CALMCUE

TIME FRAME
3 Weeks
PROJECT TYPE
Concept, UX/UI Designer
SCOPE
Research, UX/UI, Illustration, Prototyping, Testing
project overview
AI TOOLS TO ENHANCE OUR HUMANITY
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Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but chronic stress—leading to burnout, anxiety, and health issues—doesn’t have to be. CalmCue is an AI-powered app designed to combat cumulative stress through "mindful resets": personalized 60-second video meditations that connect users with what brings them joy and calm. Drawing from neuroscience, these resets are crafted to guide users from the stress-driven sympathetic nervous system to the calming parasympathetic state, all within a brief, focused breathing experience.

Inspired by the concept of "resets" as used by Thrive Global, CalmCue aims to make this transformative experience available to the mainstream consumer, not just corporate teams. With AI, the app offers hyper-specific personalization, using users’ favorite memories—like family photos or nature scenes—to create truly meaningful resets tailored to individual needs.

the challenge

STRESS IS INEVITABLE

Cumulative stress can lead to chronic health issues like burnout and hypertension, but can be mitigated with quick, intentional interventions. A neuroscience-based mindfulness tool is needed to help users effectively manage stress, instantly.

USER RESEARCH
HOW DO USERS COPE?
Research Goal

Learn how users manage daily stress, what types of personalized content users prefer, and users approach mindfulness tools

Research Objectives
  • Identify current stress management behaviors
  • Explore preferences for personalized content
  • Gauge user comfort with AI-driven mindfulness
  • Determine how people manage their daily work and calendars
Research Methods
  • Competitive analysis to study existing products on the market
  • User interviews to gain insights on stress management
Competitive Analysis

Headspace and Calm dominate the market with a range of meditation options. Headspace is beginner-friendly with a simple UI, while Calm offers mood check-ins and exclusive content with influencers, though its user experience could improve. Aura is similar but more diverse, catering to experienced meditators. Open stands out for its aesthetics and curated content, but it's expensive with fewer users. Vital is the only AI-driven app, providing personalized meditations for experienced users but lacking beginner guidance. There is currently no quick and customizable option available, presenting a market opportunity.

user interviews
SYNTHESIZING INSIGHTS
Interviewees
  • 5 participants
  • Online and in person
  • Women and Men
  • Age range 32–71

The user interviews revealed that physical activities, such as walking or gardening, are the most preferred stress management tools, providing an effective way to reset mentally. Users also value personalized, visual content, especially photos tied to positive memories, and want a mindfulness app that is simple and easy to use, with quick, engaging resets. There is interest in AI-driven personalization, but privacy concerns about sharing personal data must be addressed. Users also appreciate timely notifications that prompt them to take short mental breaks during busy or overwhelming moments.

affinity mapping link
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“Meditation is really hard to get into. When I’m in an elevated state, doing something thats also challenging it is the opposite of what I want to do.”
—Josh, 33
USER INTERVIEWS

KEY POINTS

Most users manage stress with physical activities like walking or gardening

Users prefer content tied to their life, such as photos to relive positive moments

Users are cautious about sharing personal data but interested in AI uses

Key Insight

When life feels overwhelming and challenging, people don’t reach for meditation, because it also feels challenging. People don’t want to do something hard when life already feels hard.

Key Insight

Mindfulness tools fail when users feel overwhelmed, particularly when they have too much to do and not enough time. Users stop self-care at these moments, making space for only short interventions.

user personas

From user interview themes, three personas were developed to reflect different user needs at various stages of professional life and sources of stress. The primary persona is Nicole Meyers, a busy professional, as her experiences align most closely with those of all interviewees.

ideation

HOW MIGHT WE

How might we motivate busy professionals to incorporate short stress-relieving practices into their routines, ensuring it feels unobtrusive during the day?

How might we leverage AI to create a short, personalized mental reset tool that enhances well-being and fosters a deeper connection to one's sense of humanity?

ideation
BRAINSTORMING

Given the research and how-might-we statements, ideation techniques were used to form as many solutions as possible. Below are a select few from the brainstorming session.

Design a clean, distraction-free interface that focuses solely on guiding the user through a simple breathing or visualization technique, avoiding complicated instructions or options.

Send gentle notifications during moments of peak stress (based on phone usage or time of day) with an encouraging message and an option to take a guided reset.

Create a "quick reset" button on the app's homepage, where users can immediately start a pre-curated 60-second reset without any customization or setup.

Integrate the app with work calendars to automatically suggest a brief reset after high-stress or long meetings, so it becomes a natural part of the workflow.

Users can rate their stress levels before and after the 60s reset to create a barometer of awareness. This would encourage more mindfulness in general and also help AI learn to improved desired  user content.

Incorporate a visual, interactive timer that counts down the 60-90 seconds with soothing imagery, helping users feel reassured that the break is short and manageable.

