Duffy Law, LLC + FinAgile
Pairent
A Guided Tool for Parents Navigating Custody and Conflict
WORK IN PROGRESS — PRODUCT DISCOVERY & CONCEPT EXPLORATION
Helping parents bring order and understanding to difficult co-parenting moments—through calm communication, clear records, and better preparation for whatever comes next
role + focus
UX STRATEGY • PRODUCT CONCEPT • MARKET RESEARCH • UI DESIGN
Project Overview
Design a supportive, easy-to-use platform that helps parents document clearly, stay organized, and communicate more effectively—without crossing into legal advice
Pairent began as a guided journal created with a family-law advisor to help parents record daily interactions, track patterns, and reflect on communication tone. What started as a print workbook evolved into a digital concept—a calm, guided space for documentation and shared organization when family dynamics are complex.
The product lives in the pre-legal readiness space: empowering, not advising. It’s designed for parents who need structure and peace of mind while navigating custody, communication, or coordination challenges—whether that means smoother mediation or simply less stress at home.
APPROACH & PROCESS
Early prototyping focused on translating the guided journal into a clear, emotionally safe digital experience.
From the beginning, we focused on the emotional realities of co-parenting rather than legal requirements. Our guiding question: How can design make high-stress documentation feel calm, credible, and achievable?
The project began by mapping core journaling activities into low-fidelity wireframes, exploring how prompts, tone, and hierarchy could promote calm rather than control. Each prototype tested small shifts—copy language, spacing, and visual rhythm—to see how design might quietly lower stress. Research into existing co-parenting tools (OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, 2Houses) revealed a gap: most apps enforce compliance instead of supporting communication. Pairent’s approach reframes this dynamic—shifting from oversight to clarity. Early explorations emphasized empathetic UX, accessibility, and neutrality. Visual tests and flow diagrams began shaping an experience that feels trustworthy and intuitive even under emotional pressure. Future collaboration with parents and legal professionals will refine tone and usability before validation.
DESIGN DIRECTION (IN PROGRESS)
Early explorations focus on creating a digital experience that feels calm, guided, and emotionally safe for parents navigating complex communication.
The design direction centers on turning structure into reassurance. Layouts are built around clear hierarchy, warm neutrals, and subtle accent tones that suggest calm rather than control. Typography is intentionally soft yet legible, with guided prompts replacing blank input fields to reduce cognitive load. Interaction patterns are slow, predictable, and transparent—each action confirming understanding rather than enforcing oversight. Copy tone mirrors supportive communication: neutral, factual, and steady. The goal isn’t to simplify content, but to simplify emotion, giving users room to think, record, and reflect without judgment.
The design philosophy emphasizes calm clarity—helping parents stay organized and composed through guided structure, supportive tone, and visual simplicity. Every element reinforces trust and neutrality, transforming stressful documentation into a clear, focused, and emotionally balanced experience.
OPPORTUNITY + VIABILITY & UNMET NEED
The opportunity lies in a legal-tech market still focused on compliance over compassion. Each year, over 1.2 million U.S. families navigate custody or visitation arrangements, and nearly 70 % involve at least one self-represented parent. Current tools meet court requirements but often heighten stress through rigid design and costly subscriptions. Pairent reframes this space as “pre-legal readiness”—a supportive, ethical layer between personal organization and professional documentation. Guided journaling, tone-aware prompts, and structured summaries help parents stay composed, organized, and credible—without offering legal advice or bias. Positioned within a $400 M+ family-law and mediation-software market, the platform’s phased model supports sustainable growth: Day 1 — Pairent Journal: daily logging and reflection. Day 2 — Pairent Insight: summaries, trends, and export features. Day 3 — Pairent Connect: optional integration with verified mediators, therapists, and family-law professionals.
Beyond the MVP, Pairent can evolve into a trusted referral network connecting parents with verified family-law professionals—bridging users’ documented insights with the qualified support they may eventually need.
Product Images
INSIGHTS + NEXT STEPS
INSIGHTS + NEXT STEPS
Ongoing exploration in emotional usability, ethical UX, and accessible design for families navigating complex communication.
Early collaboration with family-law professionals underscored how tone, structure, and clarity directly influence user trust. Parents in conflict need digital environments that feel steady and impartial—spaces that guide without judging. Designing for this balance revealed the importance of ethical UX principles that prioritize calm, transparency, and control. The next phase will focus on prototyping and validation—testing journaling flows, export functionality, and emotional tone with real users and attorney partners. These sessions will inform accessibility refinements and shape the foundation for the platform’s first working MVP.
Initial testing will begin with a small pilot group of parents and family-law partners, gathering insights on clarity, tone, and emotional usability. Results from this phase will help determine future opportunities for collaboration and professional integration as the product matures.
BETA USERS
ATTORNEY PARTNERS
