Should I Build It Should I Build It
24 Aug 2025
Health & Fitness

A product to help people clear mind and don’t swipe phones before go ...

...to bed to get a good sleep

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.

Your are here

You're entering a market where people are aware of the problem of pre-sleep phone use and are actively looking for solutions. There are several similar products already available (n_matches = 8), indicating that you are in a competitive space. The "Freemium" category suggests that while people are interested in these types of products, they may resist paying for them upfront. This is further validated by the lack of strong net buy signals. The engagement level is medium (avg n_comments = 5), so users are somewhat engaged, but it's not a viral product category where people are excessively raving or complaining about each individual solution. Given this context, you need to be prepared to differentiate and carefully consider how you'll generate revenue.

Recommendations

  1. Since you're in the "Freemium" category with multiple competitors, deeply analyze the existing solutions like Dream Sheep and 4rem. Understand their features, pricing, and user feedback (both positive and negative). Pay close attention to the criticisms surrounding products like 'Can you go an hour without touching your phone?' that mention increasing screen time paradoxically. This will help you identify gaps and differentiate your product effectively.
  2. Start by identifying specific user segments who struggle most with pre-sleep phone use. Are they students, professionals, or parents? Understanding their unique needs and pain points will enable you to tailor your product and marketing messages more effectively. For instance, are they struggling with work emails, social media or something else?
  3. Design your free version to offer core functionality that provides real value. Focus on one or two key features that address the most common user needs, such as basic screen time tracking and usage limits. This will help you attract a broad user base and showcase the potential of your product. But keep in mind the negative feedback from other products and make sure not to make it even easier to spend time on the phone.
  4. Based on the idea category recommendation, create premium features that provide significantly enhanced value for power users. This could include advanced analytics, personalized recommendations, custom content (e.g., sleep meditations, calming stories), or integrations with other health and wellness apps. Determine what would be the biggest value-add for those who use the free version consistently.
  5. Consider offering team or family plans to encourage wider adoption and increase revenue potential. Businesses might be interested in using your product to promote employee wellness and reduce burnout. Families might benefit from shared screen time limits and parental controls. Make it easy for groups to onboard.
  6. Explore offering personalized coaching or consulting services to help users develop healthy sleep habits. This could be a high-value add-on for users who need extra support and guidance. You could also create premium content such as webinars, workshops, or one-on-one consultations.
  7. Implement A/B testing to experiment with different pricing models and feature sets. Start with a small group of users and gather feedback before rolling out changes to your entire user base. Be flexible and willing to adjust your strategy based on what you learn.
  8. Actively engage with your users to gather feedback and build a community. Respond to comments, answer questions, and solicit suggestions for new features. User feedback is invaluable for improving your product and building customer loyalty. Check out the existing apps' comment sections for inspiration.

Questions

  1. Given the potential for 'doomscrolling' and negative associations with screen time reduction apps, how will you ensure your product is perceived as a genuine solution for well-being, rather than a tool that ironically increases anxiety and screen usage?
  2. Considering the mixed reactions to similar apps and the challenge of convincing people to pay in this category, what is your unfair advantage or unique angle that will attract users and drive sustainable revenue?
  3. How will you proactively address the criticism that some screen time management solutions are self-centered or cater to the 'me generation,' and instead promote a sense of balance, connection, and overall well-being?

Your are here

You're entering a market where people are aware of the problem of pre-sleep phone use and are actively looking for solutions. There are several similar products already available (n_matches = 8), indicating that you are in a competitive space. The "Freemium" category suggests that while people are interested in these types of products, they may resist paying for them upfront. This is further validated by the lack of strong net buy signals. The engagement level is medium (avg n_comments = 5), so users are somewhat engaged, but it's not a viral product category where people are excessively raving or complaining about each individual solution. Given this context, you need to be prepared to differentiate and carefully consider how you'll generate revenue.

Recommendations

  1. Since you're in the "Freemium" category with multiple competitors, deeply analyze the existing solutions like Dream Sheep and 4rem. Understand their features, pricing, and user feedback (both positive and negative). Pay close attention to the criticisms surrounding products like 'Can you go an hour without touching your phone?' that mention increasing screen time paradoxically. This will help you identify gaps and differentiate your product effectively.
  2. Start by identifying specific user segments who struggle most with pre-sleep phone use. Are they students, professionals, or parents? Understanding their unique needs and pain points will enable you to tailor your product and marketing messages more effectively. For instance, are they struggling with work emails, social media or something else?
  3. Design your free version to offer core functionality that provides real value. Focus on one or two key features that address the most common user needs, such as basic screen time tracking and usage limits. This will help you attract a broad user base and showcase the potential of your product. But keep in mind the negative feedback from other products and make sure not to make it even easier to spend time on the phone.
  4. Based on the idea category recommendation, create premium features that provide significantly enhanced value for power users. This could include advanced analytics, personalized recommendations, custom content (e.g., sleep meditations, calming stories), or integrations with other health and wellness apps. Determine what would be the biggest value-add for those who use the free version consistently.
  5. Consider offering team or family plans to encourage wider adoption and increase revenue potential. Businesses might be interested in using your product to promote employee wellness and reduce burnout. Families might benefit from shared screen time limits and parental controls. Make it easy for groups to onboard.
  6. Explore offering personalized coaching or consulting services to help users develop healthy sleep habits. This could be a high-value add-on for users who need extra support and guidance. You could also create premium content such as webinars, workshops, or one-on-one consultations.
  7. Implement A/B testing to experiment with different pricing models and feature sets. Start with a small group of users and gather feedback before rolling out changes to your entire user base. Be flexible and willing to adjust your strategy based on what you learn.
  8. Actively engage with your users to gather feedback and build a community. Respond to comments, answer questions, and solicit suggestions for new features. User feedback is invaluable for improving your product and building customer loyalty. Check out the existing apps' comment sections for inspiration.

