Purrr | April 2024
UX & UI, Brand Identity, Illustration, Copywriting
UX & UI, Brand Identity, Illustration, Copywriting
Timeline
April 2024 - June 2024
Team
Pepsi - Founder & Engineer
Qianqian Lin - Product Designer
My Roles & Responsibilities
User Research: Define Problem, Primary Research, Competitive Analysis, Persona Mapping, User Flow
UX Design: Sketches, Wireframing, Prototyping
UI Design
Brand Identity Design
Illustration
Copywriting
Overview Purrr is a cat-purring white noise app that offers a unique relaxation experience through the purring of cats and combines with various background white noises.
People in the fast-paced modern life often feel stressed and tense, and need a solution to help them recharge and adapt to everyday challenges. Purrr intends to address this issue by conducting research and designing a user-friendly white noise application with clear navigation, high-quality white noises and a modern and comfortable visual style.
Problem
Relaxation is difficult in modern life.
Work, relationships, and the daily information overload make it difficult for people in the 21st century to truly relax but also affect their quality of life, especially as a working adult, this problem is widespread, ranging from hard to fall asleep, playing with social media during meals, or relax by staring at the phone, easily distracted, and as a result, affecting their life and productivity.
Work, relationships, and the daily information overload make it difficult for people in the 21st century to truly relax but also affect their quality of life, especially as a working adult, this problem is widespread, ranging from hard to fall asleep, playing with social media during meals, or relax by staring at the phone, easily distracted, and as a result, affecting their life and productivity.
Solution
Purrr is a simple mobile application that creates a calm moment through cat-purring white noises to help people to relax.
Purrr is a mobile application that provides simple themes of high-quality cat purring white noises, suitable for different relaxing moments like before bed, napping, meditation, time to focus, travelling, etc. With a straightforward but warm design, Purrr is like a familiar piece of furniture from your home, aimed to heal a hard day and reduce stress.
Purrr is a mobile application that provides simple themes of high-quality cat purring white noises, suitable for different relaxing moments like before bed, napping, meditation, time to focus, travelling, etc. With a straightforward but warm design, Purrr is like a familiar piece of furniture from your home, aimed to heal a hard day and reduce stress.
Process
Define ︎ Research ︎ Design ︎Evaluate
User Research
In order to understand user needs and frustrations related to the relaxation problem, I conducted a survey with below questions:
1. On a scale 1 to 5, how would you evaluate your quality of rest?
2. What would you do to help yourself relax?
3. When do you think you often need to relax during the day?
4. What medium or technologies do you use to help yourself relax?
5. How often do you use the medium or technology to help with your relaxation?
6. What are some of the difficulties when you use the medium or technology?
1. On a scale 1 to 5, how would you evaluate your quality of rest?
2. What would you do to help yourself relax?
3. When do you think you often need to relax during the day?
4. What medium or technologies do you use to help yourself relax?
5. How often do you use the medium or technology to help with your relaxation?
6. What are some of the difficulties when you use the medium or technology?
Persona Creation
People who have difficulty to rest, tend to enter a vicious cycle.
Competitive Analysis
I researched some competitors in the current market, what I took away were:
1. Using conversational copy to build connections with users and makes the app more approachable
2. Rich sound sources could provide many options to users but at the same time could be overwhelming and addicted to the app.
3. Minimal visual information, for instance, limited colors and simple graphics makes people less stressed.
4. Most white noises are natural sounds.
1. Using conversational copy to build connections with users and makes the app more approachable
2. Rich sound sources could provide many options to users but at the same time could be overwhelming and addicted to the app.
3. Minimal visual information, for instance, limited colors and simple graphics makes people less stressed.
4. Most white noises are natural sounds.
Ideation
Simplify the way people relax.
As we want to help people relax and against the vicious cycle, our technology would help people with the simple experience (1) relax without overthinking; (2) relax without distractions.
As we want to help people relax and against the vicious cycle, our technology would help people with the simple experience (1) relax without overthinking; (2) relax without distractions.
User Flow
How would a user use the app?
Based on my research, I summarised what are the core features for each screen.
Based on my research, I summarised what are the core features for each screen.
Design Exploration
Quick to Start
In oreder to minimum the distraction, I only reserved the core features that users need: play/pause white noise; choose white noise; set a timer.
While remaining minimalism, Design A has a clearer hierary where emphasizes the “Play/Pause” feature and with “choose white noise” and “Timer” by its side, so that user can get the idea immediately and start to relax right away.
In oreder to minimum the distraction, I only reserved the core features that users need: play/pause white noise; choose white noise; set a timer.
While remaining minimalism, Design A has a clearer hierary where emphasizes the “Play/Pause” feature and with “choose white noise” and “Timer” by its side, so that user can get the idea immediately and start to relax right away.
Simple to Choose
Instead of haing a whole page for people choose a white noise, just a small list in the home pagecould be less overwhelming and people can view all the options in a suitable area and in the same interface.
Instead of haing a whole page for people choose a white noise, just a small list in the home pagecould be less overwhelming and people can view all the options in a suitable area and in the same interface.
Easy to Navigate
Based on the user flow, Design A integrated core features with other secondary features like “share with others” and “about & settings” in a single interface which is easier to understand and navigate.
Based on the user flow, Design A integrated core features with other secondary features like “share with others” and “about & settings” in a single interface which is easier to understand and navigate.
Wireflow
The Healing Power of Cat's Purr.
A cat purrs within a range of 25-150 Hz, which is known to be medically therapeutic for illnesses in humans.
Differenciate from other white noise apps, we discovered that cat purring has a power of healing. These frequencies can help promote tissue regeneration. This aligns with the idea that the purring sound can have a therapeutic effect on humans, contributing to a sense of calm and relaxation .
Lowering stress and anxiety
Technologies that mimic the frequency of a cat's purr have shown promise in reducing stress and anxiety in humans. This approach aims to provide similar benefits to those obtained from direct interaction with a purring cat.
Reference:
1. Pet Keen. (n.d.). Does a Cat's Purr Have Healing Powers? Vet-Reviewed Facts.
2. The Art of Sound Healing. (2023). The Healing Benefits of a Cat’s Purr.
Differenciate from other white noise apps, we discovered that cat purring has a power of healing. These frequencies can help promote tissue regeneration. This aligns with the idea that the purring sound can have a therapeutic effect on humans, contributing to a sense of calm and relaxation .
Lowering stress and anxiety
Technologies that mimic the frequency of a cat's purr have shown promise in reducing stress and anxiety in humans. This approach aims to provide similar benefits to those obtained from direct interaction with a purring cat.
Reference:
1. Pet Keen. (n.d.). Does a Cat's Purr Have Healing Powers? Vet-Reviewed Facts.
2. The Art of Sound Healing. (2023). The Healing Benefits of a Cat’s Purr.
Add Simple Illustrations That Related to The Corresponding White Noise to Help People Feel Relaxed.
Final Design
Visual Style Guide
Next Steps
1. Conduct a usability test and collect feedback
2. Improve the responsive design on mobile
3. Further iteration
4. Consider business strategy
2. Improve the responsive design on mobile
3. Further iteration
4. Consider business strategy
Reflection
I’m proud to work on such whole-scale project from the very beginning. Thanks Pepsi for believing in me and supporting me throughout the project. And thank Yanyan, Caroline and Claire for kindly giving me contructive feedback.
I challenged myself to think of many different designs for home page but to main the core features.
If I have more time, I would conduct user interviews and gather feedback to improve the next version.
I challenged myself to think of many different designs for home page but to main the core features.
If I have more time, I would conduct user interviews and gather feedback to improve the next version.