Approximately 40% of the average global population isn’t getting sound sleep. And since sleeping disorders and health issues go hand in hand- more often than not, this forms a sad cyclical pattern.
But hey, who thought that disturbed sleep patterns could be fixed with the help of an app inside a device with a glass screen?
Today, if you or any of your loved ones don’t get enough sleep, or if someone’s sleeping pattern is erratic, there are a plethora of apps in the market to systematically track and organize the sleep cycle. These apps are designed to monitor the user’s sleep throughout a period and present that data to them in a legible form. But not all apps are equally potent. There is no silver bullet when it comes to sleep-tracking apps. Almost all the apps in the market are a work in progress. And they should be. It’s good for the users. That also keeps the doors open for other entrepreneurs (like yourself) who want to solve this pertaining problem, by launching your very own sleep-tracking app. Maybe, all you sleep-tracking entrepreneurs believe in something common-
‘Is bhaag daud bhari zindagi mein, ek aaram ki neend to sab ko naseeb honi chahiye.”
Basically (in English that translates to)-
“Days can often be hectic, at the very least, we all deserve a peaceful sleep.”
So, here let’s tap into some of the most desirable features to build in a sleep-tracking app that every entrepreneur must be clear about to ensure they go to market with an app that customers crave for… to track their sleep and ultimately have a better sleep cycle.
TL;DR: What You Need To Build In a Sleep Tracking App
- Sleep-tracking apps generally use input from wearable devices or biosensors. These apps consider inputs like heart rate, sound, disturbances (if any), sleep time, and wake time.
- Some apps can even note the number of times a user changes sleeping positions, and can record any sounds the users make during sleep. These inputs are presented in the form of graphs and cycles to help the users understand their sleep patterns.
- Based on these, the apps also provide insights into improvements over time. Some apps come with added features to allow sharing of users’ data with healthcare experts, for a more professional outlook.
Now, depending on the general purpose of your sleep tracking app, you have to make sure it has the most important features like manual and/or automated sleep tracking, features to gauge breathing patterns, heart rate, sounds, etc.
Sure, innovative features are always a plus, but read ahead to understand the absolute basics that a sleep tracker app needs to avail its users in order to stay relevant in the market race.
Features To Build a Successful Sleep Tracker App
Like Roti, Kapda, and Makaan, some feature attributes are quintessential in a sleep-tracking mobile app (iOS/Android).
User Experience
Don’t judge a book by its cover, but you can judge an app by its UX/UI. I never came across a really good app that didn’t score high on UI/UX.
Interestingly, experience is a primary factor Google uses (EEAT) to rank assets on the search engine results pages (SERP).
So, if your app doesn’t have a buttery smooth navigation, or clear icons for different features, would it not rank well for SEO?
It can.
But it helps in SEO if it has flawless UI optimized for customer journey experience (CX). Besides, it can make its way to customers’ phones even without being ranked on Google, via word of mouth. When something wins a user’s heart, Google gets a crush on it too.
A good user experience depends on multiple factors, among them are-
- How well the app addresses user’s pain points and aspirations?
- How engaging it is to use the app?
In this context, the sleep tracking app should have easy navigation, engaging graphics and animations, and customizable options for a better experience. Easy-to-digest data in the simplest or animated form can be one way to engage.
I find SleepScore to have an impressive UI design with a clean home screen, allowing users to personalize the app experience, along with engaging features like a bedtime coach, sleep monitor, etc.
Automated Sleep Tracking Feature by Leveraging Wearables
A lot of sleep apps come with a manual mode of sleep tracking. The issue with this is, that users aren’t always regular with setting up the feature before bed. This results in skewed data and no way to track progress.
Automated tracking is a brilliant feature to build into your sleep apps, an amazing way to solve the issue of manually setting up sleep tracking.
- Wearables and edge capabilities of mobile phones can together gauge the optimal hour for bed, wake time, breathing pattern, resting heart rate, etc. It is one way to feed your sleep analytics algorithms with accurate data.
- Wearables are a foolproof way to collect data during wake time and sleep. Synced with your sleep app, you can help users yield magical results and improvements.
Sleep as Android is one app that uses ultrasonic signals to measure sleep duration and can also sync with wearables for better analysis and results.
Personalization Features
Not just in sleep-tracking apps, a common feature that any app must contain today for a better user experience is personalization.
Imagine an app that shows insights and data for the entire male population ranging from 26-42 years of age. Now imagine an app that caters to your exact health issues and sleep-wake patterns.
Which looks more engaging?
In the context of sleep-tracking mobile app development, personalization means that the app needs to collect relevant sleep data of the users over time and analyze it to suggest better practices for improvements in sleep. It also includes any updates or insights a user may want.
Sleep Cycle and Fitbit App both have great personalization features. The degree of personalization can differ from app to app, but listen up- personalization massively influences the overall user experience.
Analytical Insights
What’s tracking without insights?
The most important feature of a health-related app, and esp sleep tracking app is analytical insights regarding users from the data that was collected over time. The best apps show these analytical data in a very simplified form- so a user could be sleeping on a farm or a lab, and still understand their sleep patterns.
SleepScore’s analytical insights are absolutely great to understand- it cannot get simpler than a score and a graph to understand sleep cycles.
You can also show these data with the help of charts and percentages in your sleep-tracking app. These charts are good for providing users with insights and recommendations to improve their sleep cycle. Guess that is one way to personalize your sleep-tracking app.
Social Sharing
In-app social sharing features can refer to a lot- a built-in community of people who use the sleep tracking app, the user’s family and friends, or social media.
Wouldn’t you brag about zero snores on Tinder?
Besides, sharing features can be utilized by users to share sleep data with healthcare professionals for advice.
- Community-driven apps are far more engaging than apps that are missing this feature. It also helps to boost morale for better progress.
- Apps that can connect users with a healthcare professional are rare in numbers. This important feature is also setting SleepScore apart from other apps. Currently, professional advice is a great deal to come by, and if your sleep tracker app has that feature, the app is already a great one.
Security and Privacy
Lastly, with an app collecting all kinds of personal health data, it is quintessential that the data is well-guarded.
Imagine as a user, an app sharing your personal data with third parties(including medical institutions) without your knowledge.
Trust violation, isn’t it? You will feel cheated. Besides, it can be misused to unleash unfathomable misfortune upon you. And that’s what makes it scary.
Your users would feel the same if they found security loopholes in your sleep-tracking mobile app. Don’t give them that erratic experience. Most importantly, don’t allow your competitors to crush you.
For any healthcare app, security is of the highest concern, since sensitive information nowadays is mostly stored digitally. Make sure, the user’s data remains in an encrypted form that isn’t shared without their knowledge. Additionally, follow the best practices to store payments and other personal data.
Conclusion
Apps are an interesting way to decode and simplify health concerns. Presently, certain apps lead the market in certain arenas. However, there is always space for improvement and more opportunities to enhance the customer service and experience. There are no limits to making an app more engaging! Hope these BASICs helped you gain some clarity and will go a long way to gain some clarity in building your sleep tracker app. If you seek to discuss more, contact GrowthRomeo.
Author: Pallabi Dutta, a life sciences & creative fiction writer.
