top of page
dormabg.png

Dorma
Sleep assistant and environment management application

Intro

00. Intro
Just some background information...

Role: Product Designer, Recruitment Lead 
Duration: February 2023 - May 2023 (13 weeks)
Scope: Course project 
Tools: Figma, Miro, Adobe Photoshop, Google Forms, Google Docs, Google Excel
Skills: UI/UX design, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, user research, user scenario, journey maps, usability testing

01. Problem
Recognizing an issue faced by various university students

As a Cornell University college student, my team and I noticed how us and many of my peers were able to strive and prosper towards our academic goals, but failed to accomplish our personal goals or vice versa.

We asked ourselves - why is there this disconnect in our lives?











Sleep is affected by a plethora of factors (lighting, ambience, pre-sleep activities, etc.) and is something that many students neglect or ignore. Believing that sleeping hours would be better spent towards achieving academic, social, and professional goals, we end up being less productive. 

baddorma.png
gooddorma.png

02. Solution
Self-accountability and proper sleep management lead to higher quality sleep

We designed a personalized mobile device application that allows users to directly manage their sleep routine and environment. Users can control factors that affect their sleep quality such as the lighting of their room, HVAC (heat, ventilation, and air conditioning), ambient sounds, alarms, lockdown of devices, and more! By getting the best quality sleep possible, users will feel more prepared to take on the following day.

 

(Hover over images below)

 

Set your bed routine

Set your preferred ambient sound and control connected HVAC devices, and lighting! 

 

sojourn gif.png
sojourn gif (1).gif

Lockdown your devices!

To prevent distractions at night, lock down your devices to focus on getting a good nights rest!

 

new sojourn gif.png
new sojourn gif (1).gif

03. Research
Referencing past research articles and conducting our own studies

Target demographic: Students who experience adverse effects of poor sleep routine management
Design challenge: Users want a service/application to control their sleep environment and routine in a single space

Recognizing our target demographic and design challenge, we referenced various articles for insights and findings to guide our sleep- assistant application function design decisions and further user research interview questions.

 

research rec (1).gif

Spreadsheet of the findings and implications from various research articles
(attached in Appendix)

​

Central themes to address:

​

  • Over 60% of students are categorized as poor-quality sleepers due to poor sleep/life balance

  • Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to long-term cognitive deficits

  • Poor-quality sleepers report more physical and psychological health problems

  • Reduced sleep leads to poor mental ability, which causes worsened academic performance in a constant cycle

04. User research
Learning from recorded user habits and responses 

To better understand the experiences, pain points, wants, and needs of various consumer segments within our target demographic, we conducted two forms of user research:

 

Method 1 | Feedback diary study

The feedback diary study method to provide us with longitudinal data on how the sleeping habits of college students evolve over time, especially given the variability day-by-day for students depending on their schedule and current circumstances. Participants recorded their responses to interview questions through Google Forms over a seven day period and organized on Miro and were analyzed for trends and further insights. 













Pre-study surveys were conducted to by grouping participants based on their background (age, sleep routines, course credit load, extracurricular involvements, majors, etc.) in order to better analyze patterns in lifestyles, sleep practices, and more in relation to sleep quality.

 

mirogif.gif

Miro board of feedback diary entries and key takeaways
(attached in Appendix)

Method 2 | Co-design study

The co-design study is a participatory study method that involves engagement with participants in designing a product/service to ensure the that designs are inclusive and take into consideration the experiences and perspectives of the individuals that we are designing for.
 
 
 
 












In this case, we wanted to ensure that the college students that are directly affected by this issue are involved in the design process so that the designs that we create in the end are more relevant and meaningful to them. We considered aspects that affected their sleep quality as well as potential solutions. 
 

IMG_4791 (1).jpeg

Affinity diagram of interviewed users' perceived factors of poor sleep quality
(attached in Appendix)

Links to Feedback Diary Study Interview, Pre-Study Survey, and Post-Study Interview forms attached in Appendix.

05. Analysis
Gleaning insights and findings from our user research

From our user studies, we were able to better understand the nuances of student work, commitments, and other activities in relation to sleep quality and duration. Upon organizing the responses in Miro, we were able to discern several overarching themes:

 

Theme 1: Responsibility 

Clubs, heavy course loads, and sports teams held the greatest impact on sleep quality and subsequent emotional, mental, and physical welfare and vice versa.

