Baseline Study Synthesis: Anemone

Team Anemone: Henry Greenman, Athena Shiravi, Zoya Garg, Emily Hsu, Isabelle Levent

Full Google Document: Link

Baseline Study

In this study, the behavior we were trying to change is to help people get more sun. The type of participants we were looking for were people who may want to get more sun on a daily basis for various reasons, whether that be for physical, emotional, and/or mental health. It may also be tied to other habits like going outside, going for a walk, opening the window, or getting exercise. Since our study was conditioned on the environment, we’re looking for people who live in cities with some access to sunlight or who may already have substitutes like a daylight therapy lamp. For the purposes of this study, we screened out people who found it very hard to get physical access to sunlight or didn’t already have a working substitute. We also screened out people who get a lot of sun exposure (1+ hour of direct sunlight and 3+ hours of indirect sunlight a day) and believe they already have enough sunlight.

A few avenues we looked to recruit participants were Reddit threads of people who have been prescribed “light therapy” for symptoms of depression / ADHD, new grads who spend most of their days working in the office, and grad students who may feel more isolated and find it difficult to leave their apartments. The key characteristics that we were looking for were people who have access to sunlight and were highly motivated to get more sunlight but still struggle to do it at the cadence and in the amount they hope for.

Screener: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MLv32RQlKT9FxGNFNWd12PWYtSmUyE7yPTBdqz3ZgIE/edit

Screener Data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UlQQXe_UZiZKRJmG8qi2H7srQQ3G_MTXwJEMwZ-7e4k/edit?usp=sharing

Baseline Study Design

An important part of the baseline study was to understand the mental model of the participant, what related behaviors might be creating roadblocks to getting more sun and what related behaviors can be used as opportunities to get more sun. Therefore, we wanted to understand how much sun a participant is getting, why they may or may not be getting enough sun, and what activities or behaviors cause them to be in direct or indirect sunlight. Why were they going outside? What mode(s) of transportation do they use to get places? If they stay inside all day, what were they up to? We also want to understand how the sun exposure or lack of sun exposure makes them feel. We will ask the participant to log where they were and what they were doing when the sun is up and after the sun goes down. All our specific questions were included below in the data collection plan. 

Before the study, we conducted screening interviews. All interviews, transcripts, audio recordings, and other information can be seen in the following folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1umchL0bo9UyC5SXFRdwSiM-7QZdRvcS8?usp=sharing

Data Collection Plan

For our study, we asked participants to fill out a Google form every hour and every time they go outside to track:

• Where are you?
• What are you doing? If you are in transit, where are you going?
• Are you in direct / indirect sunlight?
• How do you feel and why?
• Take a photo of your surroundings

We were able to see the responses as they came in, so if we noticed that participants have not been filling out the form we can remind them. We also allowed participants to opt-in to hourly email reminders to fill out the survey. 

Survey link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlnKAXviykg8kdElTdOFBDy5hf9IHVuAEKKL2QdjJmMMQgHQ/viewform?usp=sharing

Survey participants’ Data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZXeNlfbVa9GzdnjUWuDHMA2sM-l2f6F81nTupc0ErFI/edit?usp=sharing

After the study, we conducted Post-Study Interviews.  All interviews, transcripts, audio recordings, and other information can be seen in the following folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QjVvtjU73IN_TCcFFGlCuMiaZEMqHFVT?usp=sharing

Raw Data to Grounded Theory

Grounded Theory 1: People recognize the benefits of sunlight exposure, but it is often deprioritized due to daily responsibilities and environmental constraints.

