1 Client: Sleep Review Magazine App: “Überschlafen” Polyphasic Sleep Scheduler Barrow & Brewer
Überman App
Interface Design
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Project Statement: We will create an Android-native app designed to help users adopt a Polyphasic sleep cycle. “Überschlafen”, from the German for “Super sleeping”, represents the ultimate in Polyphasic sleep: The Uberman Sleep Schedule. The Uberman schedule represents the most extreme and controversial implementation of polyphasic sleep, positing that REM sleep - the most beneficial, restorative mode of sleep - can be best achieved through a series of six 30-minute “naps” spread over the course of a 24-hour day (The idea being to achieve a total of three hours of REM sleep, as opposed to the roughly one-and-a-half to two hours gained from a traditional eight-hour sleep pattern. Proponents of the plan consider non-REM sleep to be wasteful and of little benefit). While true observational research validating these claims is scarce, anecdotal evidence is becoming more widespread touting the merits of this seemingly unnatural, non-Circadian sleep schedule. Of course, the implementation of this schedule is not without its caveats. Most notable among them are the effects of heavy sleep deprivation resulting from missing a scheduled sleep period. In a world that moves at a pace such as ours, can anyone, regardless of their devotion, afford to watch the clock with such meticulousness? And what of the slow integration necessary to get to the point where one’s mind feels comfortable sleeping only three (separated) hours a day? It is these issues that Überschlafen will attempt to resolve. Upon first opening the app, the user will be greeted by optional readings describing the Uberman schedule (and polyphasic sleep in general), carefully noting the risks involved. Should the user wish to continue, they will be asked to choose their gradual course plan, with options to define ideal sleep periods, as well as to opt out of the “ramp up” entirely.
Barrow & Brewer
Überman App
Interface Design
Project Statement (cont.): The app’s main focus will be a broken circle revolving around a central time-display and countdown timer, with differently colored areas representing conscious and sleep periods. The app will alert the user when a scheduled sleep period is approaching. At this point, the user will have the option of playing sleep-aiding white noise (nature sounds, binaural rhythms, or digital pink noise) or a stored music file (via integration with the OS native media player). Upon completion of the sleep period, the app will sound an alarm (or, once again, a selected music file) which will require the completion of a simple puzzle or math problem to reset, ensuring the user’s complete return to consciousness. In keeping with the theme of slumber, the app will utilize a monochromatic palette consisting of dark blues and grays. Branding based on the “Uberman” aspect will possibly be incorporated through relevant imagery (Friedrich Nietzsche, Leonardo’s “Vitruvian Man”).
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Personas: Name: Ann J. Crawford Age: 19 Occupation: Student Technical Use: Relatively high in terms of consumer electronics and applications. She enjoys social networking and customizing her Droid phone. Activities: Going to classes, studying, playing online games.
“I wish there was a way to stay up all night!”
Barrow & Brewer
Motivation for using the app: Ann would like to have more time to devote to studies. She feels a polyphasic sleep schedule would allow her to work through the night, when she can be alone with her studies, and not miss out on sleep. She has pulled all-nighters in the past, and though they enabled her to complete her work, they left her feeling drained the following day, and her performance suffered. She feels this would be the “best of both worlds”, so to speak. She likes how Überschlafen calculates her ideal schedule for her, as well as keeps her informed on when her next nap is scheduled for.
Überman App
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Personas: Name: Troy V. Servin Age: 33 Occupation: Accountant Technical Use: Very little. Troy’s wireless service provider just upgraded him to an Android-based phone. Before that, he was happy with his old achromatic LCD phone. He’s just learning how to text message, and his friend told him how to find this app in the app store.
“I just can’t sleep during the night. I need a way to spread sleep out over the course of the day.”
Barrow & Brewer
Activities: Mountain biking, camping, rock climbing Motivation for using the app: Troy has begun suffering from insomnia in the last few years. He finds himself unable to sleep at night, and everyone at work has noticed him on the verge of falling asleep during the day. He is starting to wonder if his body is becoming more suited to sleeping during the day, possibly as a result of his extensive outdoor hobbies. While sleeping through the day is not an option, he feels a polyphasic sleep schedule, as explained to him by a friend, would integrate into his day nicely and allow him to make the most of his body’s stubborn refusal to sleep at night.
Überman App
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Personas: Name: Brian S. Hutson Age: 23 Occupation: C++ Programmer Technical Use: Very high. A programmer by trade, Brian also writes code and contributes to open source programs in his spare time. He is learning to program for the Android OS, and as such has no problem navigating apps on his Nexus S phone. Activities: Coding, Hacking, Video Games
“The Uberman cycle sounds awesome! Having an app for it would be even more awesome!”
Barrow & Brewer
Motivation for using the app: Brian has read about the Uberman sleep cycle on the Internet, on a blog called “The Hacker’s Guide To Ultimate Living”. Because he works from home at his own pace, and out of prideful solidarity for his fellow hackers, Brian wishes to implement the Uberman cycle in his own life. Brian would be happy if there was an app to assist every aspect of his life, his love of technology being what it is, so he would enthusiastically welcome an app to assist him in polyphasic sleep.
Überman App
Interface Design
Sketches & Brainstorm:
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Wireframe:
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Research: What is The Uberman Sleep Schedule (or Polyphasic Sleep)? “The fast-living young generation is hungry for more. More fun, more information, more accomplishment, more education and more waking time.” –Dr. Piotr Wozniak What would you do with up to five more hours of waking time? Most people follow what is known as a monophasic sleep schedule:
The most common variant of this schedule is a cycle of 16 hours of wakefulness and 8 hours of sleep. However, research has shown that humans, like all other great apes, are best suited to a biphasic sleep schedule, a cycle involving two periods of sleep: One large block and one smaller midway through the waking period.
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While this ideal sleep cycle is largely unimplemented in most Western cultures (It is represented most notably in the Latin “siesta”) it is almost unanimously true that those who follow monophasic sleep schedules experience a decrease in alertness midway through the day, where the second period of sleep would occur in a biphasic schedule. To understand what makes this “nap” so beneficial, it is important to understand how sleep works on a scientific level. There are two main types of sleep occurring over a period of five distinct cycles. Non-Rapid Eye Movement, or quiet sleep, occurs over the course of the first four cycles. It is in this period where brainwaves slow and bodily processes relax progressively. This period serves as a transition to Rapid Eye Movement, or active sleep. It is in active sleep that the benefits of sleep become apparent. Memory is indexed, muscles enter paralysis and are repaired, and dreaming occurs. So important is this period of sleep that many polysomnologists (sleep scientists) consider quiet sleep simply a means to achieve active sleep, largely wasteful and nonessential taken on its own merit. Unfortunately, cycles of quiet sleep comprise roughly six-and-a-half hours of a typical eight hour monophasic sleep period, leaving only 90 minutes of restorative active sleep. What if you could not only skip the wasteful period of quiet sleep, but in doing so gain an extra half hour of active sleep? This is where a polyphasic (or Uberman, as it has been affectionately dubbed) schedule comes into play.
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