Bachelor thesis
Dormi. Improving the sleep of university students
Dormi is the app that university students need to improve their sleep. Through the implementation of healthy routines, advice and learning about their own sleep, university students are able to improve the quality and duration of their rest in order to get the most out of their higher education years
Fields
UX Research
UX Design
Interface Design
Brand Design
YEAR
2025
ROLE
Research, user experience, user interface and brand
Tutorized by: Álvaro Sanchis
*The project was developed as the thesis of my Bachelor degree. The timeline is therefore longer than usual, to accomodate for academic research, writing, revisions and the final presentation
Students do not sleep enough in the years that need them the most
The problem finding came from a personal experience sleeping badly during university, which then I found out was more common than I expected and set on to find out more about it. The book Why we sleep was also crucial in this.
Since it was my final university project, I decided to expand the research phase and explore the topic from as many points as possible. For that reason, I conducted:
Interviews with professionals
Interviews with users
A survey with 169 answers
Desk Research
This part was crucial to avoid cognitive bias and understand the problem objectively. Consulting doctors was one of the most rewarding stages, as they provided valuable insights aggregated from numerous users.
From data to actual ideas and features
After gathering the data, I realized that if I wanted my app to be good, I needed it to have something that competitors did not. That is where all the ideation techniques came into play. I did not want to make just another sleep app, but draw from my users' unique problems and lifestyles to bring something useful and new to the table
I envolved the users in the early stages of the ideation, to make sure the problems were prioritized from the beginning.
Generic benchmarking
ABACUS framework benchmarking
Prioritization matrix
Feature value matrix
Workshop with users
This phase ended with a fresh new set of ideas to bring to the wireframes, like creating and sharing routines among the community, or having a place to challenge your friends or see how they are doing in their sleep journey.
Make the interface calm again. But not too calm, we are talking (very) young adults.
In parallel with the development of the UX/UI, I worked on the branding, naming and motion for Dormi. Its visual identity strikes a balance between calm and boldness. Both to bring peace but also excitement about their health journey and to capture Gen-Z taste. It does not focus on sleep per se, but on the energy it is going to bring to the student.
The brand idea that guides the design decisions is the energy of sunrises. From there, colors and spherical gradients are placed strategically over the interface to convey that feeling.
solution
Innovation in the world of sleep apps
Some of the features that make Dormi different to other sleep apps on the market are:
Sleep routines. Each user can create, customize, share, save and browse sleep routines. The app focuses on the habits you need to build prior to going to bed or during the day.
Daily question. Instead of spending a lot of time logging in your data, you only need to answer 3 questions and Dormi will adjust the routine and data to the user.
Challenges with friends. This optional feature helps bring the social part to the app and keep Gen-Z engaged in using the app and building a better health.
Learning. Even though it is not the main feature, users need to understand the why of sleep, so a gamified version with little lessons is also included in Dormi.
Recaps. A weekly and monthly recap that can be shared later, similar to what other apps which display data do.
Testing the prototype in real life
Two rounds of testing were done during the development of this project. That and a heuristics evaluation helped fine-tuning the details of the app and enhance loading states, button visibility and cohesion across the screens.
learnings
What doing a big project by yourself really means
When I started laying down the blueprint of my thesis, I never envisioned working so much on it. I chose to have full ownership of every part, so that involved, naturally, making a lot of small decisions along the way.
In the end, I learnt a lot of research and ideation methods, which were not deeply covered in my course. And being able to develop a brand identity from scratch, helped me mix all my interests and specialties into one single product.
Had I had more time (oh the eternal wish), I would have thought and researched more the sharing and friendship part, which I think is the weakest. Also, I would have liked to think about the browsing of the routines and that whole world that would come with sharing/saving/reusing routines
What I am most proud of about Dormi is its new functionalities. I never envisioned coming up with new ways to think about sleep and apps. But the methodologies and the design thinking work!!
Side note: was awarded a finalist award in the ADCV 🏆, the design association here in Valencia, so I am very happy with how the world welcomed my idea as well :)
I want to end by saying that, even though I designed everything by myself, it would have not been at the same level of quality without my tutor, Álvaro. Thanks for teaching me for 5 years (and all the rest yet to come)
Any questions? Drop me a word in an email or send me DM! Love discussing design