• Subtheory: People feel more productive and in a better mood when exposed to sunlight, yet struggle to integrate it into their routines.
  • Nicole: “It made me realize that I feel like I was more stressed when I had something to do that I was putting off… maybe it didn’t help exactly that I was inside the whole day as well.”​
  • Dylan: “I really noticed how the sun affects my mood… my energy and motivation levels were much higher.”​
  • Yan Ying: “I think I do feel a little bit more productive when I’m in indirect sunlight in my room.”​
• Question: What habits have room to squeeze in sun exposure alongside them?
• The challenge isn’t that people don’t believe in the benefits of sunlight—it’s that it doesn’t seamlessly fit into their daily activities. A behavioral intervention should help integrate sun exposure into existing habits rather than creating an additional task. This could mean encouraging microdoses of sun exposure (e.g., stepping outside for a few minutes after a meeting) or leveraging habit stacking (e.g., pairing sun exposure with coffee breaks).
  • Subtheory: Sunlight exposure is often dictated by external factors such as weather, schedules, and cultural beliefs rather than personal preference.
    • Athena’s Mom: “I didn’t even think it was a priority at all… This was such an American concept, to be in the sun to make yourself happy.”​
    • Yan Ying: “I was home a lot more than I usually was because of the weather.”​
    • Simone: “If it’s a nice day out, I’ll spend a lot more time outside. But when it’s cold out, probably only 30 minutes.”​
• Weather, cultural perspectives, and daily obligations influence sun exposure more than intrinsic motivation. A behavioral product should help identify opportune moments when sun exposure is feasible (e.g., suggesting outdoor time when the weather is favorable). It could also reduce friction by offering indoor alternatives like working near windows when outdoor exposure isn’t practical.

Grounded Theory 2: Social interactions play a role in increasing exposure to sunlight, but they are not always intentional.

• Subtheory: People tend to get more sunlight when social plans naturally bring them outdoors.
  • Dylan: “Because I was in the sun more, I ended up running into people… actually having conversations that lasted longer.”​
  • Yan Ying: “Friends make plans, like going to sit on the quad or study outside, that motivates me to go out.”​

• Question: How can we leverage the social aspect of being outdoors?
• Social interactions serve as a natural motivator for spending time outdoors. A successful intervention could leverage social accountability—such as reminders to meet friends outdoors or a gamified experience where users earn rewards for group outdoor activities.
• Subtheory: Sunlight exposure and socialization may be correlated, but it is unclear which factor influences the other more.
  • Nicole: “I did get a little bit more sunlight when I actually had a task to do, like going to look at apartments or going out to eat.”​
  • Yan Ying: “I think I don’t necessarily know if going out makes me happier or if I’m happier so I want to go out.”​
• Question: Is sunlight exposure a means of social engagement, or is social engagement a means of getting sunlight?

• Instead of assuming sunlight alone directly improves well-being, an intervention should highlight the benefits of outdoor activities

Grounded Theory 3: Structural and institutional factors create barriers to sunlight exposure, especially in academic and professional settings.

• Subtheory: Work and academic commitments keep people indoors, limiting their access to natural light.
  • Dylan: “I needed to go in a building… I have to go into a lot of engineering buildings and stuff like that, and so I was in basements that didn’t have many windows.”​
  • Athena’s Mom: “Everything I do is in the capacity of either working or helping my family… I don’t think being in the sun is a top priority compared to my other habits.”​
• People spend long hours indoors due to school and work commitments. An effective intervention should fit within these constraints—for example, by encouraging short, strategic sun breaks (e.g., stepping outside between meetings) or promoting workspace adjustments (e.g., positioning desks near windows).
• Subtheory: People with structured schedules or rigid environments struggle to change their habits.
  • Yan Ying: “I have to take a shuttle downtown for my classes, which are three hours long, indoors, with no windows. I heard that design was intentional because they didn’t want students to be distracted.”
  • Athena’s Mom: “I spend so much time behind a monitor… but when I took meetings on a walk, I felt much more present.”​

Grounded Theory 4: Sunlight exposure is perceived as a passive benefit rather than an active goal.

