logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2020
27m 58s

Can an app actually help you relax?

ADOBE
About this episode

A third of America's population struggles to sleep through the night. For many of us, stress and anxiety play a big role in that. Some designers believe they can help us tackle these problems and calm our minds. The sleep-aid market is a multi-billion dollar industry, so it's no wonder companies are trying to design solutions for us. But can apps and gadgets designed to help us sleep, and keep us calm, really help? Or are they just a kind of digital snake oil?

In this episode: 

Wireframe producer Miriam Johnson talks to host Khoi Vinh about her own struggles with insomnia. 

Jon Delman is a Creative Director who just can't fall asleep. 

Iain McConchie, VP of Design at Headspace, talks to us about how Headspace is helping users calm down, manage stress, and sleep better. 

Ania Wysocka is a designer who made Rootd, an app for anxiety, after her own struggles with it. 

Lucas Guarneri is a designer working on sleep trackers at Withings. He believes sleep trackers can change a person's life. 

Dr. Kristyna Hartse, sleep doctor with the Sun City Sleep Center, is cautious when it comes to how much apps can really do for sleep disorders. 

Read the PDF transcript of this episode.

Wireframe reveals the stories behind user experience design and how it helps technology fit into our lives. It’s a podcast for UX/UI designers, graphic designers, and the design-curious. Hosted by Khoi Vinh, one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business.

Learn more about designing with Adobe XD at adobe.ly/tryxd.

Up next
Nov 2024
Mentoring in Motion with Emonee LaRussa
Teresa Au chats with motion graphics designer and director Emonee LaRussa, known for her inventive lyric videos for artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Kanye West, and Lil Nas X. Emonee shares her experience as a woman of color in the digital arts, and why it’s so important to her ... Show More
30m 36s
Oct 2024
Living Life Colorfully with Jason Naylor (Live at MAX)
Teresa Au chats with artist and creative director Jason Naylor live at Adobe MAX 2024. They talk about the power of yes, betting on yourself, and what it means to open your heart. Plus Jason shares the personal messages behind his extremely colorful murals, how he found his style ... Show More
24m 32s
Oct 2024
Cracking the Code with Allan Peters
Teresa Au chats with Allan Peters of Peters Design Company. He’s a brand mark expert, the author of Logos That Last, and the guy who blew up on Instagram Reels reimagining classic logos like Citibank, UPS, and Gatorade. They talk about Allan’s strategic path to launching his own ... Show More
29m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Managing Your Mental Health for Graphic Designers
Do you feel like the graphic design industry is driving you insane? Are you on the brink of burnout? It's no secret that the job can be high-pressure and demanding, but what happens when that pressure becomes too much to bear?  You're not alone.  Join us as we break the ... Show More
48m 57s
Jun 2021
Trouble sleeping? Try the 'Breathing Waltz'
We love a sleep tip here at The Space. Who doesn’t have problems sleeping sometimes?  We’ve spoken in the past about how breathing deeply can ease anxiety. In this episode we’ve got an easy technique to add to your toolkit. It’s called the Breathing Waltz. Links Rachael Kable @ra ... Show More
3m 18s
Jul 2023
How to Sleep Better | Diane Macedo
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- If you're not sleeping well, it's harder to do anything you care about. It's harder to get healthier, to be more focused and productive, to be happier, to be ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 2021
How to unblock your creativity
Do you ever suffer from “creative anxiety”? We’re all called to be creative in our lives, constantly. If you feel anxious about tasks requiring original thinking, you’ll probably also feel anxious about improvising. So how can mindfulness help us? Links  ‘The anxiety that limits ... Show More
4m 35s
Sep 2021
Sleep deprivation is a b!tch, but you aren't
This is for everyone who has woken up exhausted, whilst the person beside them is bright and breezy. We know it's tough. You're shattered. But here’s the thing. Hating someone for being well rested when you're sleep deprived doesn’t help anyone. We’re going to soothe that angry v ... Show More
4m 58s
Aug 2021
Your sleep-deprived self can be a jerk
How much we sleep, or don’t sleep, impacts our moral awareness! Dr Katharina Lederle explores if in her book Sleep Sense. Our moral awareness relies on us being able to self regulate – and when we’re tired, we get pretty bad at keeping ourselves in check. Basically, our sleep dep ... Show More
5m 3s
Apr 2022
How to Sleep Better | Diane Macedo
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Sleep may be the apex predator of healthy habits, so why are so many of us getting terrible sleep?  Guest Diane Macedo launched a very detailed personal inve ... Show More
1h 4m
Apr 2024
Can insomnia be fixed?
How did you sleep last night? Perhaps you couldn't drift off, or maybe you woke in the middle of the night and then couldn't nod off again.In this special edition of Inside Health we're talking all about insomnia. It’s an issue that may affect many of us at some point in our live ... Show More
27m 53s
May 2023
How To Sleep Like a Champ
Vanessa isn’t a night owl. Yet, often, you can find her lying awake desperately trying to turn off her brain. When her partner stays over she often resorts to the couch just to get some rest. On this episode of How To!, co-host Carvell Wallace brings in Dr. Wendy Troxel. She is a ... Show More
35m 13s