Pillow: Sleep Tracker

What it does

Pillow is a comprehensive sleep tracking and analysis app designed to help users improve their sleep hygiene. It uses the device's sensors to monitor sleep cycles, record audio events like snoring, and provides detailed reports on sleep quality and duration. The app also includes features like a smart alarm that wakes the user at the optimal time, and a library of sleep aid sounds, stories, and meditations.

Where it shines

Pillow excels in its thorough and user-centric setup process. The onboarding (00:02 - 01:17) is a masterclass in transparent data collection, using warmup screens to explain the benefit of each permission requested. The app's core functionality is also well-presented; creating a sleep preset (02:39) is straightforward, and the settings are highly customizable. Another standout is the Sleep Aid library (03:35), which offers a rich collection of content to help users fall asleep, turning the app from a simple tracker into a complete sleep companion.

UX highlights

Contextual Tutorials: Instead of a mandatory tour, the app uses prompts like "Finish setup" (02:24) on the main dashboard to guide users through key actions at their own pace.
Clear Data Visualization: The Trends section (05:56) presents sleep data in clean, easy-to-understand graphs, with options to view by week, month, or year.
Granular Alarm Customization: Users can fine-tune every aspect of their alarm, from the sound and volume to deactivation method and snooze time (02:44), allowing for a highly personalized wake-up experience.
Flexible Presets: The app allows users to create different presets for various situations, like a nightly alarm or a short power nap (03:05), which can be quickly accessed and started.
Integrated Content Player: The Sleep Aid player (04:16) is seamlessly integrated, with intuitive controls and features like setting a timer for the audio to stop.

Monetization & growth

The primary monetization strategy is a premium subscription, introduced via a paywall at 01:17, right after the main dashboard appears for the first time. The paywall effectively uses social proof with logos from publications like The New York Times and Apple's 'App of the Day' badge. It presents two plans, Annual and Monthly, highlighting a 58% saving on the annual option to encourage a longer commitment. The value of premium is communicated through an engaging, swipeable carousel that details each feature.

Who it’s for

Pillow is for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of their sleep patterns and actively improve their sleep quality. This includes data-driven individuals who appreciate detailed analytics and trends, as well as those who struggle with falling asleep and could benefit from the extensive library of sleep aids. Its smart alarm feature also appeals to users who want a gentler, more natural wake-up experience.

Notes & opportunities

The onboarding, while transparent, is quite long with numerous permission requests. This could potentially lead to some user drop-off before they reach the core app. The main dashboard initially presents two prominent cards: "What's new" and "Finish setup" (01:56). While the setup card is useful, the "What's new" card could be less of a priority for a brand new user. A clearer path to the first sleep tracking session might be more effective. Finally, the app asks for a review (02:05) very early in the user journey, before the user has had a chance to track a single night's sleep and experience the core value.