Week 6: From Ideas to Innovation: But First, Brainstorming!

Exercise 1: Create 50 Ideas

After refining our How Might We question, we launched into a brainstorming session to generate as many solution ideas as possible, whether inspired by existing concepts or entirely new ones.

We started by writing all our ideas on sticky notes, then organized them on a board into two categories: practical and impractical.Most of the notes fell into the practical category, featuring ideas like a scent-diffusing bracelet, a Gravity blanket, a meditation guide, a “5 Good Things That Happened Today” journal, VR glasses, and more.

In the less practical category, we came up with concepts like an immersive room, a melatonin chamber, scent-emitting basalt stones, and connection and relaxation circles.

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Exercise 2: Copy from the Best

We selected three everyday products with unique features that inspired our product development process:

• Logitech MX Master Mouse – This mouse is a perfect example of customization. Users can program the buttons to perform specific functions tailored to their needs. It also includes innovative features like a vertical scroll wheel, which is uncommon in most mice.

• Smart Vacuum-Mop – This product stands out for its ability to be remotely controlled. It can be scheduled to run at specific times and adjusted to suit the dimensions of different rooms or homes.

• Siri – Apple’s voice assistant is known for its seamless Voice Control functionality, which provides users with an intuitive and accessible interaction experience.

Inspired by these features, we aim to design our product to adapt to each user’s unique sleep patterns and habits. The product will include remote control capabilities, scheduled activation, and features that adjust the environment to create a calming, sleep-friendly atmosphere.

Our goal is for the product to function as autonomously as possible, using sleep metrics to minimize manual input. This ensures a smooth, effortless experience that supports relaxation and promotes better sleep.

Exercise 3: Timeline

To better understand our target audience, we created a timeline based on Michal, one of our personas. We visualized her daily and nightly routine in a circular diagram, illustrating the continuous flow of her day.

Michal’s timeline is anchored by two key points: waking up and falling asleep. These points are on opposite sides of the circle, with her daily activities, work routine, evening rituals, and sleep cycles filling the space in between.

Her day begins with waking up and heading to work, where she manages the stresses of her job before returning home. In the evening, she prepares for bed with a series of pre-sleep rituals—eating dinner, brushing her teeth, tidying her bed, changing into pajamas, taking a shower, and more.

Before falling asleep, Michal transitions into what we call the "brain shutdown process" or "relaxation ritual"—a stage where she disconnects from devices and quiets her mind to help herself drift off. This is where we see our product fitting seamlessly into her routine.

Once she falls asleep, her night consists of several sleep cycles. She begins with light sleep, during which our product could monitor metrics like breathing and heart rate to determine when she has fully entered sleep. She then transitions into deeper sleep stages, including REM, cycling through these phases throughout the night.

Occasionally, Michal might wake up briefly, and our product could gently assist her in falling back asleep. Finally, she wakes up in the morning, resetting her timeline and starting the cycle anew.