According to National Sleep Foundation, 1 in 3 people have at least mild insomnia, and these poor sleepers have developed bad sleep habits. It is a major issue to the well-being of young adults in their 20s to mid 30s, affecting lifestyle and work performance in Gen Y. There is a lack of resources that help and bring awareness towards the problem currently.
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Blink: Sleep App
annie lee
Capilano University, Canada
Social Impact - Web / App / Game Design
Category Semifinalist
According to National Sleep Foundation, 1 in 3 people have mild insomnia and many poor sleepers have developed bad sleep habits. It is a major issue to the well-being of young adults in their 20s to mid-30s, affecting lifestyle and work performance. Currently, there is a current lack of resources and awareness towards the problem. As a solution, I created a sleep app using medically-proven AVS (audio-visual stimulation) treatment method with a hassle-free interface. Many of my insights were documented by Google surveys, empathy maps, remote interviews, and reading academic journals to understand the target audiences and to find a unique solution for insomnia, which AVS has only two but medically approved articles on the treatment. After narrowing down the collected data, I developed a competitive analysis to compare to other apps then app sitemap, user journeys, and wireframes. Next, I created the branding and visuals for the app through style guides and mocking them on Sketch.
BLINK: SLEEP APP
Blink is an app that helps young adults manage their sleeping routine and their quality of their sleep. Unlike other apps using relaxation and meditation as their main concept, Blink features AVS (Audio-Visual Stimulation) known to relax mental and subconscious activity of the brain.
SCREEN PROTOTYPE
SCREEN PROTOTYPE
01. THE PROBLEM
02. RESEARCH INSIGHT
To ensure that the solution was most useful, I addressed emotional needs and gained insight through one-on-one remote interviews, empathy maps, and reading articles online. After understanding the needs of the primary targets wanting to fall asleep as soon as possible and wanting support (which Reddit was used for), I decided to make an app that provides an immediate solution for their sleeplessness. Through academic research, AVS (Audio Visual Stimulation) stood out as a possible treatment as it has been previously proven to be a good self-care treatment and it has not been yet distributed or digitized widely.
Specifically, the app was based on the concept of open-loop AVS, where it has a pre-set light and sound patterns that are delivered through goggles and headphones. Open-loop allowed users to adapt to a desired mental frequency from the device as it recreates sleep-related electrical activity, known as the Theta activity (4-7Hz) and low alpha (8-10Hz), in the brain.
Fig. 1 AVS auditory and visual pathways. In AVS, the visual stimulation (flickering light) is delivered through goggles with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the audio stimulation is delivered through headphones.
Source: Tang, Hsin-Yi, et al. “A PilotStudy of Audio–Visual Stimulation as a Self-Care Treatment for Insomnia in Adults with Insomniaand Chronic Pain.” Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, vol. 39, no. 3-4, 2014, pp. 219–225. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1007/s10484-014-9263-8.
They also wanted to shed the negative stigma of sleeplessness or tiredness, so I took a step further to raise awareness to this issue with the secondary target group. As a result, I created landing pages for the secondary targets with resources and external links to articles on how to help the primary target group through accepting and understanding the illness. This was to avoid nurturing the tendency to suggest solutions that is not approved by a medical professional.
03. TARGET AUDIENCE
Primary Target (The Gen Y)
The affected group were heavy digital users who spent about 6 to 9 hours daily, on phone and on desktops. They also had a habit of using technology before and in bed.
Despite the severity of insomnia, the group had a tendency to hide or ignore the emotional stress and struggles of sleeplessness as they felt that there were overwhelming negative stigmas towards the issue and they feared that it would worry their family members, partners, or friends.
Secondary Target
Partners and family members of the primary target group were another point of interest for the project as they were either directly and indirectly affected by the primary target's insomnia. From the interviews, they expressed that they were observant to the issue and willing to help, but they did not know how to approach the primary target group about it. The secondary group also expressed that the issue, insomnia, strained their relationship time to time.
04. APP DEVELOPMENT
App Sitemap
As the app is used at night and for sleeping, content had to be simple and clutter-free for the user. Considering that, the app had only 3 main components: AVS, Analysis, and Support Forum.
App User Journey
When users first access the app, they will be guided on how to use the app effectively through onboarding process. The user will not be able to skip this process in order to ensure correct and efficient usage of the app. Also the Analysis tab will not be available until after the first night, as it is meant for self-reflection the day after.
App Wireframe
The visual and information layout had to be easy on the eyes as the user (at night time). So, the elements and navigation were straight-forward, having the user to make minimal steps to find what they wanted. The core objective of the visual was to not stimulate them, to think or to be engaged constantly unless needed (exception of AVS session).
05. BRANDING
Name
The name, Blink, was chosen as it is a motion where your eyes close involuntarily. This word closely represented the app as it should ease the user into think less and relax to the point that your brain should involuntarily helps you fall asleep.
Visuals
The app, logo and other pieces took inspiration from a research survey sent out to respondents to get a grasp of their colour, layout, and type preference. The colour scheme was based on natural muted colour, or monochromatic palettes.
The app, logo and other pieces took inspiration from a research survey sent out to respondents to get a grasp of their colour, layout, and type preference. The colour scheme was based on natural muted colour, or monochromatic palettes.
06. HOW IT WORKS
The app has simple functions and goals, the AVS session as the main element that is usually used for 20 to 30 minutes, a Reddit forum for moral support and a self-tracking sleep analysis to let the users know if the app was useful or if they need any professional help in managing their sleep habits. When the user first opens the app, the app will guide the user through an on-boarding process to ensure effective usage of the app.
The main purpose of the app was not to be the sole solution to their insomnia but to be a stepping stone to help manage sleep behaviour and to seek professional help ultimately.
The main purpose of the app was not to be the sole solution to their insomnia but to be a stepping stone to help manage sleep behaviour and to seek professional help ultimately.
07. LANDING PAGE DEVELOPMENT
Landing Page Structures
The online ads for each target points to two different landing pages, one designated for primary and another for secondary. The basic information about insomnia was used to introduce to the issue in each landing page before focusing into the targeted information.
Page Flows
The landing page for the primary targets would encourage them to download the app, and the secondary targets would be directed to support forums and resources as a starting point on understanding insomnia and
maintaining relationships in context.
Landing Page Wireframe
The landing pages was designed to feel cohesive with the app through its simple layout and friendly tone of voice.
