Building a personalized sleep coaching system

Getting good sleep is a challenge faced by many, and is increasingly understood as a significant factor in overall health and wellbeing.

Many view technology as detrimental to sleep. We're often told to avoid screens before bed, for example. But with thoughtful design, technology can actually coach users toward healthier sleep habits.

I designed adaptive content that responds to individual sleep patterns and behaviors, creating personalized coaching experiences across different devices throughout the day.

Through a 2-year collaboration between Health and Hardware teams, we built a comprehensive sleep coaching system that adapts to users' unique patterns and delivers contextual guidance both at night and throughout their day.

The Nest device tracks sleep patterns using radar technology, removing the need for wearable tech, then generates personalized recommendations and insights.

As the lead content designer on this project, I collaborated with clinicians, UX and visual designers, engineering and hardware teams.

Content is personalized based on sleep quality, timing, and individual goals - from smart alarm suggestions to tailored wind-down routines and daily habit coaching.

Content challenges I solved:

• Designed content frameworks that generate personalized coaching based on individual sleep data and behavioral patterns
• Created adaptive messaging that makes complex sleep science accessible without oversimplifying clinical accuracy
• Built cross-device content experiences that maintain continuity as users move between different touchpoints throughout their day
• Collaborated with sleep specialists and clinical teams to ensure content accuracy while navigating privacy and regulatory requirements

This project taught me how to design content systems that feel genuinely helpful rather than prescriptive. Users responded well to coaching that felt tailored to their specific challenges rather than generic sleep advice.