Nucu is a Finnish wellness technology company, founded in 2016, to help babies and families sleep better. The company’s story originates from CEO Juha Hannula’s personal experiences as an engineer and the father of premature twins. Inspired by the calming power of touch, Hannula explored multisensory stimulation and its impact on the development of babies. Based on these findings, he developed a device that could help restless babies sleep better.
At the heart of the Nucu platform is its ability to mimic the familiar sensations babies experience in the womb. The platform is placed under the baby’s mattress, and through gentle vibrations and calming sounds, it creates a safe and peaceful sleeping environment.
The second-generation Nucu Pad: Better sleep for the whole family
The first-generation Nucu Pad was operated manually using buttons on the device. To meet the changing needs of modern parents, Nucu sought a partner to design the user interface of the new external control unit and a completely new Nucu mobile app. The goal was to create a more intuitive, remote-controlled solution that would better adapt to the needs of parents.
Nucu looked for UI/UX expertise in the Oulu region, as having local talent was seen as important for the flexible and efficient development and iteration of the physical device. Codemate was already a familiar partner to Nucu’s key stakeholders, which made starting the collaboration natural. Codemate’s designer, Olli Haataja, was chosen to lead the UI/UX design.
Thoughtful design for babies and parents
Codemate’s designer was tasked with creating a solution that combined functionality and ease of use with an aesthetically pleasing design. The design emphasised the values of safety, calmness, and togetherness, which are central to the product experience. The Nordic aesthetic — clean lines and the warmth of birch wood — was reflected in both the physical control unit and the mobile app.
“Finnish baby care methods are highly respected in international markets, so we wanted to highlight Nucu’s Finnish origins through design — from the birch wood multisensory baby pad to the minimalist mobile app,” Nucu’s wellness technology expert Marco Suvilaakso explains.
Watch the video to see how the Nucu Pad works!
The Nucu App allows parents to control and monitor the platform remotely. Through the app, parents can adjust settings, monitor their baby’s sleep in real time, and track environmental factors like temperature and sound levels. Every design detail aimed to provide parents with peace of mind and a sense of closeness, even when they are not physically present.
With the Nucu App you can (source Nucu):
- record the feeling of your own heartbeat and transfer it to the Nucu Pad
- control feelscapes remotely
- monitor your baby’s calmness levels
- listen to your baby in real time through the app
- keep tabs on the baby’s sleep environment: ambient light, room temperature and room humidity.
The Nucu App allows you to record the feeling of your own heartbeat and transfer it to the Nucu Pad.
“This project was quite different from my previous experiences because designing for babies and parents requires special sensitivity. Sleep is such a huge part of life, especially with small children. During the project, I often recalled my own experiences as a parent, which made the work particularly meaningful”, says Haataja.
A multidisciplinary team ensured a safe outcome
The second-generation Nucu Pad was developed through the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team, which included Codemate’s designer, developers, Nucu’s experts, and a sleep researcher. The teamwork was seamless, and the sleep researcher’s insights into infants’ sensory sensitivity and sleep stages proved to be crucial. A baby’s sleep evolves significantly during the first year, and the Nucu Pad is designed to adapt to these changes at various stages. “It was fascinating to get first-hand research data on just how different the sleep patterns of a newborn and an adult are,” Haataja explains about his experience working with the sleep researcher.
User testing was one of the most important stages in the development of the Nucu Pad and App. These tests were carried out with real families, and the feedback they provided was invaluable in fine-tuning the product to better meet the needs of families. These families also became an important part of Nucu’s multidisciplinary team.
From Oulu’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to the world
The Nucu Pad has been developed in collaboration with Oulu University Hospital, and now this innovation is ready to go global. Nucu launched its second-generation Nucu Pad in 2024, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. Next, this Finnish innovation will be introduced to international markets, starting with the Nordic countries.
Codemate’s collaboration with Nucu continues in the form of ongoing design support.
“We are extremely pleased with Codemate’s designer’s contribution to the project. He listened carefully, asked the right questions, and was proactive throughout the process. He also knew how to challenge us in just the right way, which helped drive the project forward.”
Marco Suvilaakso
Wellness Technology Expert, Nucu
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