Meditation made easier
Lumina
Overview
A user-focused app designed to provide guided meditation sessions along with a variety of music to help empower users to manage stress, improve focus, and cultivate mental wellness through the practice of mindfulness and meditation.
Date
February 2024
Role
UX Designer & Researcher
Tools
Figma, Canva, Miro, Adobe CC
A little about Lumina.
A user-focused app designed to provide guided meditation sessions along with a variety of music to help empower users to manage stress, improve focus, and cultivate mental wellness through the practice of mindfulness and meditation.
Problem Statement
Our team was motivated to address the pressing mental health crisis, which currently affects approximately 1 in 5 individuals globally, by leveraging the benefits of mindfulness and meditation through our project, Lumina.
Solutions
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Meditation techniques such as mindfulness meditation can help calm the mind, reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol, and promote relaxation.
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Meditation can help individuals become more aware of their thoughts and emotions, leading to increased emotional regulation and a greater sense of well-being.
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Regular practice of meditation can lead to increased attention span, better memory retention, and enhanced cognitive performance.
PROTOTYPE: Home Page
Start your morning (at the home page) with Lumina and your morning breath-work.
PROTOTYPE: Meditation Session
Navigate to the ‘Meditation Session’ page to begin your ‘Morning Stillness’ session where it will take you through guided meditation. You can choose the amount of time, i.e. 3 minutes or 6 minutes or more.
PROTOTYPE: Progress
If you want to see the overall progress you’ve made while using Lumina, navigate to the ‘Progress’ page and find out. Here you can see how many minutes total you’ve spent meditating since downloading Lumina. It also details your monthly efforts and all-time. You can also set reminders here so you never miss a day of meditating.
Research
According to a study published by the World Health Organization, titled "Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates," it is estimated that approximately 264 million people worldwide suffer from depression, making it one of the leading causes of disability globally. This study highlights the significant impact of mental health disorders on individuals and underscores the urgent need for increased attention and resources to address the global mental health crisis.
Impacts
-Reduced quality of life and impaired functioning
-Increased risk of physical health problems
-Social isolation and stigma
-Relationship difficulties and family conflict
-Financial strain and loss of productivity
-Higher rates of unemployment and homelessness
Thematic Analysis
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“I’ve meditated regularly (daily) for on average 10-20 minutes a day for 4 years. Meditation was a spiritual path for me and believe it or not led me to a spiritual awakening about a year ago. Ever since my depression, anxiety and PTSD is gone completely.”
Health Benefits
Reduced Stress
Reduced Anxiety
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“Personally, I have found that meditation helps me to calm my mind and reduce racing thoughts, which is especially helpful when I am feeling overwhelmed or anxious. It also helps me to be more present in the moment and appreciate the small joys in life.”
Personality & Mood
Decreased irritability
Increased Happiness
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“Hi. I have major depression. It has led to hospitalizations, suicidal thoughts, loss of cherished relationships, etc. I just felt sad all the time. I couldn't explain why. Now, after meditating daily for a few weeks, I feel better. Instead of waking up and feeling sad for no reason, I wake up and I feel happy for no reason. This morning I was so giddy I wanted to dance around. I asked myself why, and I couldn't really come up with an answer. It used to be that I would feel terrible, and I would ask myself why, and I couldn't come up with an answer. For me, consistency has been key. Just doing it every day, even for less than a minute, has changed so much of the way I feel about my life. I am leaving this here as an encouragement to the rest of us to to keep going, and to try to do this consistently. Things can get better :)”
Scientific Correlation
Science vs Holistic Practices
Curing
Competitor Analysis
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Headspace
Features
Calming music and sounds to help with sleep and relaxation.
Strengths
User-friendly, guided meditations for different needs, and in-app podcast episodes.
Weaknesses
Lack of advanced features such as personalized recommendations and in-depth analysis of progress.
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Calm
Features
Meditations, Sleep Stories, and Music
Strengths
Variety in meditation programs, relaxing sounds for sleep and focus, sleep stories for relaxation and bedtime.
Weaknesses
Limited customization (meditation length and style), lack of in-depth tracking and analysis of meditation habits.
Personas
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Age: 28
Occupation: Computer Programmer
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To reduce her stress in everyday life from the intricate intensities that her job brings. She finds it hard to make time for any type of relaxation on the day to day basis.
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Feeling helpless in finding time to better her mental health. She doesn’t like how most apps feel like they add to the stress rather than alleviate.
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Age: 34
Occupation: High School Teacher
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To find focus after long days focusing on the betterment of others. He finds it difficult to center his thoughts after work.
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He is hesitant to any iOS software that attempts to replace traditional methods of wellness such as therapy.
Design Requirements
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1-3 minute videos for advice on how to deal with anxiety and stress.
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Meditation sessions that vary in length: 1, 3, 5, or 15 minute options.
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Minimal interface to create a calming visual experience.
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Ambient music and soundscape catalogs to ease anxiety.
Ideation
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Affinity Diagram
We brainstormed as a group by jotting down all our thoughts and ideas on sticky notes. Then grouped them based on similarities.
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Reddit Research
As a group, we scoured over blog posts from forums like Reddit, collecting research on people’s opinions of meditation as a whole and how it benefits them. Using keywords such as “meditation benefits,” “meditation risks,” and “meditation among students.” We collected our results from over 60+ individual postings related to the overall effects people feel from meditating and how it impacts their psyche.
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Home Page
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Meditation Sessions
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Mindful Tips
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Sound Mind
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Progress
Interview Questions