When Jay Teo noticed his wife returning home increasingly exhausted after starting a new job at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), he wanted to help. Instead of simply checking bus timings or setting reminders for her, the 38-year-old decided to build an app tailored to her needs.
The app was designed for his wife Elizabeth, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and found existing bus apps overwhelming to navigate.
After Elizabeth's commute nearly tripled in length, she often found herself waiting up to 20 minutes for a bus in Singapore's heat and humidity.
"She was visibly more tired, and we had to push dinner back an hour, to 8pm," said Jay, when speaking to AsiaOne about how the new commute was impacting their time together.
Elizabeth had long suspected she had ADHD before receiving a formal diagnosis a few years ago. The diagnosis prompted Jay to think about how he could better support her in her daily life.
He initially recommended existing bus apps, but the couple quickly realised they were designed for the general population and did not suit the way Elizabeth preferred to process information.
"Many of them looked similar — cluttered, distracting with ads, with tables of numbers that looked like a stock trading app," said Jay.
Determined to make his wife's commute less stressful, Jay set out to create an app around her specific needs. In many ways, Elizabeth's ADHD helped shape the app's design.
He realised Elizabeth did not need an app that presented more information than necessary. Instead, she only needed an answer to one simple question: "When should I leave?"
After months of researching, development and testing the interface with his wife, Jay launched LeaveNow.
Speaking to AsiaOne, he said, "When I showed her the app, she was very surprised and happy that I'd not only built something for her but also added little touches to make it more enjoyable."
After using LeaveNow, Elizabeth reduced the amount of time she spent commuting and waiting for buses by almost 20 minutes each way. The extra time also allowed her to sleep in a little longer and maintain a morning routine that worked better for her.
Because the app proved to be so helpful, Elizabeth requested for her husband to integrate data from the internal shuttle bus services at NTU, where she works.
Building LeaveNow was not the first time Jay had turned one of his wife's needs into a project.
He also started Airfryer Cookies, an online cookie business, with Elizabeth after they found themselves craving the smell of freshly baked cookies during late-night movie sessions.
The couple started running the business together about a year ago. After more than 15 test-batches, they perfected their ready-in-8-minute airfryer cookie recipe.
Since launching Airfryer Cookies and LeaveNow, Jay and Elizabeth have realised that their own experiences often provide insights that traditional market research cannot.
Having first-hand experience of a problem gives them a deeper understanding of what people actually need, which Jay believes contributed to LeaveNow's success.
"If it solves one person's problem, there's a chance it might solve other people's problems too."
Inspired by the positive impact LeaveNow has had on his wife, Jay is now exploring other app ideas aimed at solving everyday challenges and improving people's quality of life.
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