Questions

  1. Given the potential for 'doomscrolling' and negative associations with screen time reduction apps, how will you ensure your product is perceived as a genuine solution for well-being, rather than a tool that ironically increases anxiety and screen usage?
  2. Considering the mixed reactions to similar apps and the challenge of convincing people to pay in this category, what is your unfair advantage or unique angle that will attract users and drive sustainable revenue?
  3. How will you proactively address the criticism that some screen time management solutions are self-centered or cater to the 'me generation,' and instead promote a sense of balance, connection, and overall well-being?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 8
  • Engagement: Medium
    • Average number of comments: 5
  • Net use signal: 31.8%
    • Positive use signal: 35.8%
    • Negative use signal: 4.0%
  • Net buy signal: -2.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 2.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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A user expressed interest in seeing a comparison between Dream Sheep and other screen time management applications. This suggests a desire to understand Dream Sheep's unique value proposition relative to existing solutions in the market.

abhra_ch

Hi @masaki_nakata ! DREAM SHEEP sounds like an incredible way to reclaim precious time and live more fulfilling lives. Reducing phone usage by 1,440 hours a year is a game changer! Can't wait to try it out and see the positive impact. 😍📱🚀

cydney_mccloskey

the display is so cute that I am interested in learning it. always studying and I am accompanied by plenty of tissue and see-u tissue tisu ramah lingkungan produced by PT SUPARMA TBK

jackielinecosares

Dream Sheep seems like a fantastic tool for reclaiming our time from endless scrolling. 1440 hours a year is a lot of time—equivalent to 180 workdays or watching "Game of Thrones" 23 times over! 😮 I'm curious how Dream Sheep stacks up against other screen time apps like Forest and Moment. What unique features does it offer to make reducing phone usage fun and engaging?

deleted-7069161

You Got This! Reducing phone time can feel daunting, but this sounds like a game-changer! Making it easy and achievable is key. I'm excited to see how this product helps people reclaim control of their time and attention. Let's ditch the phone addiction and get back to living life to the fullest!

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Looks promising ! such a cool app to help us stay productive and not wasting too much time on phone. Would love to try this app soon !! keep it up and oh i really love the whole design also !!

deleted-7033832

I enjoy the cute characters that cheer me on. They make reducing screen time fun and provide a sense of encouragement.

deleted-7055642

I love how it integrates with my daily routine seamlessly. It’s like having a personal assistant helping me manage my time.

deleted-7035599

Super cool. The app not only reduces screen time but also helps people manage their stress by disconnecting from social media. Great for mental health!

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It's amazing how much more I can accomplish and how I'm slowly breaking free from smartphone addiction.

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According to a 2022 survey [1], the average US adult picks up their phone 352 times per day, or approximately once every 2m43s while they're awake. Inspired by Calm's DoNothingFor2Minutes.com which launched on HN 13 years ago [2], I made this simple webapp to see if my friends and I could go an hour without touching our phones. It is surprisingly difficult. If you're reading HN on your phone, definitely give it a shot.On browsers that support it (iOS 16.4+, most versions of Android Chrome), it uses the Screen Wake Lock API [3] to keep the page open, and falls back to nosleep.js [4] otherwise. From testing on my iPhone 14 Pro Max running iOS 16.6, battery life only went down 3 or 4 percentage points after an hour with the wake lock.Made this as a web app as a quick demo to be compatible across all mobile devices. As an app, we can probably save more on battery + not have the screen on. One caveat is that on iOS this will actually increase your Screen Time (although hopefully reduce your other category usage). I currently only track time on page through Google Analytics 4. No other calls are made to a server, although if we actually wanted to verify that you kept the page open vs. javascript/inspector-system clock-fu, we could add a verified mode that pings the server every X minutes. As a PWA, possibly due to an iOS/Mobile Safari quirk, neither wake lock nor nosleep.js appear to work .[1] https://www.asurion.com/connect/news/tech-usage/ [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2124106 [3] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Screen_Wake... [4] https://github.com/richtr/NoSleep.js

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When I'm stuck on coding something, I find myself reaching for my phone even if I don't have any particular reason to do so. Inspired by Calm's DoNothingFor2Minutes.com which launched on HN 13 years ago [1], I made this simple webapp to see if my friends and I could go an hour without touching our phones. It is surprisingly difficult.According to a 2022 survey [2], the average US adult picks up their phone 352 times per day, or approximately once every 2m43s while they're awake.On browsers that support it (iOS 16.4+, most versions of Android Chrome), it uses the Screen Wake Lock API [3] to keep the page open, and falls back to nosleep.js [4] otherwise. From testing on my iPhone 14 Pro Max running iOS 16.6, battery life only went down 3 or 4 percentage points after an hour with the wake lock.Made this as a web app as a quick demo to be compatible across all mobile devices. As an app, we can probably save more on battery + not have the screen on. One caveat is that on iOS this will actually increase your Screen Time (although hopefully reduce your other category usage).I currently only track time on page through Google Analytics 4. No other calls are made to a server, although if we actually wanted to verify that you kept the page open vs. javascript/inspector-system clock-fu, we could add a verified mode that pings the server every X minutes.As a PWA, possibly due to an iOS/Mobile Safari quirk/bug [5], neither wake lock nor nosleep.js appear to work .[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2124106 [2] https://www.asurion.com/connect/news/tech-usage/ [3] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Screen_Wake... [4] https://github.com/richtr/NoSleep.js [5] https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=254545

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