Singaporean with no coding background builds ADHD-friendly bus app for wife's long commute一位没有编程基础的新加坡男子为妻子开发了一款适合患有注意力缺陷多动症的乘客使用的公交应用程序，方便她长途通勤。
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)...
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.
Building an app tailored to her needs
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.
The key to a happy marriage? Building projects together
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.
swetha.sundararajan@asiaone.com
当Jay Teo注意到妻子在南洋理工大学（NTU）开始新工作后，回家时越来越疲惫时，他想帮帮她。这位38岁的男子没有简单地帮她查询公交时刻表或设置提醒，而是决定开发一款专门满足她需求的应用程序。
该应用程序是为他的妻子伊丽莎白设计的，她患有注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD），发现现有的公交应用程序难以操作。
伊丽莎白的通勤时间几乎增加了两倍，她经常在新加坡炎热潮湿的天气里等公交车长达 20 分钟。
“她明显更累了，我们不得不把晚餐时间推迟一个小时，到晚上 8 点，”杰伊在接受 AsiaOne 采访时谈到新的通勤方式如何影响他们在一起的时间时说道。
开发一款满足她需求的应用程序
伊丽莎白在几年前正式确诊之前，就一直怀疑自己患有注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）。确诊后，杰伊开始思考如何才能更好地支持她的日常生活。
他最初推荐了现有的公交应用程序，但这对夫妇很快意识到这些应用程序是为普通人群设计的，并不适合伊丽莎白处理信息的方式。
“它们中的很多看起来都差不多——杂乱无章，充斥着令人分心的广告，还有看起来像股票交易应用程序的数字表格，”杰伊说。
为了减轻妻子通勤的压力，杰伊着手开发一款满足她特定需求的应用程序。在很多方面，伊丽莎白的注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）都对这款应用程序的设计产生了影响。
他意识到伊丽莎白不需要一款提供过多信息的应用程序。相反，她只需要一个简单的问题的答案：“我应该什么时候离开？”
经过数月的研究、开发和与妻子的测试，Jay 推出了 LeaveNow。
他告诉AsiaOne：“当我向她展示这款应用时，她非常惊讶和高兴，因为我不仅为她开发了这款应用，还添加了一些小功能，使它更加有趣。”
使用 LeaveNow 后，伊丽莎白单程通勤和等公交车的时间减少了近 20 分钟。省下来的时间也让她可以多睡一会儿，并保持更适合自己的晨间作息。
由于该应用程序非常实用，伊丽莎白要求她的丈夫将她工作的南洋理工大学内部班车服务的数据整合到该应用程序中。
幸福婚姻的秘诀是什么？共同打造项目。
创建 LeaveNow 并不是 Jay 第一次将妻子的需求转化为一个项目。
他和伊丽莎白在深夜看电影时，发现自己很想闻到新鲜出炉的饼干的香味，于是他们创办了 Airfryer Cookies，一家在线饼干生意。
这对夫妇大约一年前开始共同经营这项生意。经过15多次试验，他们最终完善了只需8分钟即可完成的空气炸锅饼干配方。
自从推出 Airfryer Cookies 和 LeaveNow 以来，Jay 和 Elizabeth 意识到，他们自己的经验往往能提供传统市场研究无法提供的见解。
亲身经历过某个问题，让他们对人们的实际需求有了更深刻的理解，Jay 认为这正是 LeaveNow 取得成功的原因之一。
“如果它能解决一个人的问题，那么它也可能解决其他人的问题。”
受 LeaveNow 对妻子产生的积极影响的启发，Jay 现在正在探索其他应用程序创意，旨在解决日常挑战并提高人们的生活质量。
swetha.sundararajan@asiaone.com