A wellbeing app called ‘Calm’ was recently valued at a sizeable billion dollars. This billion dollar app is a meditation app. It helps you disconnect and relieve anxiety & stress.

A lot of apps are being designed following this positive technology trend. If you haven’t heard of this new wave of software design, then don’t worry, you’ll be on board the hype train as soon as this blog ends.

Earlier designs were engagement-focused. Now designing obsessive experiences is considered as dark engagement patterns. Users tend to break these patterns by boycotting the apps altogether. Out of all the things, losing your user-base is the last thing you’d want from your app.

Even the industry leaders like Facebook and Google are integrating features for user’s digital wellbeing.

Here are a few things that you can focus on while designing features that are not constantly distracting users and respects their personal space.

Notify when absolutely necessary by batching similar alerts

Features that let your users opt-out of nagging notifications like do not disturb can go a long way in designing better UX. Give your users the power to stop calls, messages, and pop ups that constantly ask for attention.

While designing rethink about alert defaults, taxonomies, and user interactions. Constant messages, continuous notifications, and unwanted news feed, pollutes your user’s mind.

Reduce your user’s digital hangover

Your app design should focus on getting your user’s work done quickly and not engaging them in tons of other irrelevant experiences.

A lot of unnecessary elements in app does nothing but distract the user from doing the thing that your app is designed to do. Irrelevant news feed and notifications can cause anxiety and stress.

Combat this issue by reducing unnecessary feeds in the application. It will help users focus and get back to more important things in their routine.

A digital nanny to prompt users when it’s time to quit

Implement a feature that constantly monitors app usage and prompts the user when necessary.

  • Instagram has a feature called ‘You’re all caught up’ that tells you when you’ve scrolled enough feed for the day. It also monitors your app usage and compiles a graphic report on time spent on the app.
  • YouTube also lets you schedule reminders for when to notify you to stop watching cute cat videos. Features like this might not seem like a big step but it can help the users to know when to quit.

Digital wellbeing is not just about designing for less. It’s about designing experiences that respect user’s time and mental peace.

The point of the smart technology is to get things done easily so that the users have more time for themselves, now the same technology is stealing that very time instead.
Undo that by designing focused experiences that solve your user’s problem and not create new ones.

We have been helping big players in the industry to design result-oriented positive experiences.

Let us know here if you’re having problems hitting the designing sweet spot with your users. We can help.

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