Minded

Nature sounds to assist mindfulness and creativity

You can find Minded on the App Store and experience the design in real life.

Time: 10 weeks (Mar — Nov 2020)
Team: None
Tools: Figma, xCode
Role: Research, UX strategy, visual design, copy, testing, implementation and distribution

Problem

Due to the pandemic, most of the world went into quarantine. Especially in cities, young adults are stuck inside with increased emotional distress.

As everyday life transitions to being more virtual, the use of imagination and connection to nature are left behind.

Solution

Minded is an iOS app that uses soundscapes and nature illustration for short, nature based mindfulness. It’s very simple and intentional to not overwhelm users in their already busy lives.

Download App

Key learnings

• Intentional design: focusing on the core experience throughout the project
• Implementation: awareness of how much code actually impacts design
• Design process: understanding the individual parts and connection (design thinking → shipping)

Research

I conducted qualitative user interviews with target users: young adults in stressful, urban environments. The goal was to understand the overarching problem, and how and when it affected them throughout the day.

I also looked at existing science-based data concerning mental health during the pandemic, screen use and living environments.

Key insights

• Inside: can’t really leave their small living spaces as they are in crowded cities
• Screens: very high screen/internet use
• Mental strain: stress caused by environment and habits; young adults are generally getting more anxious

A young adult’s typical day during a lockdown in downtown London:

Every time the user is not distracted by work, they have time to reflect on their situation making them stressed or even anxious.

Opportunity

I see a clear opportunity to relieve momentary stress and positively distract oneself by combining mindfulness with nature. Nature elements can be communicated through visual moods and soundscapes for a simplified experience.

It’s important to distinguish this project from any other mindfulness apps. Minded doesn’t aim to guide or provide new content for every session. It focuses on brief and light experiences of nature in busy indoor lives.

User flow

In contrast to most digital products, Minded has a very intentional and short flow. This takes user’s experience and techincal constraints (coding the app myself) into account.

Over the course of a few months, I visualized the flow over and over again. This was because I just started teaching myself product design and constantly reassessed my work.

Implementation

While I was learning SwiftUI I kept building several versions with incremental design changes. It took some time to get used to the new language so some versions focus more on technical explorations rather than user experience.

Visuals

After getting used to SwiftUI I simplified the experience and finalized the visual design.

To encourage the user to use their imagination and create a more consistent experience, I created simple, custom nature illustrations. I also created night time versions for dark mode.

Content strategy

To create an even more intentional experience I used a poetic, unagitated and soothing tone to help the user get into a more calm mindset.

Usability testing

Before the initial launch, I conducted usability testing with my siblings (target users) and parents (perfect usability testers; different relationships to technology). None of the testers had any issues navigating and understanding the app.

Side note: It was extremely interesting to observe how the different aged members interacted completely differently with the exact same, very simple product.

Further development

I started working on a survey for even more quantitative context. I also started preparing qualitative and quantitative testing in the works to improve the user experience.

Due to my packed schedule, I had to pause this project but am hoping to continue with it soon.

Measuring success

If I continued with this project and had more resources, I’d definitely do more extensive usability testing especially in real life context. I’m very interested in understanding use cases and if/how Minded helps user throughout the day.

Quantitatively, app downloads, app activity and especially retention are very important to monitor.