About
Calving Detection
Halter · 2026
Calving is the most physically and operationally demanding window on the dairy calendar. Managing labor complications around the clock creates severe fatigue for farm teams, while missed intervention windows lead to preventable calf and cow mortality.
I designed Halter’s calving detection experience - transforming collar sensor data into real-time labor alerts to automate calving monitoring and safeguard herd outcomes.
The Operational Problem
During peak calving, farmers spend hours conducting manual, round-the-clock paddock sweeps to identify cows in labor. This traditional approach is inefficient and high-risk:
- High Operational Fatigue: Constant day-and-night inspections lead to extreme team exhaustion during an already intense season.
- Delayed Interventions: Missed labor signs result in prolonged births, preventable calf loss, or severe maternal complications like prolapses.
From Sensor Data to Actionable UI
I collaborated with the ML and hardware teams to translate complex movement and behavioural algorithms into intuitive notifications. Rather than overwhelming farmers with raw data streams, the focus was surfacing clear, time-sensitive status updates:
- Labor Onset Alerts: Instant notifications when a cow enters labor, replacing constant manual sweeps with targeted interventions.
- On-the-Spot Controls: Embedded quick hardware actions into the alert view, allowing farmers to trigger a cow’s collar LED light for searching or temporarily pause collar cues during handling.
Advocating for a Map-First Experience
When tapping a push alert, the team's initial instinct was to take farmers to a standard list view. I pushed back - out in the paddock, knowing which cow is in labor is useless if you don't know where she is.
I drove cross-functional alignment to pivot the product to anchor the entire experience around the map:
- Field Discovery: Uncovered during farm visits that farmers lose significant time searching across multiple mobs and paddocks, proving that spatial UI was a necessity, not just a design preference.
- Securing Buy-In: Used these real-world field observations to walk stakeholders through the actual operational friction, shifting internal perspective from a list view to a spatial-first UI.
- Map-First Navigation: Tapping an alert opens the cow's live pin on the map, letting farmers know where to go without wasting time looking across mobs and paddocks.
Streamlined In-Field Logging
Once a farmer reaches the cow, the UI enables frictionless status logging directly within the alert view:
- Actionable Status Updates: Allowed farmers to quickly log calving progress, record interventions, or mark successful births on the spot.
- Zero-Friction Inputs: Designed large, high-affordance controls optimised for one-handed use in wet, rugged field conditions.
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Calving alert
M
214-4325
7h ago
1 Jul • 12:29 PM
Calf delivered
Confirmed by Sam Smith
Trigger LED
Pause collar
Change mob
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Calved
The calf is fully on the ground.
Calving now
The amniotic sack or calf is visible.
Early signs
Raised tail, mucus, or contractions visible. Calving within the next ~24 hours.
No signs of calving
Cow appears normal - alert may have been too early. Not likely to calve in 24 hours.
Confirm stage of calving
What stage is the cow in?
Select the stage of calving for cow 214-4325.
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Confirm calving stage
When did this happen?
An estimate is fine - you don't need the exact time.
What day did this calving happen?
Today
15 Feb, 2023
Yesterday
14 Feb, 2023
Custom
Pick a date
Time (optional)
kg
Button
Next
Proof in the Field
The best validation came from real-world usage during peak calving. Instead of waiting for post-season surveys, we saw immediate impact through unprompted farmer messages and Account Manager updates reporting saved calves, caught complications, and fewer late-night paddock checks.
Watch it in Action
Validation came directly from frontline interactions. Account Managers shared glowing updates from the field, alongside unprompted messages from farmers highlighting how the map-first alerts saved difficult births and transformed their daily calving routines.
Watch from 10:53 to see The Once a Day Farmer using the Calving Detection feature
About
Calving Detection
Halter · 2026
Calving is the most physically and operationally demanding window on the dairy calendar. Managing labor complications around the clock creates severe fatigue for farm teams, while missed intervention windows lead to preventable calf and cow mortality.
I designed Halter’s calving detection experience - transforming collar sensor data into real-time labor alerts to automate calving monitoring and safeguard herd outcomes.
The Operational Problem
During peak calving, farmers spend hours conducting manual, round-the-clock paddock sweeps to identify cows in labor. This traditional approach is inefficient and high-risk:
- High Operational Fatigue: Constant day-and-night inspections lead to extreme team exhaustion during an already intense season.
- Delayed Interventions: Missed labor signs result in prolonged births, preventable calf loss, or severe maternal complications like prolapses.
From Sensor Data to Actionable UI
I collaborated with the ML and hardware teams to translate complex movement and behavioural algorithms into intuitive notifications. Rather than overwhelming farmers with raw data streams, the focus was surfacing clear, time-sensitive status updates:
- Labor Onset Alerts: Instant notifications when a cow enters labor, replacing constant manual sweeps with targeted interventions.
- On-the-Spot Controls: Embedded quick hardware actions into the alert view, allowing farmers to trigger a cow’s collar LED light for searching or temporarily pause collar cues during handling.
Advocating for a Map-First Experience
When tapping a push alert, the team's initial instinct was to take farmers to a standard list view. I pushed back - out in the paddock, knowing which cow is in labor is useless if you don't know where she is.
I drove cross-functional alignment to pivot the product to anchor the entire experience around the map:
- Field Discovery: Uncovered during farm visits that farmers lose significant time searching across multiple mobs and paddocks, proving that spatial UI was a necessity, not just a design preference.
- Securing Buy-In: Used these real-world field observations to walk stakeholders through the actual operational friction, shifting internal perspective from a list view to a spatial-first UI.
