It happens all too often in Appville: Someone concocts a fabulous idea, but fails to realize its potential in a way that helps the user beyond something you could execute with a pad and pen.
Such is the case with Kid Behavior (99 cents), an app that takes a fabulous idea and fails to run with it. The concept seems simple: input pictures of your kids, classify certain behaviors good and bad, and record the time and level of their occurrence.
Sometimes, simple is good—but other times it’s simplistic. The true value of a behavior-tracking app lies in how far it can extend a parent’s knowledge. I speak here not as an app expert, but a parent of two little ones. Anyone can record toilet training, for example. But if the kid is stuck, scared or stalled, where do you get resources for help, tips and advice?
This marks the chief downfall of Kid Behavior, and a big one if you ask me.
There is good news here: the app represents a platform ripe for improvement. If certain apps, for example, can deliver dozens of Bible translations or an unabridged dictionary, it stands to reason the creators of Kid Behavior need to make like good boys and girls … and do their homework.
