problem overview
Sleep is an indispensable part of our lives. A poor sleep experience impacts our cognitive, physical, behavioral, and lifestyle functions. While sleep impacts both our body and mind functioning it is still undervalued in terms of pillars of health and not prioritized in today’s world of competing priorities. Sleep is impacted by our environment, the products that we use, and our lifestyle habits. Today, even though we are flooded with products and experiences that promise to better our sleep, most people do not have a desirable sleeping experience. People aren't just struggling with sleep quality, they were struggling with:
Mental overstimulation before bed
Lack of control over their environment
Emotional discomfort or stress
Disrupted routines and inconsistency
Most existing solutions focus on fixing sleep, but ignore how people actually experience it.
opportunity area
This opened up an opportunity to rethink sleep not as a problem to solve—but as an experience to design. Instead of asking “How might we improve sleep?” , the more meaningful question became: "How might we design for an ideal sleep experience that aligns with people’s emotional, sensory, and behavioral needs?”
The objective with this research is to understand the relationship people share with sleep. We do this by giving them a blank canvas to paint their feelings and desires. Their emotional stories give us a peek into their lives and what truly matters to them when it comes to a desirable sleep. What came clear to us through this research is that sleep is a very personal experience and so are the challenges that it brings. However, there are a number of common themes and patterns that they share when it comes to their futuristic sleeping experience.
research approach
4 week study
72 people aged between 20-50 years
1 sleep expert
2 sleep doctors
research method
Quantitative
surveys to idenity key pain points
Qualitative
1:1 interviews to understand personal routines
Cultural probe to understand hidden behaviors and emotions
Workshops to understand sensory cues and ideal experiences
The framework clusters these values into five core pillars:
Sleep begins long before the moment we close our eyes. Users expressed a strong need to mentally unwind, through meditation, reduced screen time, and a sense of physical fatigue. Designing for this means supporting transition rituals, not just sleep itself.
Comfort isn’t just physical, it’s psychological. Users seek uninterrupted, consistent, and private sleep environments. Even subtle disruptions can break the experience.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to sleep. People want control over their environment, their routines, and even the portability of their sleep experience. Flexibility becomes essential.
Security showed up both emotionally and physically. Whether it’s the presence of family, familiar surroundings, or even educational awareness about sleep health, people sleep better when they feel safe.
Sensory elements play a huge role. Nature, music, and aroma weren’t luxuries—they were recurring desires. These elements help quiet the mind and create a deeper sense of calm.
This project reshaped how I think about design.
It showed me that even something as universal as sleep is deeply personal—and that meaningful design doesn’t come from adding more features, but from understanding what truly matters to people.
By translating stories into systems, and emotions into frameworks, this work lays the foundation for designing experiences that don’t just function—but feel right.