SleepMate Designing Better Sleep for Mothers & Children

SleepMate is a mobile application designed to help mothers and their young children sleep better by minimizing distractions. Our user research revealed that mothers with young children often struggle to fall asleep, averaging only 3-4 hours of sleep per night.

"35% of Americans don't get enough sleep (7 hours per day) according to the CDC."

Sleep deprivation, affecting over 45% of the world's population, leads to significant declines in well-being and productivity, with studies showing that insufficient sleep costs the U.S. economy up to $411 billion annually (Rand Corporation).

How it started...

With this problem in mind, we conducted a survey with a sample size of 23 participants to understand the sleep patterns of individuals and gained valuable insights into the factors affecting sleep quality.

Of all the issues we gathered, we realized that most of the sleep disruptions were caused by work or lifestyle factors such as work stress or lifestyle choices.

Among those issues, one of the interesting problems we came across was the one that occurs more naturally. We decided to pursue this thread to learn more about the underlying causes and issues...

Mothers with Infants

We decided to proceed forward and conduct further research to understand the difficulties mothers face in managing their kids and their own personal health.

User Personas

Understanding the User

Mothers of children aged between 3-6 years need to get enough sleep because they tend to attend to children's sleeping issues such as their frequent entertainment needs and nighttime awakenings brought on by nightmares.

Brainstorming

Design Goals

We conducted a thorough analysis of existing sleep assistance applications to identify gaps and opportunities for our solution.

Our analysis revealed that while there are many sleep tracking and white noise apps available, few address the specific needs of mothers with young children. Most apps focus on individual sleep patterns and don't account for the interrelated sleep challenges of parent-child relationships.

User Flow

Low Fidelity Wireframes

We focused on creating a simple, intuitive interface that would be easy to use even when exhausted. The wireframes were refined based on feedback from potential users, with particular attention paid to accessibility and ease of navigation during nighttime hours.

SleepMate offers a comprehensive solution for mothers and children, with features designed to create a calming sleep environment and address the specific challenges faced by parents with young children.

SleepMate home screen with personalized sleep statistics and recommendations

Key Features

Customizable Bedtime Stories

Age-appropriate stories with adjustable length and content to help children fall asleep naturally. Parents can select from a variety of themes, character names, and story lengths, creating a personalized experience that adapts to their child's preferences and attention span.

Ambient Soundscapes & Lullabies

Calming sounds specifically designed to mask household noises and create a peaceful sleep environment. The soundscapes are scientifically engineered to promote deep sleep with sophisticated audio layering that adapts to the surrounding environment.

Sleep schedule coordination

Nightlight management system

Guided relaxation exercises

Sleep Schedule Coordinator

Tools to help synchronize mother and child sleep schedules for maximum rest, providing personalized recommendations based on sleep patterns and daily routines.

Nightlight Management

Gradually decreasing light settings to promote melatonin production, with smart home integration capabilities for compatible lighting systems.

While SleepMate was developed as a student project and not launched commercially, our user testing provided valuable insights into the potential impact of our solution.

Key Takeaways

• Sleep solutions need to address the interconnected nature of parent-child sleep patterns
• Simplicity and ease of use are crucial for products used during sleep-deprived states
• Customization is essential to accommodate different ages, preferences, and sleep issues
• Creating a holistic sleep environment is more effective than addressing single factors

Impact

The SleepMate project highlighted the significant need for dedicated sleep solutions for parents with young children. Improving sleep for this demographic has potential ripple effects on family well-being, workplace productivity, and overall quality of life.

"The combination of bedtime stories and ambient sounds would be a game-changer for our nighttime routine. I love that it considers both my needs and my child's."