Upmood
Upmood is the first emotion tracking wearable and app that helps people be their best self through a deeper and better understanding of their emotion. Through the built-in PPG sensor, Upmood can detect up to 11 emotions — Calm, Pleasant, Unpleasant, Happy, Sad, Excitement, Anxious, Strained, Confused, Challenged, and Zen, simply from a person's heart rate, stress levels, and vitality levels. The information is then translated to real time, day-to-day data for users to keep track of their emotional trends and progress.
🚀 Case Study: Upmood Watch & App Ecosystem
Project Title: Upmood – Biometric Emotion & Stress Tracking Ecosystem
Role: Lead UI/UX Designer
Platform: iOS & Android Mobile App, Wearable Smartwatch UI
Tools: Figma, User Flows, Wireframing, Rapid Prototyping, Design Systems
Key Focus: HealthTech, Enterprise SaaS / IoT, AI Music Integration, Complex Data Visualization
💼 Project Overview
Upmood is a groundbreaking wearable and mobile application ecosystem that tracks real-time biometric heart data (PPI/HRV) to decode 11 core emotional states and stress levels.
As the Lead UI/UX Designer, I designed an intuitive interface and visual design system that turns dense, complex biometric data into actionable daily insights, interactive social features, and AI-driven mood enhancement tools.
🎯 The Challenge
Translating Complex Biodata: Transforming raw Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and PPG biometric readings into simple, recognizable emotional indicators without overwhelming the user.
Multi-Touchpoint Design: Architecting a unified user experience across the Upmood Watch hardware interface, mobile application, and connected social/mindfulness ecosystems.
Driving User Engagement: Designing daily habit loops around stress management, sleep tracking, and emotional expression.
💡 Key Features & UI/UX Solutions Designed
1. Real-Time Emotion & Stress Dashboard
The Solution: Designed a clean, color-coded visual hierarchy tracking 11 distinct emotional states (anxious, calm, focused, excited, happy, sad, etc.) and instant Stress Level indicators (Low, Mild, Normal, High).
Impact: Allowed users to identify emotional triggers at a glance right from their wrist or mobile screen.
2. Mood Stream & Mood Lab (Social Connection)
The Solution: Created a dynamic activity feed (Mood Stream) that tracks daily emotional trends, alongside Mood Lab and Lover’s Mode, enabling users to share real-time emotions and send animated reactions to loved ones.
UX Focus: Reduced emotional friction and built meaningful digital empathy loops.
3. Mood Mix (AI-Driven Music Integration)
The Solution: Designed the UI for an AI-powered in-app music player connected to Universal Production Music.
Mechanism: The app automatically generates playlists based on brainwave frequency targets (Delta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma) to shift user moods toward focus, relaxation, or motivation.
4. All-in-One Health & Biometric Suite
Integrated Sleep Mode analytics, Calorie Burn Counter, BPM Monitoring, and Pedometer into a cohesive health dashboard alongside smartwatch notification controls.
⚙️ The Design Process
Research & Science Alignment: Partnered with researchers (based on studies from HKU) to understand heart biometric algorithms and emotional mapping models.
UX Architecture & Data Flows: Mapped out complex user flows for how bio-sensors sync via Bluetooth, process historical/current stress levels, and trigger real-time app notifications.
UI & Component System: Built an accessible component library in Figma designed for quick readability on both smartwatch displays and mobile dark/light modes.
Prototyping & Developer Handoff: Created interactive prototypes for micro-interactions (Mood Mix player, instant emotion sharing) and provided annotated specs for engineering handoffs.
👥 USER PERSONAS
Attribute | Persona A: The Present Generation (Primary User) | Persona B: The Supportive Circle (Secondary User) |
Target Group | Gen Z & Gen Alpha (Aged 10–30) growing up in a smartphone and social media-saturated world (born 1995 onwards). | Adults in young people's lives: Parents, teachers, school counsellors, and caregivers. |
Core Philosophy | Structural pressures affect this entire group from 10-year-olds entering adolescence to 25-year-olds processing phone-saturated childhoods. | Young people cannot improve in isolation. A calm, regulated adult is the most powerful intervention available. |
Primary Needs | • Emotional self-awareness • Sleep improvement & attention rebuilding • Real-world social connection • Access to calm, non-addictive interventions | • Personal stress & burnout management • Emotional regulation & modeling healthy tech habits • Understanding youth pressures • Practical tools to support youth without over/under-protecting |
Key Use Cases & Functionality | Direct Wellbeing & Biometric Tracking: Serves emotional self-regulation and focus recovery via the Upmood. | 1. Personal Wellbeing (Primary): Calibrated to adult stressors (workplace pressure, caregiver burnout). 2. Companion View (Secondary): Optional, consent-based summary of a connected youth’s emotional status. |
Product & UX Nuances | • Under 13: Requires parental consent & simplified UI. • Ages 13–17: Highest-risk group needing targeted care. • Ages 18–30: Early adopters reclaiming emotional health. | • Self-Regulation First: Used primarily for personal adult wellbeing—not as a monitoring/surveillance tool. • Relational Focus: Designed to prompt meaningful real-world conversations rather than digital surveillance. |
📈 Key Outcomes & Impact
CES 2020 Feature: Showcase-worthy product featured at major international consumer tech events.
Multi-Generational Success: Designed and scaled UX/UI through Generation 1 (Tracking Band) to Generation 2 (Upmood Smartwatch).
Complex Logic Made Simple: Successfully simplified dense biometric algorithms (PPI, HRV, brainwaves) into an effortless, everyday health tool.
Key Takeaway
Upmood bridged the gap between complex hardware biometrics and intuitive daily software. By prioritizing clear visual hierarchy, emotional design, and scalable UI components, we created a seamless health tracking experience.
