OVERVIEW
Insomnia, or difficulty falling and staying asleep, has become a widespread issue in modern society. With the fast pace of life, increased stress levels, and extensive screen time, more people are struggling to achieve quality sleep. While medications are a common approach to addressing insomnia, they often come with side effects, risk of dependency, and may not offer long-term solutions.
This project seeks to provide a healthier, natural alternative to alleviate or even resolve insomnia by focusing on exercise and lifestyle interventions.
Inspiration
RESEARCH
MOTIVATIONS
Prevalence of the Problem: Studies show that nearly one-third of adults experience insomnia at some point in their lives, significantly impacting their physical and mental well-being.
Limitations of Current Solutions: While sleep medications may offer short-term relief, they often fail to address the root causes of insomnia and carry risks of dependency and side effects.
The Potential of Autoregulation Exercises: Autoregulation exercises are a group of techniques designed to replace the spiral of stress with a cycle of repose. Practices such as yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation are proven to reduce stress and promote relaxation, making them effective tools for improving sleep quality.
Scientific Evidence for Exercise: Physical activity has been extensively validated for its ability to enhance sleep quality, alleviate anxiety, and regulate circadian rhythms. However, many people lack guidance on how to combine structured exercise with relaxation techniques to comprehensively tackle sleep issues.
USER INTERVIEW
Persona
Jane
Age: 24
City: Shanghai
Job: student
BIO: Jane is a graduate student majoring in Finance. she aslo works as an English language teaching assistant.
Goals:
Release stress: Jane has many daily school work to do. Also she is an English language teaching assistant.
Have a good sleep: Jane usually stay up late and sleep only five hours. She wants to have a high quality sleeping experience.
Know more about personal data: Jane wants to know more data when she sleep. So she can find experts to help her solve the problem.
Pain points:
Limited Service: Many apps do not provide comprehensive services. Sometimes Jane needs to use multiple apps for one purpose.
Lack of choice: The exercise videos provided by many sports applications do not have what Jane needs.
Lack of self-control: Jane always watch Youtube video for several hours before she fall asleeps.
No relevant knowledge: Jane trys to solve the problem herself. However, she does not know what to do.
Pain Points
Solutions
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
I analyzed 5 applications. All the features offered by the application are incomplete. Each application offers mainly one or two services.
Sleep tracking services
AutoSleep - datatracking, daily check-in
SleepWatch - datatracking, sleep score, sleep sound
SleepCycle - alarm, lesson, datatracking, sleep sound
Relax exercises services
PocketYoga - yoga, movement instruction, music
Calm - exercises, check-in,
Customer needs
BRAINSTORM
OBJECTIVES
Educate users about the connection between physical activity and sleep quality.
Provide Tailored Exercise Plans: Offer programs customized to users' fitness levels, daily schedules, and sleep issues. These plans will focus on activities scientifically proven to promote relaxation and improve sleep, such as yoga, stretching, low-intensity aerobic exercises, and breathing techniques.
Integrate Holistic Approaches: Combine exercise with complementary practices like mindfulness, meditation, and sleep hygiene tips for maximum effectiveness.
Track and Measure Progress: Use tools or apps to help users monitor their sleep patterns and assess the impact of the program over time.
Sitemap
WIREFRAME
KEY FEATURES
Multiple Exercise Choices
Provides a variety of exercise options including yoga, breathing training, meditation, stretching and other exercises
Customized routine
Estimate sleep time, provide smart reminders, including wake-up alarm, sleep reminder, and do not disturb option.
Personal Healthcare Professional
One on one experts online to solve various problems and provide short-term and long-term future plans
Design System
Poppins Bold
Poppins Medium
TAKEAWAY
Empathy is the North Star:
At the heart of user research lies empathy – the ability to step into the user's shoes. Understanding their frustrations, aspirations, and behaviors is not just a task; it's a journey towards creating designs that genuinely connect with people.
Users Are the Ultimate Design Guides:
Learning that users are not just participants but indispensable guides in the design process has been transformative. Their insights, preferences, and feedback are the compass directing the creation of interfaces that truly serve their needs.
Flexibility Fuels Discovery:
Flexibility in research methodologies has been a revelation. Adapting approaches based on project needs and user characteristics allows for a dynamic exploration that goes beyond textbooks and taps into the real nuances of human interaction.
Every Mistake is a Lesson:
Realizing that mistakes aren't setbacks but stepping stones has shifted my perspective. Each misstep in user research is an opportunity to learn, refine, and grow. It's a reminder that the path to understanding users is iterative, and perfection is an evolving goal.