vibes

Overview

vibes is a minimal bedtime experience app. It provides the user with a bedtime story, accompanied with a curated collection of soundscapes.

Pain Points

Bloated Experience

Non-premium users are continually hit with upsells, restrictions, and reminders of what they can't access. This disrupts the calming experience and can push users away. Calm and BetterSleep both offer so much content and so many choices that it feels counterproductive for someone just seeking relaxation.

Constant Upsell

At every corner of the app, the user is bombarded with upsells for the premium account.

Design Hypothesis

The bloated experience of having 20 different mediation and soundscape options available combined with the constant upsell to the premium account counters the calming and "pre-sleep" experience these apps are supposed to provide.

So what do users actually need to wind down and fall asleep?

Many users do not enjoy reading: Pew data shows that about 23% of U.S. adults haven't read a single book in the last year, and overall leisure reading is at a historic low. This points to the need for “bite-sized,” effort-free reading experiences, rather than traditional books.

But, reading to sleep works for many people: Controlled studies and surveys show that reading just before bed improves average sleep quality, helps people fall asleep faster, and is viewed as more effective than many other interventions like white noise or meditation.

“Quick reads” are ideal: a very short, public-domain story (like a bedtime story for adults) designed to guide the mind toward sleep.

Product Concept

vibes is a radically simple app for bedtime relaxation

One-page UI

The upper half serves a single short bedtime story, fetched from a public-domain or copyright-free short story API. "Swipe up" reveals sound controls reminiscent of the Spotify lyrics interface.

Ambient Sounds

Users can select between pink noise, rain, birdsong, or binaural beats without leaving the story view, leveraging research that gentle, non-distracting background sounds help mask noise and facilitate sleep.

No bloat

No upsell maze, no abrasive premium reminders.

Takeways

Enshittification is the process of a good or service worsening for financial reasons. Many wellness apps suffer from this, prioritizing monetization over the actual user experience.

Simplicity and trust are premium in themselves. A product that stays minimal, avoids manipulative upsell tactics, and focuses on delivering a single, delightful experience can stand out in a saturated market.

For vibes, this meant removing friction, reducing cognitive load, and resisting unnecessary features—because for users at bedtime, the best interface is the one that disappears.