Tuko: Aussie dads launch app to solve ‘problem of being a father in 2025’

“You get home from work and you’re frazzled. You’ve got to switch your brain over to be there with the kids.”

“They really want your attention, but your mind is just not there. There’s a guilt that happens and a want to be present, but it’s really difficult.”

Two Queensland fathers felt the weight of these words not just on their own shoulders, but on all modern-day dads.

Chatting about fatherhood while on a camping trip, Tim Doecke and Ben Jones had an idea of how they could help fix the “problem of being a dad in 2025” - finding the time and energy to connect with your kids in such a fast-paced world.

“Life is just so hectic, and we love our kids. We really want to be good dads, but it’s actually really hard finding time and energy to have those meaningful connections,” Mr Doecke said.

They had both played physical card conversation games before and enjoyed the way a prompt can take the pressure off, guiding a conversation that might not otherwise get off the ground.

“What if we just did the card game, but digitally, on a phone. Then it’s with you all the time, super simple. Dads don’t want complex things. They just want something really simple,” Mr Doecke said.

And so the idea for Tuko: The Dad Conversation App, was born.

It would be a couple of years before things got serious when the dad duo went for a beer after work.

Mr Jones, no stranger to building online platforms, went home that night and “threw a quick prototype together”.

He used Claude AI to generate the very first version of Tuko, which he then put into Xcode - Apple’s software development platform.

“Before I knew it, we had this prototype on our phones and we using it with our kids. It just kind of like snowballed from there,” Mr Jones said.

They call Tuko their “software baby”. From the time the initial prototype was built earlier this year, to its official launch on October 8, Tuko gestated for the average number of days an actual baby would.

Packed with more than 700 thoughtful questions, Tuko uses AI to help guide conversations with children aged anywhere from four all the way to 16.

“It learns which questions you like to answer the most, then it will kind of tailor the conversation,” Mr Jones said.

Psychology played a significant role in the app’s design. The questions all fall within the Johari Window - a four-quadrant model used to improve self-awareness and communication in relationships.

The “open area” represents information that both the parent and child know. The “blind area” refers to information not known to the self, but known to others. The “hidden area” refers to information known to the self but not to others, and the “unknown area” refers to information not known by either person.

“We’ve built the questions around those four areas, as well as three themes of identity, purpose and belonging,” Mr Doecke said.

“All of the questions are built around that, whether they’re wacky questions or whether they’re deep questions.”

In the testing phase, the duo shared the earlier versions of Tuko with families they knew.

Theunis Pretorius, a father of three children aged six, 10 and 11, found the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with his family extremely valuable.

“One moment, it could be fun and light hearted and but then another question might explore deeper matters of the heart. You get to know your kids at a deeper level and have them share things that maybe otherwise wouldn’t have come up in general life conversation,” Mr Pretorius said.

“I see it almost like a helpful little checkpoint. As a family, we try to already have those sorts of conversations with the kids, but I think the app helps you to come at it from fresh angles.”

He said the family often use Tuko on long drives, a welcome alternative from tablet entertainment.

Jamie Coyle, a father of four children aged between 14 and 22, has found Tuko to be a very useful and creative tool.

“I’m always trying to work out ways that I can have great conversations with my kids, and especially because they’re all different in stages of life,” Mr Coyle said.

“It asks those questions you don’t think of asking, or it asks the question you want to ask, but in a creative way.”

Despite being designed with younger children in mind, Mr Coyle has found Tuko works really well with his “grown-up” children as well.

Though Tuko is aimed at fathers, Mr Doecke and Mr Jones said the app has had a broader reach and been used by mums, and even between partners while on date night.

“Being a dad and struggling to connect with your kids is something close to our heart, so that’s why we’ve designed it for that. But really, anyone can use it,” Mr Doecke said.

Seeing the impact that Tuko has already had on relationships has been highly rewarding for them both.

“It’s been really, really lovely, actually, to be able to have an impact on people’s relationships with their kids in a positive way,” Mr Jones said.

The pair hope the app continues to help parents connect with their kids while making space for moments that “spark joy” in the messiness and busyness of life.

To download Tuko, go to tuko.app or search “Tuko” on the AppStore.

Follow Tuko on Instagram: @play_tuko