The Owl Night Project

Improving sleep quality with “The Owl Night” app

For this project, our objective was to develop a solution that promotes health-improving routines. After careful consideration, we agreed to focus on enhancing sleep quality, as it is a concern shared by all of us. In fact, sleep is an essential aspect of our well-being, but many people struggle with sleep problems

“The Owl Night” is a mobile application that we designed to assist individuals to reach a faster and higher quality sleep, especially during stressful periods.

Let me explain the process we undertook to explore research, gather user insights, and make design decisions that shaped the development of our app through the Design Thinking Process

Research Findings

Secondary research revealed that half of the population in France experiences sleep-related issues, and approximately one-third of people are using television as a means to fall asleep. However, experts caution against screen usage before bed, as it can increase sleep disorders.

A survey was answered by 98 persons to understand the causes of sleep problems among individuals. Most respondents reported that they have regular and sufficient sleep but admitted to use screens before going to bed. The minority of participants experienced sleep disorders, mostly insomnia.

To gain deeper insights, we conducted interviews with six person who presented patterns identified in the survey. The main pain points identified were external disturbances, difficulty awakening, and specific sleep disorders in stressed periods.

A competitor analysis revealed two main features offered by sleep quality app: sleep tracking (without specific goals) and a wide range of audio content options (sometimes overwhelming in choice).

Define

User persona

Based on the research and user insights, the problem statement we decided to focus on was:

Problem Statement

Solution Pitch

Our solution is to guide Sophie towards quality sleep by helping her fall asleep more quickly during periods of stress.

This solution includes three key features:

  • Dark mode: The app integrates a dark mode that is more suitable for night-time use, reducing the impact on users’ eyes and providing a fluid experience.

  • Personalized content: Our app offers a selection of qualitative audio content to help users fall asleep. The content choices helps the user to go “straight to the point” on her sleeping journey thanks to personalized individual preferences. This is thus ensuring a calm and sooth experience.

  • Sleep analysis: The app provides users with quantitative sleep analyses to help understand sleep patterns.

Moodboard

We created a moodboard emphasizing adjectives like soft, smooth, nocturnal, calm, and soothing. It captures the essence of a serene moonlit atmosphere and a peaceful night’s sleep.

Style tile

The style tile combines :

  • a primary color with varying transparencies, representing the depth and tranquility of the night.

  • a secondary color, representing the dark mode, completing the overall theme.

We selected two typography :

  • a serif font (Bodoni), commonly associated with tales and written stories

  • a curvy sans serif font (Avenir), adding a touch of elegance.

Name and logo

Our project is named “The Owl Night” to establish a connection with those who thrive in the night, symbolizing night birds like the owl that watches over sleep.

The logo displays an owl motif, emphasizing the app’s role by guiding users to a peaceful sleep.

Prototype

Usability testing

We conducted usability testing at both mid-fi and hi-fi stages, leading to several modifications. The main feedback focused on content hierarchy, improving consistency throughout the app, and providing an easier way for users to indicate when they are going to sleep and don’t use any content.

Desirability testing

Desirability testing provided positive results, as interviewees used our own keywords to describe the app, with words such as: calm, reassuring, relaxing, and appeasing.
Some respondents expressed mixed feelings about the serif typography, providing an opportunity for further improvement.
The smoother flow of the second part of the app was highly appreciated.

Conclusion

Our prototype presented here is focused on the mobile experience. However, future plans include maturing the existing flow and developing an Apple Watch prototype to provide additional convenience and features.

Our design aims to improve the sleep quality of busy individuals — like Sophie — by offering a personalized and soothing experience to help them fall asleep faster, mostly during stressful periods.

By addressing the needs of users seeking quality sleep, “The Owl Night” has the potential to become a trusted companion for those looking for restful nights and a refreshed morning experience.

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Selency project

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SNCF Connect project