• Subtheory: Many people do not actively seek sunlight exposure unless prompted by external circumstances.
  • Simone: “I don’t think about it day to day… I just get it when I’m outside going to class.”​
  • Nicole: “If I don’t have anything to do, I don’t go outside… I didn’t feel like there was something calling me outside.”
• Question: What behavioral interventions could help people actively want sunlight exposure?
• A behavioral intervention should make sunlight a more conscious decision rather than a passive one.
• Subtheory: People acknowledge the importance of sunlight but do not always act on it.
  • Athena’s Mom: “I definitely notice that being in the sun makes me a lot happier… but I still wouldn’t say I prioritize it.”
  • Dylan: “I know myself, and I can see this behavior falling by the wayside unless I have a reason to keep doing it.”

Grounded Theory 5: People modify their environments to compensate for a lack of direct sunlight, but it is not always sufficient.

• Subtheory: Many participants use indirect sunlight or artificial lighting to mimic natural light exposure.
  • Yan Ying: “I prefer working in indirect sunlight in my room rather than in a dark study lounge.”
  • Nicole: “Even when I did wake up on time, I didn’t go outside… I’d just open the blinds instead.”
• Question: Can indoor light exposure truly replicate the benefits of natural sunlight?
• If going outside is not an option, an intervention could optimize indoor lighting environments by tracking light exposure and offering recommendations (e.g., adjusting workspace layouts to increase exposure to natural light).

• Subtheory: Simple environmental changes, like moving closer to windows, can improve mood and productivity.
  • Dylan: “Watching the sunset from my window made me feel appreciative… just having a sense of time was really cool.”
  • Athena’s Mom: “I took meetings on a walk instead of behind a monitor, and it helped me feel present.”
• Question: How can behavioral nudges encourage people to optimize natural light exposure in indoor settings?
• A low-friction approach to increasing sun exposure—such as designing workspaces around natural light access or encouraging “walking meetings”—may be more effective than expecting people to change their routines entirely.

 

System Models

Our fishbone diagram, seen above, emphasizes the four factors that lead to a lack of sun exposure: environment, schedule, feelings, and actions. We can see that participants are stressed and busy, have environments that hinder sunlight directly (no windows) or indirectly (being outside is unpleasant because of the cold), and spend most of their time indoors working or studying. 

Our iceberg diagram, seen above, allows us to dig deeper into what is behind the daily action of spending a majority of time indoors studying or working. By analyzing this behavior, we discover that participants don’t think sun exposure is a priority in their busy schedules (it’s a nice to have not a need to have). They have finite time to allocate and prioritizing actions that optimize work is more important. 

Finally, we use the connections diagram, seen above, to build a better sense of how feelings, actions, and low vs. high sun exposure are correlated. Our diagram reveals that behaviors that seem unproductive like commuting, doing chores, or spending time with friends actually bring participants outdoors and expose them to sun. Habits like commuting and doing chores are constants in someone’s schedule, but not time they intentionally allocate for sun exposure; instead, they are exposed to sun passively. Behaviors that are correlated with productivity and stress tend to be correlated with low sun exposure as well. Finally, we see that feeling energized is correlated with being productive, which suggests that we can use sun’s impact on energy (and therefore productivity) as a lever for habit change. 

 

Secondary Research

Literature Review

Based on our literature review, we extracted the following insights across the papers:

Key Insight 1: Research shows that there are numerous physical and mental health benefits associated with sun exposure.

• In studies spanned the US, China, Korea, and the UK, Tuniguchi found that increased sunlight exposure and time in natural environments—access to green spaces and regular outdoor physical activity—reduced depression and anxiety symptoms. 
• In a study among female college students in the UAE, Agouti et al. found that vitamin D deficiency was strongly associated with an elevated risk in generalized anxiety disorder.
• Alfredsson et al. found that sunlight positively affects mood and mental health, reducing symptoms of depression, particularly seasonal affective disorder (SAD), because exposure triggers serotonin production, enhancing feelings of happiness and relaxation.
• Hoel et al. found that moderate sun exposure is linked to reduced risks of several diseases, including cardiovascular issues, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and certain cancers, as vitamin D is essential for various bodily functions.

