What it does
Aura is a bedside companion that helps people break the stress-sleep cycle through calming rituals—like breath-paced lighting, voice reflection, and phone disconnection—shifting bedtime habits to support deeper, more mindful rest.
Your inspiration
Aura began with a conversation that stayed with me—a friend quietly struggling with insomnia, caught in a loop of stress, sleeplessness, and emotional fatigue. Deeper research made me realise that the real problem wasn’t just the lack of sleep, but the anxiety about not sleeping. That dread before bedtime, the fear of lying awake again; fear of not falling asleep, the very thing keeping you awake. I designed Aura to break this cycle—not by forcing sleep, but by reshaping the emotional patterns and behaviours that make falling asleep feel less like a battle and more like a calming, relaxing thing we all look forward to.
How it works
Aura is a bedside companion that supports better sleep by gently reshaping pre-bedtime behaviors. It consists of three core elements: a guided light orb, a phone docking station, and a voice interaction module. When it’s time to sleep, the user places their phone in Aura’s dock, triggering a calming routine—initiating light conversation and guiding them through rhythmic breathing with soft, pulsing light. The pattern, paced at around 6 breaths per minute, mirrors natural inhalation and exhalation. Aura also plays ambient sound or white noise, chosen by the user. The dock doubles as a charger and a behavioral cue to reduce screen time. Routines are customizable via a companion app. Aura also supports mindful morning rituals—like task setting, meditation, and voice journaling—to help manage daytime stress. Rather than forcing sleep, Aura provides emotional and environmental cues that gently shift how users relate to rest.
Design process
The design began with in-depth research into insomnia—its emotional impact, daily patterns, and user behaviors. Early sketches explored how voice-based interactions, ambient sound, and journaling could ease stress and help users wind down. But further user research revealed a key blocker: phones were central to bedtime routines, offering distraction from stress but also worsening sleep. Initial cardboard prototypes tested the idea of removing the phone with physical prompts. Users resisted this—removing the phone felt abrupt, not supportive. This insight led to a shift: instead of taking the phone away, Aura would offer something more emotionally engaging in return. The next prototype integrated a soft, expressive bedside form, with a built-in phone dock for charging and symbolic disconnection. The conversational interface—powered by lightweight AI—guides users through calming rituals like voice journaling, meditation, and breath-paced lighting. The same system supports a mindful morning routine. Each design decision was made to gently reshape bedtime behavior without adding pressure.
How it is different
Most sleep products focus on tracking, enforcing schedules, or flooding users with data. Aura is different—it doesn’t try to “fix” sleep, it gently reshapes the behaviours that disrupt it. Rather than acting as a controller, it acts as a calm guide. Aura combines conversation, light, and habit design to create an emotional shift at bedtime. Its light orb uses slow, intuitive light pulses to reduce overthinking, while the phone dock prompts intentional disconnection—a ritual often overlooked in tech-led sleep solutions. Unlike apps or wearables, Aura is screen-free, ambient, and emotionally attuned. Its simplicity is deliberate: the design favours intuitive use over complexity, creating space for reflection instead of more noise. This makes Aura not just a product, but a subtle behavioural companion that improves how people feel about sleep—not just when they get it.
Future plans
Next, we’re developing a working prototype to test Aura’s interaction flow, light patterns, and emotional impact. We’ll run pilot studies with users to refine features and tone. The business model will begin with direct-to-consumer sales, targeting adults with stress-related sleep issues. Long-term, we aim to partner with wellness brands and mental health platforms. Our goal is to offer an emotionally supportive, screen-free alternative to sleep aids—reshaping how people relate to rest.
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