Case Study: Snoozi - A Gamified Productivity App for Generation Z

Overview

As the Product Manager for Snoozi, I led the development of a sleep-tracking app aimed at helping Generation Z improve their sleep habits by reducing phone usage before bedtime. Snoozi combines accountability with gamification, using a virtual pet feature to motivate users to maintain a healthy sleep schedule, fostering improved productivity and well-being.

The Problem

Generation Z struggles with maintaining healthy sleep habits due to excessive phone use before bed, which leads to feelings of guilt, unproductiveness, and chronic tiredness. Secondary research (NY Times) revealed that:

61% of Gen Z prioritize sleep, but 68% admit they frequently fall asleep with their phones.

53% feel bad about the time they spend on their phones at night. This impacts their academic performance and overall quality of life, with 80% of college students reporting that lack of sleep negatively affects their academic success.

Persona Development

Snoozi provides an engaging and interactive platform for users to manage their sleep habits. Key features include:

• App Blocking: Users select apps to block during sleep hours, reducing distractions before bed.

• Custom Sleep Schedules: Users can set and customize their sleep schedules, aiming to maintain consistency.

• Virtual Pet: Users raise a virtual pet, “Neb,” who motivates them to follow their sleep schedule by linking their success to the pet’s well-being.

• Social Accountability: Users can connect with friends to share progress and hold each other accountable for their sleeping goals.

Feature Prioritization

Based on user research and competitive analysis, I prioritized the following features for the MVP:

• App blocking and sleep scheduling to address the main pain points of phone overuse and inconsistent sleep patterns.

• The Snoozi pet feature as a fun, motivating element that keeps users engaged in their sleep improvement journey.

• Social sharing and accountability to leverage peer influence and help users stay committed to their sleep goals.

Results

Snoozi successfully created a unique and fun solution for addressing sleep-related issues in Generation Z. Key metrics we proposed to track included:

• Adoption Rate: Measured by the number of users signing up and inviting friends (e.g., 500 signups in the first two months, with 60% inviting at least one friend).

• Engagement: Tracked daily active users, app-blocking frequency, and interactions with the virtual pet (e.g., 1200 DAUs, with users blocking apps on average 5 nights per week).

• Churn Rate: Monitored user retention after three months

Learnings & Future Directions

Through developing Snoozi, I learned the importance of blending gamification with behavioral change to engage users in self-improvement habits. Moving forward, my focus will be on:

• Expanding the app’s functionality to include personalized sleep tips and reminders.

• Introducing a premium subscription model, offering advanced features like detailed sleep analytics and integration with wearables.

• Collaborating with mental health experts to enhance Snoozi’s effectiveness in improving sleep hygiene for Gen Z users.

Technologies Used

Frontend: Figma for wireframing and UI/UX design.

Backend: Planned integration with sleep-tracking APIs and app-blocking services.

Snoozi demonstrates how gamification and accountability can be used to help Generation Z improve their sleep habits, creating a positive impact on their health and productivity.