Mindsight: Meditation & Sleep

Designing Mindfulness & Emotional Resilience Product from 0 to 1

Designing Mindfulness & Emotional Resilience Product from 0 to 1
Designing Mindfulness & Emotional Resilience Product from 0 to 1
#Product Design, #UX Research, #AI Mentor Design
#Product Design, #UX Research, #AI Mentor Design
#Product Design, #UX Research, #AI Mentor Design

Mindsight was a 0→1 B2B product built from scratch at Nodamen Inc.
There was no existing app and no previous data. The challenge was not optimization, it was defining what kind of product could support high-stress professionals.

Mindsight was a 0→1 B2B product built from scratch at Nodamen Inc. There was no existing app and no previous data. The challenge was not optimization, it was defining what kind of product could support high-stress professionals.

Team:

Designers and Engineers @Nodamen

Designers and Engineers @Nodamen

My Role:

My Role:

Product Designer, UX Researcher

Product Designer, UX Researcher

My responsibility:

Social & AI Support Layer

Social & AI Support Layer

Key Outcomes
Key Outcomes
Designed and shipped core social and AI support features
Designed and shipped core social and AI support features
Launched a 0→1 product in 8 months (iOS & Android)
Launched a 0→1 product in 8 months (iOS & Android)
Discussing potential partnerships with UNHCR
Discussing potential partnerships with UNHCR

Challenge Highlight

Problem Context

When your job revolves around helping others your own well-being often takes a backseat. This was the reality for many of our users.
So, Mindsight's goal was to help employees working in high-stress and emotionally intensive environments.

When your job revolves around helping others your own well-being often takes a backseat. This was the reality for many of our users.


So, Mindsight's goal was to help employees working in high-stress and emotionally intensive environments.

When your job revolves around helping others your own well-being often takes a backseat. This was the reality for many of our users. So, Mindsight's goal was to help employees working in high-stress and emotionally intensive environments.

When your job revolves around helping others your own well-being often takes a backseat. This was the reality for many of our users. So, Mindsight's goal was to help employees working in high-stress and emotionally intensive environments.

As I listened to our users, I found three key problems:
Stress, anxiety, and burnout

Users felt emotionally drained by high-pressure environments and had little time or energy for self-care.

Lack of expert guidance

Users often supported others, but had no one to help them reflect, reframe, or process emotions.

Lack of support & appreciation

Users wanted to feel seen and supported, without exposing personal details or being judged.

That's why this question guided my design decisions:

The Question:

How might we design emotional support
that feels safe and useful even on busy days?
How can we create moments of emotional support that feel safe and easy to engage with even on a busy day?
Process and Methods
Process and Methods
Research

User Interviews

Desk Research

Competitor Analysis

Synthesis

Interview Analysis

Personas

AI Personality

Ideation

Feature Concepts

Flowcharts

Wireframes

Design

Final Design

Prototype

Deliver

QA Tests & Updates

Product Launch

Research Results

User Interviews

Before jumping into designs, we wanted to understand the challenges of our users and how they deal with them.

So I interviewed 7 employees from a high-pressure and emotionally demanding workplace.

Before jumping into designs, we wanted to understand the challenges of our users and how they deal with them. So I interviewed 7 employees from a high-pressure and emotionally demanding workplace.

I used Affinity diagram to get insights and brainstorm design ideas:
These research insights shaped the MVP direction:
Employees experience:
Extremely busy schedule

Our users work a lot! Sometimes even 10-11 hours a day!

Stress, secondary trauma, anxiety, depression, and burnout

As social workers, they have emotionally demanding workload

To cope with mental challenges, employees prefer:
Solo well-being methods

Like breathing exercises, self-reflection, and mood tracking

Social support

Like talking to someone, peer support, and seeking help from experts

But many users
don't want to:
But many users don't want to:
Spend too much time on consultations

They can spend less than 25 min for the whole experience

Share personal details about their struggles

They don't want to pressure others and share personal sensitive information

Synthesis

Persona

Based on research insights, I developed three personas that represented the characteristics of our users:

Synthesis

Research Results

Based on user research, multiple product directions were possible.

My responsibility was to define and address user needs related to emotional support, reflection, and social connection.

The following needs and pain points directly informed the features I owned:

My goal:

Design lightweight social support features that reduce emotional friction
Employees didn't just need wellness videos and guided meditations -
they also needed to feel seen and supported.

Ideation

The Inspiration: Small Gestures That Matter

I didn’t have a clear solution in mind.
To understand how people process emotions, our team explored therapy practices in person including art therapy, guided meditation, and breathing exercises.

These practices helped, but I noticed something else.

I didn’t have a clear solution in mind.
To understand how people process emotions, our team explored therapy practices in person including art therapy, guided meditation, and breathing exercises. These practices helped, but I noticed something else.

