Skylight

Skylight: A Digital Frame for Family Connection and Calendar Clarity

Skylight is a dedicated digital display device that combines a sleek touchscreen frame with a shared family calendar, photo sharing, and to-do lists. It is designed to replace scattered paper schedules and group chats with a single, glanceable hub for the home. The device syncs with major calendar services and allows family members to send photos and tasks from their smartphones, making it a central tool for organizing busy households without requiring everyone to use the same phone or app.

Chapter 1: Function

The core functions of Skylight revolve around real-time synchronization and visual clarity. The primary feature is the shared calendar, which displays events from multiple family members, color-coded for easy identification, and updates automatically from Google Calendar, iCloud, or Outlook. Users can add events directly from the app or the device’s touchscreen. Additionally, Skylight serves as a digital photo frame, allowing remote family members to send photos directly to the display, which cycles through a curated album. The device also includes a chores and to-do list feature, where tasks can be assigned and marked complete. A hands-free voice command option with Alexa integration is available on certain models, enabling quick event checks or photo displays without touching the screen.

Chapter 2: Value

Skylight’s primary value proposition lies in reducing household friction and strengthening family connection. By moving all schedules and reminders to one central, always-visible screen, it eliminates the need for family members to check separate phone calendars or group texts for updates. This reduces missed appointments and the mental load of organizing activities, especially for parents managing multiple children’s commitments. The photo-sharing aspect provides emotional value for extended families, allowing grandparents or distant relatives to send pictures that appear instantly on the family’s display, fostering a sense of closeness even across distances. Its intuitive setup and zero-maintenance operation are key advantages; it requires no constant charging, app updates, or manual sync. The device also supports multiple time zones, a critical feature for families with adult children or relatives living in different regions. Furthermore, the privacy and security model is strong—only approved senders can post content, and the device does not run third-party ads or collect user browsing data. This makes it a trustworthy appliance for the home rather than another screen with notifications and distractions.

Chapter 3: Scenarios

The primary target user groups for Skylight are busy families with school-aged children, multi-generational households, and remote caregivers. Typical everyday use cases include a parent checking the afternoon pickup schedule while cooking dinner, using the large touchscreen to add a last-minute soccer practice to the shared calendar. Another scenario involves a grandparent uploading a photo from a vacation via the Skylight app, which then appears as a new slideshow image on the family’s display in a different state. For households with teens and preteens, the to-do list function is used to assign weekly chores; kids can tap a button to mark “Garbage out” as complete, notifying the parent’s phone. In homes with elderly relatives, Skylight can serve as a simple communication tool where caregivers post daily medication reminders or meal notes, reducing phone call dependency. The device also suits remote workers who need a visible family calendar to coordinate childcare and work meetings without overlapping.