Helping people manage stress by turning calm into something they build.
We had an open brief: find and solve a problem within Fitbit's features, with a focus on changing users' behavior.
We focused on stress, and on reframing it as a normal human response people can learn to face.
Timeline
Jan – Feb 2022
Team
4 graduate students
Role
Product designer
The problem
Much of the stress we feel is created in our own minds.
Stress affects mood, energy, relationships, and work performance, and it can cause or worsen a wide range of health conditions.
We worry when we perceive a threat: losing a job, a fight with a partner, a missed deadline.
So we set out to help people deal with stress and manage it.
The solution
Gamification helps people see stress the right way.
Users “build cities” to set goals, while activities like exercise and meditation help them relieve stress and keep it at a healthy level.
Research
Understanding how people experience stress.
Concept development
From insights to four product personalities.
Direction
Fitbit as a quiet companion.
We chose a supportive companion over a lecturing mentor or a cold alarm. Fitbit quietly helps in the background whenever you need it.
Wireframing and iteration
- 1Six sections: Home, Collection, Daily Mood, Daily Score, Find Activity, and Popular.
- 2Onboarding added: a cognitive walkthrough showed newcomers needed more guidance, so onboarding became a core flow.
High-fidelity prototype
Onboarding, collection, and activities.
2–3
blocks a day when the stress score is above baseline
3
clicks to find a stress-relief activity
4
participants in a usability test and heuristic evaluation
Tasks
- 1Create My City.
- 2Pick an activity to start building.
- 3Tell us whether the charts make sense.
What we'd improve next
- 1Optimize the process: the last step lacked feedback, so we'll show the city after an activity is finished.
- 2Simplify buttons: buttons overlapped, so we'll offer clearer ways to reach activities.
- 3Shorten steps: one user lost patience, so we'll streamline moving between tasks.