In company with insomniac — university students design sleep tracking app with incentives

Sleep can be a source of dread for some people, namely insomniacs, and university student Teddy is one of them, haunted by nightmares. “They are so vivid that I would jerk awake after just a few hours of sleep, and go sleepless thereafter.” Physically and mentally drained, she launched the social innovation project “AutoShh”, in hope of making a difference in her life and also for other insomniacs, keeping them company.

Incentive scheme for insomnia self-monitoring 

Designed by Teddy and Yoyo, both studying social work, AutoShh is not just an app that allows users to keep track of their daily mood index, medication intake, exercise intensity, sleep duration and quality — it incorporates physical activities. The app generates graphs that identify the indices, and offers free activities for continual usage, to encourage proactive monitoring of insomnia treatment progress. This all comes from Teddy’s personal experience. “Every month, the doctor asks me about my recent medication and situation, but I have no idea.” 

Filling the gaps in healthcare system 

The wide range of medications that insomniacs need may come with different side effects. “To reduce patients’ dependence on sleeping pills, doctors may prescribe sedative medication and others to treat side effects, so they may have to take various medicines a day.” Many factors could affect the quality of sleep, from an unexpected event in life to skipping medication. It is hard for patients to pinpoint their condition during monthly or even yearly appointments if not recorded on a daily basis. “There is no monitor or support service for the patients, so I thought of creating a self-tracking app to fill the gaps.” 

Building an app from scratch without a hitch 

They were selected by MakerBay Foundation’s Impact Innovation Lab as Incubatees, receiving The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund. With no knowledge in coding, they initially planned to hire an app developer, until MakerBay introduced them to Glide, a no-code app builder. “Yoyo took a look and found it interesting, she then made the app in just a few weeks.” They were worried at first that the app was not advanced or appealing enough, but after try-outs by elderly, women and children with insomnia — recruited from grassroots via social welfare organisations — they found that this simple interface is suitable for elderly.

Forming a mutual aid network from yoga to bowling 

Activities that could be sleep aids, such as yoga and bowling, are provided as rewards. “A mum told me that it is rare for her family to have fun or workout together, and after bowling, she had better appetite and sleep that day.” As observed, parents take care of each other’s kids during activities, and the elderly enjoy being around children. Apart from relaxation, it is also a good way for insomniacs to connect with their family and make friends, turning their focus from worrying about insomnia to developing a new hobby. Furthermore, Teddy and Yoyo could collect users’ feedback and follow up on their treatment progress through these regular gatherings.

Insomnia ignites ideas

As for Teddy, her insomnia got better after switching medication. “I still dream a lot, but now I can unwind and fall asleep gradually, unlike before, when taking sleeping pills would make me switch off all of a sudden.” She also got new ideas in mind, like using AI to interpret dreams and find out the source of anxiety by understanding the subconscious of insomniacs. She believes that the experiences she gained from AutoShh will help take it further in the future.