ASMRest
Overview
ASMRest is an app for user to listen to high quality ASMR videos and make their own one. It is customizable in terms of sound effect/content, whisper narrator, time and so on. This app help users to find their own trigger sound with the best listening experience. It offers an escape from daily anxiety and stress.
Duration
March 2019 -
May 2019
Category
UI design
UX design
UX tools
value proposition
user research
Background
ASMR has become a social phenomenon. There’re millions of ASMR videos out there and the most viewed on youtube hit nearly 100 million views. According to google, there are more search of ASMR than chocolate on youtube. Still, this is a pretty new video genre. The term “ASMR” is not created until 2012. People still holds doubts on it. “I don’t know. It feels weird having someone whispering in my ears.” ASMR is a sensation you get or you don’t. There is not a medium state like “partly get it”. However, finding you get is not easy. Currently, people watch/listen to ASMR videos mostly on YouTube. They do not have a platform tailored for this specific types of videos. This causes a few problems undermining user experience: low quality videos, inherent YouTube shortcomings and unfit UI, to name a few.
Research
Secondary research: basic info
WHat is asmr?
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It is a previously unstudied sensory phenomenon in which individuals experience a tingling, static-like sensation across the scalp, back of the neck, and at times further areas in response to specific triggering audio and visual stimuli.
Trigger sound
This is an important concept for know the context of this problem and customer needs. According to wikipedia, ASMR is usually precipitated by stimuli referred to as 'triggers'. ASMR is often triggered by exposure to specific audio and video. Such media may be specially made with the specific purpose of triggering ASMR or originally created for other purposes and later discovered to be effective as a trigger of the experience. In a word, trigger are sounds (sometimes visuals) that trigger your tingling sensation.
How big is ASMR?
Is this ASMR a really niche market? Is it worth the efforts to specially design for it? The data showed in the picture below will give you the answear.
Secondary research: market research
There are two main types of applications for ASMR audience: video platform represented by youtube and sleep-helping application represented by Cosleep. Both have their cons and pros. Morever, they all miss to offer a soothing experience. The demands for a platform specialized in enhancing ASMR listening experience still exists.
Primary research: user research
In order to know the context and empathize with the user, I interviewed three people as well as observed how they listened to ASMR using apps in the market right now. One of them, hubert, is a ASMR heavy listener. He works in a top consulting company where a lot of his pressure comes from. He has chronic insomnia since college. ASMR has been his life savor when it worked. Othertimes, it can be another source of anxiety to find a video that he gets. The other two interviewees are more casual. They sort of listened to those videos for fun and relaxation. Nevertheless it often cause miscontent because of a lack of regulation and the cumbers they have to go through find a good one.
Ideation
Value Proposition
Based on the research insights, I was able to fill in the customer part of this value proposition canvas and come up with the solution of the problems accordingly. The two most important missions are: 1. help user to find videos they gets; 2. make everything handy so as to create comfy.
How to solve key problems
Once the two design missions are determined, the next step is to break down these missions. What are the key problems and how to solve them?
Design
Information Architecture
This is the blueprint for the final rendering of this mobile application. There are four main pages: remix zone for creating user’s remix, recommendation or home page for exploring, search page and profile page.
Design concept & wireframes
UI details
Home/recommendation page: this page is for user to explore and discover ASMR videos. In thumbnails, I showed user not only the traditional views, creators but also how many triggers sounds are inside. When user click into a specific video, they can have a preview of all the trigger sounds and then directly jump into the clip of the trigger sound.
Video player page: different from conventional video player, this page is build on the concept of “chapater”. Can this trigger sound actually triggere you? Yes, then save it to favorite; No, then cut this sound effect and directly try the next one. We cannot tell you which trigger will work for you. But we help you find the trigger in a shortest time.
Remix zone: this page allows user to create two different types of ASMR: whisper(sound made by toungue) and sound effect (sounds made with things). When creating whisper remix, user can choose narator from a bunch of choices: Bruno Marz, Beyonce, Drake, Prad Pitt, the list goes on. This would be great news for dedicated fans. AND, they get to decide which words are coming out of these narators mouth by uploading the ducument. Or they can simply choose a preset scenario, sit back and relax. As for sound effect, this app provides far from enough high-quality preset triggers. If they really want to customize their own one, they can just remix from lists and favorite.
Remote: one thing frustrating about ASMR is that user have to unluck their phone to control the video, which is something they want to avoid when they just try to lay down and sleep. Remote will relieve the pain once for all. Wanna swich to next trigger? Just press the button. It is as simple as that. This feature both work for wired and wireless headphones.
