Mudita Harmony 🧘
A mindful alarm clock designed to enhance sleep quality by integrating soothing sounds, meditation features, and a distraction-free environment.
INTRODUCTION
Developing a meditation feature for the Harmony alarm clock, designed to enrich sleep routines by offering integrated mindfulness and relaxation options. The aim is to enhance the clock's functionality, making it a tool not just for waking up, but also for facilitating better sleep and improving overall wellness through meditation.
MY ROLE
In my role as the sole UX Designer for the Harmony alarm clock, I was responsible for development of the meditation feature, from user research and ideation to prototyping and testing. My focus was on creating an intuitive and effective user experience, ensuring the seamless integration of meditation into the alarm clock's functionality.
TEAM
UX designer, product manager, developer
TOOLS
Miro, Figma
PROBLEM DISCOVERY
Using smartphones before bed makes it hard to fit in meditation, messing with our sleep.
A significant challenge for many individuals is incorporating meditation into their daily routines, particularly as part of a bedtime ritual to enhance sleep quality. The presence of smartphones, while convenient, often distracts from this goal due to their myriad of functions and constant connectivity. An opportunity arises to integrate meditation features into the Harmony alarm clock's user experience, thereby encouraging a more focused and serene bedtime routine.
How might we facilitate a calming bedtime routine and enhance sleep quality? 😴
OUR SOLUTION - MEDITATION FEATURE
We're transforming bedtime routines into a tranquil meditation journey with Harmony.
Start your journey to better sleep tonight.
Harmony's meditation feature is a core aspect of the alarm clock, offering users a range of customizable meditation sessions. These sessions come with various sound options and durations, catering to individual relaxation needs and preferences. This functionality is designed to ease users into a state of calm before sleep, enhancing their overall sleep quality and contributing to a more restful night.
Meditation sessions tailored for individual relaxation.
MEDITATION AND MINDFULLNESS
The Harmony alarm clock introduces a gradual wake-up system, designed to rouse users gently, mimicking a more natural awakening process. This approach contrasts with the jarring experience of conventional alarms, aiming to reduce morning stress and grogginess, and promote a smoother start to the day.
A gentle awakening to start your day right.
WAKE UP EXPERIENCE
Harmony is equipped with a selection of calming sounds and music, specifically chosen to create a tranquil sleep environment. These sounds are ideal for relaxation and help in setting a peaceful atmosphere in the bedroom, making it easier for users to fall asleep and enjoy a deeper, more restful sleep.
Creating a peaceful atmosphere with soothing sounds.
SLEEP ENVIRONMENT ENHANCEMENT
The process
EXPLORING THE PROBLEM SPACE
Comprehensive research unveiled the need for a meditation feature.
The team also delved into scientific studies and literature on sleep patterns and the benefits of meditation to inform the feature's development. Key conclusions highlighted a widespread desire for tools that aid in disconnection from technology at bedtime and a strong interest in easily accessible, personalized meditation options to improve sleep quality and overall well-being. This research guided the development of a user-centric meditation feature in Harmony, aimed at enhancing the sleep experience while minimizing digital distractions.
“Control technology levels in the room. The less there is to disturb your sleep, the better - it is a factor which is absolutely essential for our mental and physical health”
Nick Littlehales, sleep expert
DEFINING TARGET GROUPS
Identifying key audiences - understanding their needs and preferences
In the development of the Harmony alarm clock, our process for identifying target groups involved a thorough analysis of market trends, user behavior, and needs assessments. This approach allowed us to pinpoint diverse segments of users who would most benefit from the product's features, focusing on individuals seeking improvements in their sleep quality, well-being, and technology usage.
Off-liners
These individuals seek to remove smartphones from their bedrooms, favoring a peaceful, tech-free environment. They are inclined towards mindfulness and simple, single-purpose devices.
Sleep Regulators
Those suffering from sleep disorders or irregular sleep patterns, who seek solutions for better sleep quality, often guided by sleep improvement literature.
Bio-hackers
Enthusiasts of self-improvement and well-being, they engage in activities like yoga and meditation and are interested in products that enhance life quality.
Tech Geeks
Technology enthusiasts and trendsetters who explore and invest in modern, innovative products, especially those not mainstream in the tech industry.
Wellness Advocates
Individuals focused on overall health and wellness, often involved in activities like fitness, healthy eating, and stress reduction. They seek products that align with their holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle.
