A product I built because the problem was real
When we relocated to Switzerland with little ones, the usual relocation stress was compounded by the need to rebuild our daily routines and adapt to new schedules.
We noticed recurring friction in our routines:
- Shared family activities: doctor visits, local recycling days, appointments, and events.
- School and kindergarten prep: forest days, gym clothes, library books, and early starts.
- Weather surprises: Swiss weather changes fast, and kids’ outfits depend on it.
We needed local, up-to-date information exactly when we were about to leave.
This became a practical product challenge: make a system that is always visible, fast to read, resilient enough for daily use, and simple enough that kids can benefit without opening an app.
The solution
A wall-mounted dashboard right by the entrance door, where we naturally pause before heading out.
Tech notes
- Kindle Fire HD, bought used on Ricardo
- Built with SvelteKit + Node.js
- Hosted on Raspberry Pi (future-ready for smart home integrations)
- Mounted via custom 3D-printed holders
Common use cases
What’s the weather like today?
We show the next few hours, always rolling. Mornings show today’s weather; evenings show tomorrow’s.
Animated backgrounds convey info at a glance. Even little ones can “read” it.
Shared Google calendar for the whole family
We started using a shared Google Calendar to manage family events. The dashboard displays upcoming entries and shows how many days or hours remain until each one.
Events sync instantly from any device.
It keeps everyone aligned without needing to check phones.
Live Swiss Transport
Real-time departures from our local tram stop. 3 minutes vs. 13? It completely changes how fast we put on shoes.
School routines
Each morning, our daughter taps her profile to see her day: “Do I need sports shoes or swimming gear today?”
Evenings show tomorrow’s schedule: “Wake up earlier—school starts at 7:30.”
Reflection
After 18+ months of daily use, this has become one of the most helpful tools in our home.
It doesn’t control smart devices (yet). But it:
- Removed morning stress
- Helped our kids gain independence
- Made our transition to Swiss life smoother
Built for our needs. Runs every day. The value is not the dashboard as a screen; it is the habit it created around shared context at the exact moment we need to decide.
I wrote a deeper technical and product breakdown in Building a Family Dashboard: 18 months of self-hosted reality.