I didn’t have a clear solution in mind.
To understand how people process emotions, our team explored therapy practices in person including art therapy, guided meditation, and breathing exercises. These practices helped, but I noticed something else.

I didn’t have a clear solution in mind.
To understand how people process emotions, our team explored therapy practices in person including art therapy, guided meditation, and breathing exercises. These practices helped, but I noticed something else.

There was something else that helped me and my coworkers to recharge:
Sharing the same moments together
Sharing snacks
on a bad day
Finding little gifts from my coworkers
Exchanging kind messages
Exchanging
kind messages
These weren’t grand acts of support, but they but they still mattered a lot🥰
That's how it clicked:

Sharing snacks
on a bad day

Sharing the same moments together

Exchanging
kind messages

Finding little gifts from my coworkers

Insight 1:

What if emotional support in our app could feel like this —
warm, gentle, and effortless?
Employees didn't just need wellness videos and guided meditations -
they also needed to feel seen and supported

Ideation

Where to introduce new gentle support features?

We intentionally avoided building a heavy wellness “system.”


During earlier design discussions, the team had already planned an emotion tracking feature, a moment when users slow down and become emotionally open. This made it the most natural and respectful place to introduce support (similarly to how small, thoughtful gestures from coworkers helped me during difficult days).

Emotion tracking became the gateway to support:
Anonymous support

A lightweight system that allows users to empathize, comfort, and support each other without sharing personal details

AI-guided reflection

A calm, always available guide similar to a wise mentor or team leader

Personalized support

Support that adapts to users’ emotional states,
creating a moment of connection that feels relevant, timely, and human

Support that adapts to users’ emotional states, creating a moment of connection that feels relevant, timely, and human

Support that adapts to users’ emotional states, creating a moment of connection that feels relevant, timely, and human

These ideas were later reflected in our plans and flowcharts:

Design

Design solutions
1.
Emotion Tracking: Lowering the Barrier to Reflection
Emotion tracking: lowering the barrier to reflection

As a foundation for the rest of the app, the initial wireframes for the Emotion Tracking needed a redesign.

Before
Before

I noticed that there’s no difference between “very pleasant” and “pleasant”
Similarly, if I feel sad,

is it unpleasant or very unpleasant?

I noticed that there’s no difference between “very pleasant” and “pleasant”. Similarly, if I feel sad,

is it unpleasant or very unpleasant?

I noticed that there’s no difference between “very pleasant” and “pleasant”. Similarly, if I feel sad,

is it unpleasant or very unpleasant?

I noticed that there’s no difference between “very pleasant” and “pleasant”. Similarly, if I feel sad,

is it unpleasant or very unpleasant?

Why it’s a problem?
Why it’s a problem?

This screen introduced cognitive friction at a critical activation moment.
As a result, this can:

  • lower check-in completion

  • produce low-quality data for training our AI

  • weaken personalization and AI coach effectiveness downstream

This screen introduced cognitive friction at a critical activation moment.
As a result, this can:

  • lower check-in completion

  • produce low-quality data for training our AI

  • weaken personalization and AI coach effectiveness downstream

Idea
Idea

I looked for a model that reflects how people actually experience emotions, and suggested to use Russel's Circumplex Model

I looked for a model that reflects how people actually experience emotions, and suggested to use Russel's Circumplex Model

Why?
Why?

Thevalence x energy model (good/bad + high/low energy) provided a clearer structure that users could answer quickly and confidently.

Thevalence x energy model (good/bad + high/low energy) provided a clearer structure that users could answer quickly and confidently.

After
After

The updated UI requires users to answer only two questions:

  • Do I feel good or bad right now?

  • Do I feel high or low energy?

The updated UI requires users to answer only two questions:

  • Do I feel good or bad right now?

  • Do I feel high or low energy?

Why it's better?
Why it's better?

  • Reduces friction at a critical step

  • Produces more consistent and reliable data

for personalization of other features

  • Makes emotion tracking easier to repeat, supporting habit formation over time

  • Reduces friction at a critical step

  • Produces more consistent and reliable data

for personalization of other features

  • Makes emotion tracking easier to repeat, supporting habit formation over time

Intuitive Emotion Tracking UI
2.
From gentle moments to low friction anonymous support feature
Sharing empathy stickers
Sharing empathy stickers

From personal experience (small snacks, notes, shared moments),
I knew that gentle and low-effort gestures can still create real emotional support.

So instead of comments or chats, I designed a sticker-only, anonymous interaction.

From personal experience (small snacks, notes, shared moments), I knew that gentle and low-effort gestures can still create real emotional support. So instead of comments or chats, I designed a sticker-only, anonymous interaction.

From personal experience (small snacks, notes, shared moments),
I knew that gentle and low-effort gestures can still create real emotional support. So instead of comments or chats, I designed a sticker-only, anonymous interaction.

Why this approach?
Why this approach?