Parents
Seeking sustainable and smart solutions for their families, these users value products like Harmony for their children-friendly features and offline capabilities.
DEFINING USER PERSONA
Consolidating our key insights into a persona.
Aino
32, graphic designer
Lifestyle 🤸♀️
Passionate about yoga.
Enjoys reading and staying updated on wellness trends.
Often spends evening working on freelance projects.
Pain points 😥
Struggles to disconnect from technology at work, especially before bedtime.
Experiences difficulty in maintaining consistent meditation routine.
Finds it challenging to fall asleep quickly.
IDENTIFYING THE PAIN POINTS
Users need a technology solution that creates a smartphone-free sleep environment.
During the user research phase for the Harmony alarm clock's meditation feature, we employed a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to gather comprehensive insights.
This included conducting detailed surveys and interviews with a diverse group of potential users, focusing on their bedtime habits, technology usage, and experiences with meditation and relaxation techniques. We also analyzed secondary data from existing studies on sleep patterns and the psychological impact of technology on rest. This thorough research approach enabled us to understand the nuanced needs and pain points of our target audience.
Key insights found were that users value…
Smartphone-free bedrooms 🛌
Many users are actively seeking to create a smartphone-free zone in their bedrooms to improve sleep quality. The constant notifications and blue light from smartphones are seen as major sleep disruptors.
Tailored meditation experiences 🧘
People are looking for options that allow them to adjust the length, sound, and guidance of their meditation sessions, reflecting their personal preferences and varying daily routines.
Easy to use devices ⏰
A common pain point for users is the complexity and clutter often associated with bedtime technology. There is a clear preference for devices that offer a straightforward, minimalistic approach, making the technology easy to adopt and integrate into nightly routines.
We tailored meditation features for ease of use, simplicity, and user customization.
APPROACHING THE SOLUTION
In Harmony's design process, key goals were established to enhance the user experience. The meditation features were seamlessly integrated into Harmony's interface, ensuring intuitive access and engagement for users. A focus on a distraction-free design emphasized simplicity and calm, creating a serene space for meditation. Additionally, personalization was a priority, with a variety of meditation options like different lengths, sounds, and guidance levels, addressing the unique preferences of each user. This approach ensured that Harmony met a wide range of user needs while maintaining a coherent and user-friendly design ethos.
Design goals
Seamless integration ⏰
Ensure the meditation functionalities are intuitively incorporated within Harmony's interface, allowing users to easily access and engage with meditation sessions as part of their bedtime routine.
Personalization 🙋♂️
Provide customizable meditation options, such as varying lengths, sounds, and guidance levels, to cater to the diverse preferences and needs of different users.
Distraction-free design 🧘
Design the meditation aspect of Harmony with a focus on simplicity and calmness, avoiding overwhelming visuals or features that could detract from the relaxation and mindfulness objectives.
FEATURE DEVELOPMENT
We continuosly improved Harmony’s meditation feature based on user feedback and insights.
To enhance the user experience and functionality of the Harmony alarm clock's meditation feature, we implemented several key iterations. These refinements were focused on improving aspects such as progress tracking, session focus, and the overall user interface of the meditation timer.
The meditation statistics on Harmony alarm clock sync with Mudita Center, enabling users to easily track and manage their meditation routines across both platforms.
Meditation statistics
Realizing the critical role that progress tracking plays in establishing a regular meditation routine, we incorporated the 'Statistics' feature into the Harmony alarm clock. This functionality provides users with a detailed overview of their meditation journey, displaying their total meditation time for different periods, including the past week, month, and year, along with daily averages.
Additionally, the clock offers immediate feedback after each meditation session, showing the duration of that session and reinforcing a sense of achievement and continuity in their meditation practice.
Meditation chime
To aid in maintaining focus and time awareness during meditation sessions, we incorporated a meditation chime. This feature is not just about marking time; it's designed to gently keep users anchored in the present moment, enhancing the quality of their meditation experience.
Meditation timer
We overhauled the meditation timer's appearance to better integrate with the Harmony clock's UI, adopting a visual style reminiscent of an analogue clock. This change makes time tracking more intuitive, allowing users to estimate the passing time with ease, thus enhancing the usability and appeal of the meditation feature.
Showcased the potential of technology in transforming fitness and mental health interventions.
PROJECT TAKEAWAYS
This project demonstrated the effectiveness of imaginative, user-centric design and rapid prototyping in developing technology solutions that engage and appeal to younger users, merging fitness with the allure of fantasy.