yourSpace VR
yourSpace VR transforms meditation by integrating biophilic design principles with immersive virtual environments. This app provides personalized, nature-inspired spaces for mindfulness, helping urban dwellers connect to tranquility and achieve balance, even in high-stress settings.
problem
Urban dwellers often struggle to find the right space and atmosphere to meditate effectively. Many feel disconnected from nature, which makes achieving mindfulness and relaxation difficult.
Through user research, I discovered three primary challenges:
Lack of Access to Nature: Many users felt isolated in city environments.
No Dedicated Meditation Space: Noise and interruptions often broke focus.
Low Engagement from Traditional Apps: Users wanted something more immersive and inspiring.
Research uncovered a need for a tool that integrates natural environments into the meditation experience while addressing immersion and combating distractibility.
human-centered understanding
To deeply understand these challenges, I conducted user interviews and surveys, focusing on the motivations and struggles of meditation practitioners. To design a solution, I had to empathize with the challenges faced by potential users.
Key User Insights:
Why do you meditate?
89% of participants meditate to alleviate stress and anxiety, 72% meditate to enhance overall well-being, and 61% meditate to seek a deeper connection with themselves; influencing the three principles of yourSpace VR
Where do you meditate?
72% of participants meditate in bedrooms or living rooms, often with distractions.
What obstacles do you face while trying to meditate?
61% of users meditate to foster a deeper connection with themselves.
Common Pain Points:
Disconnect from Nature: Many users expressed longing for the tranquility of natural settings, which is often missing in urban environments.
Lack of Space and Privacy: Urban professionals cited noisy, crowded spaces as significant barriers to meditation.
Personalization: Users sought a more immersive experience with the visual and auditory presence of nature, enhancing both relaxation and focus.
How Important Is Nature to Your Meditation?
Users strongly desired nature-inspired environments that offered serenity, focus, and emotional balance.
Techniques
Competitive Analysis
Mood Boarding
Prototyping
Usability Testing
methods
Tools
Apple Notes Transcribe scribe
Figma
OtterAi
Prototyping
Usability Testing
User Interviews (surveys & zoom)
Wireframing
design process
Bringing yourSpace VR to life requires a balance of strategy and creativity. Once I understood the core problems, it was time to map out potential solutions using my design process.
User Research: In-depth surveys and one-on-one interviews revealed that urban dwellers and beginners struggled to meditate effectively in non-ideal settings.
Competitive Analysis: Some leading meditation companions offer valuable meditation features, but lack immersive, nature-inspired interfaces.
Mood Board & Inspiration: I started with a series of mood boards to capture the essence of nature’s calm and biophilic design principles. Think organic textures, soft pastels, and invigorating vibrant hues that represent renewal and balance.
I explored biophilic concepts such as nature in space, nature of space, and nature analogs:
Nature Analogs: Incorporating organic shapes, light, and patterns to mimic nature without actual elements.
Nature of Space: Infusing designs with natural textures (wood, water, stone) to create calm.
Nature in Space: Simulating real-world natural environments using sounds and imagery.
The color palette blends soft pastels with energizing bold hues, reflecting the dual goals of tranquility and inspiration.
From here, using Figma, I developed interactive prototypes where users could explore serene landscapes combining nature analogs, nature of space, and nature in space that targets Mind, Body, and Soul.
The yourSpace VR experience begins with a guided breathwork exercise to help users center themselves and prepare for meditation. Once the exercise is complete, users can choose between a conventional meditation session or an immersive VR experience, tailored to support their mindfulness journey.
The VR selection screen in yourSpace VR is thoughtfully divided into the three pinnacles of the experience, aligning with holistic wellness principles. Each category Mind, Body, and Soul, offers tailored meditation experiences designed to foster mental clarity, physical relaxation, and emotional balance.
Each selection has two interactive worlds. Immerse yourself into each realm, to target Mind, Body, and Soul.
summary
The final design allowed users to begin their session with guided breathwork that helped ground them before beginning the meditation. From there, users had three pillars of choice for the VR experience: Mind, Body, and Soul, offering tailored landscapes to encourage mental clarity, physical relaxation, and emotional healing.
Mind: Experiences aimed at improving clarity and focus.
Body: Experiences that engage the user physically, promoting relaxation, and gentle movement.
Soul: Experiences that connect with emotional balance, guided affirmations, and deep sensory immersion.
Key learnings from this process highlight the critical role of user-centered design and the balance of calming yet energizing elements in supporting overall well-being. A significant focus was placed on micro-interactions, which required more effort than anticipated but ultimately enriched the experience.
Juggling the demands of achieving cohesive branding and tone while maintaining the ambitious vision for the app was challenging but rewarding. Despite these hurdles, yourSpace VR is my favorite UX design project completed thus far.