Theme 2: Pre-sleep activities/routine 

Over half of the participants, utilized digital devices to access social media platforms prior to sleeping and stated they had difficulty sleeping.
 
Theme 3: Fatigue/tiredness
 
Similar to expending time towards student commitments, using caffeine held adverse effects on productivity and emotional well-being levels the following day. 



Common terms in responses negatively associated with large academic commitments included "stressed," "anxious," and "worried." 



Of the 13 participants, nine cited that they spent time with friends, watched videos and movies, or scrolled through social media prior to sleeping.



Participants would feel tired and rely on caffeine to stay awake during the day or late into the night for their various student commitments.
 

Links to Feedback Diary Study and Co-Design Study Miro boards attached in Appendix.

06. User scenarios
Emphasizing with the users

To better understand the experiences, pain points, wants, and needs of various consumer segments within our target demographic, we developed various user personas such as Jake Liang and Sarah Chen.

 

Jake Liang | 20 year old student athlete

Jake Liang, a 20-year-old college student and athlete, juggles a demanding academic schedule and intense varsity-level sports training. His irregular sleep patterns, fueled by late-night study sessions and high adrenaline from evening practices, lead to constant exhaustion. To enhance his athletic performance and academic focus, Jake needs a consistent method to establish a consistent sleep routine, manage recovery, and reduce stress. During the competitive season, he neglects his rest as he does not consider it to be important compared to his commitments. By improving his sleep quality he aims to boost both his performance in sports and his academic success.

Sarah Chen | 21 year old CS student

Sarah Chen, a 21-year-old computer science student, struggles with sleep due to excessive blue light exposure from late-night phone use and poor control over her room's ambience and temperature. Her demanding coursework often keeps her up late, further disrupting her sleep schedule. Seeking to improve her sleep quality, Sarah needs a sleep assistant app that can reduce blue light exposure, suggest optimal sleep times, and manage her room's environment. She hopes to establish healthier bedtime habits, control lighting and temperature settings, and achieve more restful sleep, enhancing her overall well-being and academic performance but is unsure what is optimal for her.

​

Central themes to address:

​

  • Users need help establishing a regular sleep schedule despite their varying activities and commitments.

  • Users want to monitor their sleep patterns and receive personalized insights on how to improve their sleep quality.

  • Users require tools and techniques to help them relax before bed, aiding in better sleep onset.

  • They seek to develop healthier pre-sleep routines.

07. Journey maps
Understanding through the users' eyes 

For each user persona/scenario we created, we also developed journey maps to envision their experience while using the app to pinpoint user pain points to address. 

 

Screenshot 2024-06-21 at 8.35.33 PM.png

08. Ideation
Developing low-fidelity wireframes and iterations

Based on our research and analysis we developed the following low-fidelity wireframes:

 

Flow 1: Setting your bed routine and environment
 

Flow 2: Setting lockdown settings and locking devices
 

Screenshot 2024-06-19 at 6.11.00 PM.png

Flow 3: Checking sleep statistics and personalized recommendations
 

09. Final designs
The moment everyone has been waiting for... 

newnew.png

10. Style guide
Fonts and colors used during design phase

Dorma style guide.png

11. Reflection
Learning how to design and work in a professional setting

Designing for the user

Developing the Dorma app has been a fulfilling process from end to end. Working closely alongside my group mates and professor inside and outside of class hours in order to conduct ethnographic and HCI research for the very purpose of better understanding the nuances between users' sleep quality and their productivity/performance has taught me much about the design process from a technical and conceptual standpoint. 













From a technical standpoint, hours and hours of iterating and designing taught me how to better utilize tools from Figma and Miro to derive realistic wireframes and prototypes. Conceptually, I learned that to best design for the user, you should make efforts to remove bias from any decision-making possible. Whether it be when ideating possible app designs or brainstorming for questions to ask users during the research phase, eliminating all biases and keeping an open mind in regards to interviewee responses will allow for a final design that best accommodates for their wants and needs.

I'm excited to use this experience to put forth into my future projects and career! 

IMG_4900.heic

My group and I presenting our final project

Thanks for stopping by.

Check out my other projects!

Last Project: Sojourn

Next Project: Vestiaire Collective

thanks for stopping by   :)

bottom of page