If ever something could be described as oddly comforting, it's the Somnox Sleep Robot—a bean-shaped cuddly robot designed to be spooned while you sleep. For Somnox, I designed the application that comes with the robot, including a collection of soothing sounds and breathing exercises. Helping your body to synchronise to a slow, steady breathing rhythm that sends you off with ease.
With only 4 more weeks before the Sleep Robot hit the market, I joined the Somnox team to improve the design of their application. By updating the user flow and visual design we were able to set the right mood, as well as improving the readability and navigation of the app.
The home screen offers direct access to different sleep programs, sleep statistics and recommendations. Via the status screen, that is accessible when connected over Bluetooth, users can always check in with their Sleep Robot, check battery levels and update their software.
The Sleep Robot can also play soothing music, nature sounds, or soft white noise. These sounds have a relaxing effect and can enhance the calming effect of the robot. Users can add sounds to their breathing program by selecting their desired sounds from the playlist in the app.
To make setting up your Sleep Robot as easy as possible, the app predicts a comfortable breathing tempo based on your gender, age and body mass index and then allows you to fine-tune it until the pace feels right. You can also set the breathing on adaptive mode, in which the robot automatically adapts to your breathing rate.
Arielle Pardes, WIRED
Development: Hoye Lam (iOS) & Job Engel (Android)
Awards: Red dot & IF Design award 2019