  • Translates real-world support into a digital behavior

  • Removes cognitive effort and fear of judgment

  • Makes support easy to give and receive

  • Creates natural return trigger when users receive new stickers

  • Translates real-world support into a digital behavior

  • Removes cognitive effort and fear of judgment

  • Makes support easy to give and receive

  • Creates natural return trigger when users receive new stickers

Stickers sharing wireframes
Exploring sticker sharing models

To evaluate early ideas, we ran quick internal testing with Nodamen employees.

To evaluate early ideas, we ran quick internal testing with Nodamen employees.

Two sticker-sharing models were explored:
Model A — Similar Emotion Matching

  • Users are matched with others who logged similar feelings

  • Stickers are exchanged between users feeling the same way

  • Designed to create emotional resonance and a sense of “I’m not alone”

Model B — Opposite Emotion Matching

  • Users are matched with others in a more positive emotional state

  • Stickers flow from emotionally stable users to those feeling low

  • Designed to simulate gentle encouragement and emotional uplift

Model A — Similar Emotion Matching
Model A — Similar Emotion Matching

After conducting A/B testing, I found that users preferred model A
because it felt more empathetic, honest, and relatable.
Even those in pleasant moods wanted emotional connection,
not just to “lift up” others.

After conducting A/B testing, I found that users preferred model A because it felt more empathetic, honest, and relatable. Even those in pleasant moods wanted emotional connection,
not just to “lift up” others.

After conducting A/B testing, I found that users preferred model A
because it felt more empathetic, honest, and relatable.
Even those in pleasant moods wanted emotional connection,
not just to “lift up” others.

Anonymous Empathy Stickers UI
3.
AI-Based Expert Guidance
Jia — AI Mindfulness Coach
Jia — AI Mindfulness Coach

Even with features like emotion tracking and sticker sharing,
one core need remained unmet:

  • Users wanted someone who could offer gentle guidance and validation

Even with features like emotion tracking and sticker sharing, one core need remained unmet:

  • Users wanted someone who could offer gentle guidance and validation

Solution:
Solution:

A friendly and empathetic AI mentor designed to:

  • Check in with users regularly

  • Offer small and actionable guidance

  • Maintain emotional safety without judgment

More Research?

New Challenge on Our Way!
We didn't know how to create an emotionally intelligent and empathetic AI bot 😰

To figure this out, I read lots of articles and guidelines on developing an AI bot. Based on my research, I found that I needed to think about creating AI prompt with the bot's personality, response tone and style. That's why I analyzed other existing chatbots, including: Wysa, Moodee, Ada, and Youper.

🌊 Meet Jia — your wise and gentle mentor inspired by a flowing river

Based on research and competitor analysis insights, we wanted to create a bot that didn't felt too robotic and structured. We wanted to create a warm and gentle guiding experience. That's why I collaborated with our mindfulness mentors, AI experts, and backend teams to develop Jia.

Jia AI Mindfulness Mentor UI

Final Design

Bringing AI & Social Connection into Mindsight App
Track Your Feelings
Track Your Feelings
Reflect on your feelings
to get insights and personalized support
Reflect on your feelings
to get insights and personalized support
Meet Jia - Your AI Mindfulness Mentor
Meet Jia - Your AI Mindfulness Mentor
Receive support from Jia
Jia is a wise AI mentor that listens and guides
Receive support from Jia
Jia is a wise AI mentor that listens and guides
Feel Support Through Stickers
Feel Support Through Stickers
Share small gestures of kindness.
No names. No details. Just kindness.
Share small gestures of kindness.
No names. No details. Just kindness.
Get the Mindsight App
Get the Mindsight App
Build resilience, transform your life
Build resilience, transform your life

Reflection

Conclusion

Sometimes, the most meaningful experiences come from small gestures of kindness—
getting an advice from someone wise, a moment of reflection, or a sticker that simply says, “You’re not alone.”

This was my first experience working at a Korean company, and it shaped how I think about product design. Through this project, I learned how to design emotional support systems that are gentle, safe, and easy to engage with especially for users under constant stress. This project taught me how small intentional design decisions can scale empathy, reduce friction, and support our users.

Sometimes, the most meaningful experiences come from small gestures of kindness — getting an advice from someone wise, a moment of reflection, or a sticker that simply says, “You’re not alone.”

This was my first experience working at a Korean company, and it shaped how I think about product design. Through this project, I learned how to design emotional support systems that are gentle, safe, and easy to engage with especially for users under constant stress. This project taught me how small intentional design decisions can scale empathy, reduce friction, and support our users.

To my design teammates and app developers:
Thank You! 💖
To my design teammates and app developers: Thank You! 💖

Thank you for your trust, your openness, kindness, and teaching me everything you know! Every shared idea, field trip, coffee break, and even small snacks from you turned this app into something more human and real!

Together, we created a safe space where every user could feel seen and supported.
That, to me, is the magic of good design✨