- Map-First Navigation: Tapping an alert opens the cow's live pin on the map, letting farmers know where to go without wasting time looking across mobs and paddocks.
Streamlined In-Field Logging
Once a farmer reaches the cow, the UI enables frictionless status logging directly within the alert view:
- Actionable Status Updates: Allowed farmers to quickly log calving progress, record interventions, or mark successful births on the spot.
- Zero-Friction Inputs: Designed large, high-affordance controls optimised for one-handed use in wet, rugged field conditions.
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Calving alert
M
214-4325
7h ago
1 Jul • 12:29 PM
Calf delivered
Confirmed by Sam Smith
Trigger LED
Pause collar
Change mob
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Calved
The calf is fully on the ground.
Calving now
The amniotic sack or calf is visible.
Early signs
Raised tail, mucus, or contractions visible. Calving within the next ~24 hours.
No signs of calving
Cow appears normal - alert may have been too early. Not likely to calve in 24 hours.
Confirm stage of calving
What stage is the cow in?
Select the stage of calving for cow 214-4325.
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Confirm calving stage
When did this happen?
An estimate is fine - you don't need the exact time.
What day did this calving happen?
Today
15 Feb, 2023
Yesterday
14 Feb, 2023
Custom
Pick a date
Time (optional)
kg
Button
Next
Proof in the Field
The best validation came from real-world usage during peak calving. Instead of waiting for post-season surveys, we saw immediate impact through unprompted farmer messages and Account Manager updates reporting saved calves, caught complications, and fewer late-night paddock checks.
Watch it in Action
Validation came directly from frontline interactions. Account Managers shared glowing updates from the field, alongside unprompted messages from farmers highlighting how the map-first alerts saved difficult births and transformed their daily calving routines.
Watch from 10:53 to see The Once a Day Farmer using the Calving Detection feature
About
Calving Detection
Halter · 2026
Calving is the most physically and operationally demanding window on the dairy calendar. Managing labor complications around the clock creates severe fatigue for farm teams, while missed intervention windows lead to preventable calf and cow mortality.
I designed Halter’s calving detection experience - transforming collar sensor data into real-time labor alerts to automate calving monitoring and safeguard herd outcomes.
The Operational Problem
During peak calving, farmers spend hours conducting manual, round-the-clock paddock sweeps to identify cows in labor. This traditional approach is inefficient and high-risk:
- High Operational Fatigue: Constant day-and-night inspections lead to extreme team exhaustion during an already intense season.
- Delayed Interventions: Missed labor signs result in prolonged births, preventable calf loss, or severe maternal complications like prolapses.
From Sensor Data to Actionable UI
I collaborated with the ML and hardware teams to translate complex movement and behavioural algorithms into intuitive notifications. Rather than overwhelming farmers with raw data streams, the focus was surfacing clear, time-sensitive status updates:
- Labor Onset Alerts: Instant notifications when a cow enters labor, replacing constant manual sweeps with targeted interventions.
- On-the-Spot Controls: Embedded quick hardware actions into the alert view, allowing farmers to trigger a cow’s collar LED light for searching or temporarily pause collar cues during handling.
Advocating for a Map-First Experience
When tapping a push alert, the team's initial instinct was to take farmers to a standard list view. I pushed back - out in the paddock, knowing which cow is in labor is useless if you don't know where she is.
I drove cross-functional alignment to pivot the product to anchor the entire experience around the map:
- Field Discovery: Uncovered during farm visits that farmers lose significant time searching across multiple mobs and paddocks, proving that spatial UI was a necessity, not just a design preference.
- Securing Buy-In: Used these real-world field observations to walk stakeholders through the actual operational friction, shifting internal perspective from a list view to a spatial-first UI.
- Map-First Navigation: Tapping an alert opens the cow's live pin on the map, letting farmers know where to go without wasting time looking across mobs and paddocks.
Streamlined In-Field Logging
Once a farmer reaches the cow, the UI enables frictionless status logging directly within the alert view:
- Actionable Status Updates: Allowed farmers to quickly log calving progress, record interventions, or mark successful births on the spot.
- Zero-Friction Inputs: Designed large, high-affordance controls optimised for one-handed use in wet, rugged field conditions.
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Calving alert
M
214-4325
7h ago
1 Jul • 12:29 PM
Calf delivered
Confirmed by Sam Smith
Trigger LED
Pause collar
Change mob
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Calved
The calf is fully on the ground.
Calving now
The amniotic sack or calf is visible.
Early signs
Raised tail, mucus, or contractions visible. Calving within the next ~24 hours.
No signs of calving
Cow appears normal - alert may have been too early. Not likely to calve in 24 hours.
Confirm stage of calving
What stage is the cow in?
Select the stage of calving for cow 214-4325.
9:41
Map
Herd
Grazings
More
214-4325
M
Confirm calving stage
When did this happen?
An estimate is fine - you don't need the exact time.
What day did this calving happen?
Today
15 Feb, 2023
Yesterday
14 Feb, 2023
Custom
Pick a date
Time (optional)
kg
Button
Next
Proof in the Field
The best validation came from real-world usage during peak calving. Instead of waiting for post-season surveys, we saw immediate impact through unprompted farmer messages and Account Manager updates reporting saved calves, caught complications, and fewer late-night paddock checks.
Watch it in Action
Validation came directly from frontline interactions. Account Managers shared glowing updates from the field, alongside unprompted messages from farmers highlighting how the map-first alerts saved difficult births and transformed their daily calving routines.
Watch from 10:53 to see The Once a Day Farmer using the Calving Detection feature