Interviews
In-depth: the nightly routine & what breaks it
Emma Wright
Talk me through a typical night for you.
I get into bed and then just scroll. Suddenly it's 1am and my brain won't switch off.
What have you tried?
A couple of apps, but I stopped opening them after a week. They felt like a chore.
What would keep you coming back?
Something quick and genuinely calming, not another thing on my to-do list.
Carlos Mendes
When is your sleep worst?
The night before a big client week. My mind races through everything that could go wrong.
Would you pay for something that helped?
Yes, if it actually works. I care about results, not a library of sounds.
What would prove it works?
Falling asleep faster on those high-stress nights. That's the whole game for me.
Nadia Haddad
How do night shifts affect your sleep?
They wreck any rhythm. I sleep at odd hours and never feel fully rested.
What would help most?
Practical, evidence-based routines for irregular schedules — not generic 'sleep at 10pm' advice.
What would make you trust it?
A clinical grounding. I'm a nurse; I notice when something is just marketing.
David Cohen
What tends to keep you awake?
A racing mind before a trial — I lie there rehearsing arguments. Once it starts, it's hard to stop.
Have you tried anything for it?
Not really. I'm skeptical an app can quiet a lawyer's brain at 2am.
What would change your mind?
Evidence. If it used proper CBT techniques and I felt it work once, I'd reconsider.
Grace Liu
What does wind-down look like for you?
Honestly, it doesn't exist. Between the kids and work there's no gap before bed.
Where could an app fit?
Only if it's fast — a few minutes I can actually find. Anything longer won't happen.
What would make you stick with it?
Feeling a difference in the first week, and a nudge at the right time.
Executive summary
Interviews revealed three distinct sleep-disruption patterns — bedtime phone scrolling, acute work-stress spikes, and irregular schedules (shift work, parenting) — each needing a different intervention. Across all, the app only earns a place if it is fast, genuinely calming and, for skeptics, clinically credible. Past app abandonment was universally tied to friction and a lack of felt results in the first week.
Key themes
Different disruptions need different tools
Scrollers, stressed professionals and irregular-schedule workers each need tailored routines.
“I get into bed and then just scroll.” — Emma Wright
“Not generic 'sleep at 10pm' advice.” — Nadia Haddad
Speed is the price of entry
Busy users only adopt sub-few-minute rituals they can actually find time for.
“Only if it's fast — a few minutes I can actually find.” — Grace Liu
First-week results drive retention
Past abandonment was tied to friction and no felt difference early on.
“I stopped opening them after a week.” — Emma Wright
Recommendations
- Segment onboarding by disruption type (scroll / stress / schedule).
- Guarantee a fast nightly ritual and a first-week 'aha'.
- Add clinical proof points for skeptical, evidence-minded users.