is happening and what comes next.
And we’re not stopping there. We want to keep building apps that make everyday life a little easier, starting with our next one, Day2Day Independence, which helps people learn everyday activities one step at a time.
EmmaCofounder, Purple Duckling
A visual schedule at school
Activity cards, a completed row, and stars toward rewards.
Nothing like it at home
School went virtual, and there was no easy way to show him what his day looked like.
No app did all of it
A calendar, pictures and rewards together were hard to find.
Two sisters decide to build it
Emma brought the daily experience. Caroline brought the technology.
Tested with real feedback
Several versions, from the size of the icons to the flow of the app.
Day2Day Calendar launches
Since improved with a major update, with Day2Day Independence on the way.
An illustration of the idea, not the original schedule.
Built around real daily life
Day2Day was built around a simple idea: support should fit into everyday life.
The goal isn’t to create another complicated system for caregivers to manage. It’s to give caregivers a practical tool they can adapt to the person they support and the day they actually have.
Made for the day they actually have
Schedules start from real activities, with presets so you don’t build everything from scratch.
Adapted to the person
Pictures, words, voice, timers and rewards can each be shaped to the individual.
Tested in real life
We check our apps with families and professionals, and we use them with our own family.
Two sisters, one shared project
Emma
Cofounder. Emma has spent her career in marketing, building brands and bringing them to life. Her son’s school schedule was the starting point for Day2Day.
Caroline
Cofounder. Caroline developed a love of programming in college and has worked in technology ever since. She is the tech mind behind all of our apps.