→ Takeaway: Educating our target audience on the health benefits of sunlight can generate more intrinsic motivation towards building sun habits. Moreover, if we can show evidence of positive effects on mood and physical health in their lives, it can further strengthen this habit.

Key Insight 2: Sunlight plays an important role in regulating circadian rhythms, which in turn improves sleep quality.

• Zhang and Volkow find that circadian rhythm disruptions, driven by seasonal variations in light exposure, may contribute to mood disorders such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. 
• In a study done on over 500 UW students from 2015 to 2018, researchers found that students get less sleep and lower quality sleep in the winter seasons as reduced sunlight hours impact their circadian rhythm.
• Moreover, He et al. shows that sunlight first thing in the morning can improve sleep and night and alertness during the day.

→ Takeaway: Tracking sleep alongside sunlight exposure could be an important metric, especially if we want to encourage habit stacking (i.e.waking up early and getting sun). There are also multiple positive reinforcement loops that we can take advantage of i.e. getting sun → better sleep → wake up early → more daylight hours to get more sun.

Key Insight 3: Researchers recommend public health and policy reforms to shape public sentiment around sun exposure and increase access to sunlight in people’s daily lives.

• Taniguchi et al. advocates for increased access to green spaces dedicated to exercise and recreation, while Wang et al. advocates for structural changes in workplaces, like hospitals to increase access to sunlight like hospitals, such as, “increasing the number of windows in the ward to improve sunlight status or adopting outdoor rehabilitation measures.”
• Weller recommends that public health recommendations should consider individual skin color and geographical factors, ensuring that policies do not overlook the broader, life-extending effects of moderate sun exposure.

→ Takeaway: There are very specific ways that we can tailor the sun habit experience to every person based on their personal living space / work environment. It’s also important to incorporate people’s geography, skin tone, and sunburn risks when recommending the amount of daily sun exposure.

 

Comparative Research

We identified the following trends from our market research:

Trend 1: Many sun-tracking apps are incorporating gamification to encourage consistent use and habit formation.

→ Implication: Many apps rely on some form of gamification to help users build habits around sunlight. With our knowledge of the downsides of gamification, we want to differentiate ourselves by helping the user tie sunlight exposure to things they intrinsically care about (i.e. mood, sleep, alertness, etc.) instead of relying on extrinsic motivators that may lead to crowding out.

Trend 2: Many apps employ passive tracking by integrating with Apple Health or wearable devices to reduce user friction.

• Apple Watch Time in Daylight tracks sunlight exposure based on how much time your Apple watch is uncovered and exposed to the sun.
• Sunflower pulls in Sleep and Time in Daylight data from Apple Health to measure whether you’ve hit your sunlight goal for the day.
• Sun Screenr also integrates with Apple Health’s Time in Daylight to track daily sun exposure, whereas the user only needs to log their sunscreen application manually.

→ Implication: From our baseline study, we found that people struggle to actively log their time in daylight and other factors regularly during the day due to busy schedules and being on the move. Further informed by this market trend, we would like to make the tracking process as easy and seamless as possible for our user.

Trend 3: More apps are focusing on providing personalized experience and insights beyond just raw data, helping users optimize sun exposure for health benefits.

• SunSeek provides personalized recommendations on when to go outside for optimal sunlight exposure based on location, weather, and time of day.
• D Minder estimates vitamin D production based on UV exposure and Riseroo recommends a certain amount of sunlight each day based on solar radiation levels measured via the camera.
• How We Feel provides insights of the user across time to help them visualize how their mood changes based on various factors such as time of day, amount of sleep, day of the week, amount of exercise, weather, location, activity, etc.

→ Implication: The experience of building a sun habit can vary widely across individuals who live in different places and have different levels of access to sunlight. We want to tailor the experience to each individual’s experience and give them insights into how their sun exposure is affecting other aspects of their life such as sleep and mood.