Develop a reset that uses the phone’s screen to emit soft pulses of light, guiding users to breathe in sync with the changes in brightness, minimizing interaction while still providing structure.

Develop a version of the app for users to engage with during a meeting, like a breathing animation paired with a photo or quote. It stays at the top of your screen for reference when needed.

Expanding a solution

An app that allows AI to generate or select calming visuals based on user preferences and past experiences (e.g., nature scenes, family photos, or cultural symbols that evoke peace).

ideation
SKETCHING AND WIREFRAMING

In the early development stages, my focus was on the onboarding experience, as this step is crucial for informing a better product. The more quality information users provide, the better their AI-generated reset videos will be.

I created user flows focusing on three critical tasks: create an account, onboarding, and creating a “reset” video. I sketched low fidelity wireframes to correspond with each of the task steps, building upon the user task flow. High fidelity wireframes were then developed based on these initial outlined steps.

visual design
BRANDING & ART DIRECTION

The branding aimed to convey a friendly, calming, warm, exciting, and joyful feel. The logo was inspired by a meditative breathing concept with round, expanding shades. The art direction needed to balance being both calming and exciting, without relying too heavily on blues typically associated with calm. Instead, I used a colorful palette to reflect individuality without being overwhelming. The font choice is structured and regular for flexibility, but features unique characteristics and soft-edge ink traps for added warmth.

Branding Process
Art Direction Process
CalmCue UI Kit
INTERFACE DESIGN
PROTOTYPING

After creating an account, users are introduced to the product through a series of screens designed to ease them into the onboarding process. These screens help users understand the product and its benefits before starting a trial. One dynamic visual is used across three screens to tell a cohesive story and keep users engaged. User interviews highlighted the importance of professionally vetted mental health tools, so noting the product's foundation in neuroscience to build trust at this stage is key.

The onboarding process includes 4 questions about user values, media, quotes, and music to personalize the "reset" videos. Each page is uniquely designed to keep the process engaging while remaining brief. A progress indicator at the top of the screen helps users stay aware of their progress, reducing fatigue during onboarding. The favorite moments page defaults to the user's 'favorites' photos folder, as this is typically where important photos are stored. On the music page, option cards are sized differently corresponding to user preferences and popularity.

User testing highlighted the need for immediate stress relief, as users often have just a minute between meetings to take a break. To address this, the app ensures users can quickly access a reset with a single action. The "Create My Calm" button is the main visual element on the homepage, making it clear that the page serves one primary function.

Users can customize their "reset" videos by tapping the "Make Variation" option and adjusting specific details. If they want to change an element, such as the music or add more photos of their dog for example, they can type their feedback into the "Customize" box and generate a new "reset" video. The app is made to feel like a creative tool, instantly personalizable to user needs in the moment.

User testing revealed security concerns, particularly around AI accessing personal photos. Users worried their photos might be sold or used to train AI without their consent. Although users were curious about how AI and their photos worked together, they wanted clear information on the bounds of its appropriation. To address this, additional steps were added during onboarding to explicitly outline data usage policies and reassure users about their privacy.

TESTING

EFFORTLESS ONBOARDING

Onboarding includes thoughtful questions designed to enhance the product experience. It's crucial that users find this process enjoyable and engaging.

INTERFACE DESIGN
USER TESTING
Interviewees
Task flows
Testing Goals
Revision: Onboarding Progress Indicator

Users rated the onboarding experience highly but noted that going through each step felt like a lot of work. One user found it unclear which step they were on. To address this and make the process feel shorter, the progress indicator was updated to show four distinct steps instead of a percentage.

Revision: Onboarding Photo Selection

One user was unclear about why they needed to upload photos, noting the instructions lacked clarity. Additionally, selecting 20 photos felt overwhelming for all users. To address this, the instructions were clarified, and the required number of photos was reduced to 5, making the process less burdensome.

Revision: "Make Variation" Button

Users found the original icon for ‘Make Variation’ confusing, mistaking the intertwined arrows for a sharing option. To make this new AI feature more noticeable, the icon was changed to a sparkly symbol and clearly labeled. It was also separated from the familiar UI elements. The familiar UI elements, a heart and send button, were placed beneath the video for easier pattern recognition.

CONCLUSION
LESSONS & NEXT STEPS

During the app's development, several key lessons became clear. Simplicity is essential—users need quick, easy interactions, especially when stressed, which led to streamlining onboarding and making the "Create My Calm" button prominent and easily accessible. Privacy concerns, particularly around AI accessing personal photos, underscored the need for clear communication to build trust. Personalization emerged as a major factor in effective stress relief, with user-selected values, photos, and music significantly enhancing the reset experience.

Next steps involve making the “reset” customization feature more intuitive and adding greater ability to edit your preferences, even after onboarding. A beta testing phase could be conducted to gather long-term user feedback, and AI will be further optimized to better reflect user preferences. Additionally, continuous refinement of the onboarding process will help balance personalization with speed and engagement.

tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Procreate

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