For our 2×2 grid, we plot our competitors along two axes: (1) maintenance – indicating the amount of effort required by the user to get functionality out of the solution, and (2) insight – indicating the information density and amount of data-driven insights the solution provides. The level of maintenance required by the user is important because it is hard to get people to regularly log their information – as we learned from our baseline study. The level of insight is important as informed by our literature review because sunlight habits are strongly tied to intrinsic motivators like health, wellness, and sleep. 

• Apple Watch Time in Daylight and Sunflower are the lowest maintenance solution because it relies entirely on passive tracking through the Apple Watch.
• The hardware solutions Happy Lamp, SunLED, and Hatch Lamp can be grouped into the low-maintenance / low-insight category as they don’t require much effort from the user besides for initial set-up, but they also only act as an alternative light source without assisting with habit-building or information-tracking.
• Riseroo, SunScreenr, and D Minder Pro each focus on a specific niche beyond mere sun exposure – morning light, sunscreen application, and vitamin D levels, respectively.
• Sun Seek and How We Feel are the most insightful but also require the most maintenance because you need to input information like mood, physical activity, sleep, etc.

After plotting our competitors out on the 2×2 grid, we noticed the more insight that an app provides, naturally the more high maintenance it becomes because the user is required to input more information that can’t be passively collected.Therefore, our opportunity for differentiation lies on the upper left quadrant: low maintenance and high insight.

 

Dylan — Proto-Persona & Journey Map 

Dylan is a hard-working medical school applicant and Stanford alum balancing work, MCAT studying, while still aiming to maintain healthy habits and get enough sleep. He knows the importance of sun exposure, and realizes that it helps his mood, but has trouble getting outside when he is forced inside due to window-free classrooms as well as work. He does acknowledge that windows in his residence help him get sunlight, but needs to physically get himself outside more. While he tries to get outside after waking up early (5:45-6 AM), he has concerns about sunburns or dehydration at later hours in the day, which can dampen his desire for sun exposure. Dylan’s priority is work at this time, but he desires consistent time to get sun exposure, due to its positive effects. Some key takeaways are that Dylan struggles with time inside as a result of his current academic and professional schedule, has sun-related health concerns that limit his exposure, and has a distinct lack of sunlight in the winter months.

In Dylan’s journey map, we see that morning to early afternoon is the prime time for sun exposure. Despite his early wakeup, often before the sun rises, he still attempts to go outside. This is an important factor — despite being busy, Dylan still tries to get sun. He notices that he feels better at that time. However, if he happens to get sun during the day, he has concerns about dehydration and sunburn. This is a minority of days, however, as he is often inside of window-free classrooms. Nonetheless, he recalls that days with more time outside were correlated with generally positive emotions. There is opportunity to harness Dylan’s positive associations of sunlight, as well as his early wakeup hours in order to nudge him towards morning sunlight.

Nicole — Proto-persona & Journey map

Nicole is a recent college graduate, who aims to get more sun and spend more time outside as a way to improve her mood and health. A limitation she faces is that she is at an interim stage of her professional life — being between college and a job, she is often inside of her house and does not have reasons to go outside each day. She used to lay outside suntanning during the pandemic in order to get vitamin D, but has not received consistent sun since then. She is often inside her bedroom, living room, kitchen, and commuting with family on the weekends. She mostly relies on windows in her bedroom to receive sun. A routine that inhibits her sun exposure is spending lots of time inside, watching TikTok and Netflix. Some key takeaways are that Nicole struggles with lack of sunlight due to lots of time inside on social media, and the lack of a need to go outside on a daily basis. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Nicole’s journey map, we see that she experiences her most positive emotions at the start of the day and in the evening. At these times, she is typically scrolling TikTok and/or watching Netflix, when she is very unlikely to be outside of the house. When the sun sets around 4 pm during winter months, she often gets stressed. During the day, though the sun is out, she is limited by the cold weather. When she went to school, and the weather was not as cold, she did enjoy outdoor walks. From this, we can see several opportunities to change Nicole’s behavior. Her phone use upon waking could be harnessed to remind her to go outside. Additionally, we could use warm-weather days motivate time outside.