User Research
This is the research behind Breathome.
Not assumptions — 76 real conversations. 46 guerrilla street interviews to test the problem, then 30 structured sessions to find out exactly who needs it most.
Act I — Guerrilla Validation
Validating the problem, one stranger at a time
We interviewed random people in public places — cafes, parks, gyms — using the Mom Test framework: ask about past behavior, not future intentions. Every answer was logged directly into a structured Microsoft Form, turning conversations into data instead of anecdotes.
46
People interviewed
Face-to-face, in public places, over 33 days.
89%
Would use it daily
Given a real-time signal of how their body burns fuel.
7.58/10
Average value rating
How valuable that signal would be to them, self-reported.
62%
Said €100–199 is fair
For a one-time purchase — 61% preferred no subscription at all.
85%
Don't understand how their own body burns fuel to lose weight.
Asked how their body “burns fuel” to lose weight, 45% believed it burns sugar first and fat only later, and 39% had never thought about it at all. Only 6% correctly named fat as the first fuel source. This is the gap Breathome exists to close — not just tracking effort, but explaining what the body is actually doing.
The Pivot
“Wanting to lose weight” isn't a user segment. It's too broad to build a product for.
— the investor pushback that sent us back into the field
Act I proved people wanted the signal. It didn't tell us who, specifically, would buy it. That question motivated a second, deeper round of research.
Act II — Structured Segmentation
30 interviews. Five learnings. Two segments.
Participants booked their own 60-minute session after receiving our outreach — active interest, not a passive survey. Every session followed the same five-step structure.
Welcome
Consent, rapport, and small talk.
Tracking Audit
Understand current habits, tools, and goals.
Journey Cards
Test reactions to 8 key product journey moments.
Mock App
Evaluate comprehension of visuals and goal framing.
Value & WTP
Identify purchase triggers and willingness to pay.
Key learnings — five findings in a nutshell
01 · UNDERSTANDING & ONBOARDING
Most don't understand how their body uses energy — scores feel confusing without structured onboarding.
25/30
would need educational onboarding to use it confidently
02 · VISUALIZATION NEEDS
Strong preference for trend graphs plus an average to compare against. Real-time snapshot preference splits between a gauge and dual fuel bars.
Trend + Average
the clear favorite for reviewing history
03 · RISKS & MISINTERPRETATION
The biggest risk is misreading the data — plus number obsession, hardware doubts, and social stigma.
27/30
named misinterpretation as the top risk
04 · GUIDANCE & MOTIVATION
Users want actionable guidance in a kind, encouraging tone, with goals that adapt to their needs.
20/30
want supportive, actionable metabolic guidance
05 · FEATURE: FOOD LOGGING
Participants want food logging to give context to their scores and understand how eating patterns influence their metabolism.
14/30
would benefit from or actively want it
How we ran it
Sessions were recorded and transcribed with Transkriptor, then anonymized. Transcripts were analyzed in NotebookLM against a structured set of questions, so findings could be counted and compared across participants — not just impressions. During sessions, we tested reactions with three custom interactive prototypes built specifically for these interviews: journey cards to walk through the product story moment by moment, a mock app to test visualizations and goal-framing, and a persona-identification exercise to see who people related to most. All three are below — try them yourself.
Participants were recruited with a simple flier — a QR code, up to 100 spots, and a device to keep.
Check the flier we used to recruit people →Where This Leads
Two high-potential user profiles
Grouped not by age or usage frequency, but by Job to Be Done — the moment that pushed each person to act. One involuntary, one chosen.
User Segment 01 — Metabolic Struggle
The women whose bodies have changed
Women 45–64
Involuntary hormonal & medical shifts — menopause · thyroid · PCOS
Executive Summary
Previous strategies stopped working — and they don't understand why. They're not looking for motivation; they want an explanation. High-intent buyers who've “fired” the scale out of anxiety, yet remain actively searching for tools that validate their effort.
Most Pressing Problem
Fat accumulation they can feel but can't measure. The scale is emotionally unusable — they need proof the effort is doing something, even when the number doesn't move.
Values & Goals
Clarity, validation, and feeling good in their own body. Not aesthetics — internal health reassurance.
Desired UX
Warm “Kind / Buddy” tone. Evening check-ins to review the day. Guidance and context, not raw data.
Features
Standalone step-counting. Weekly trend history. Hygiene-safe mouthpiece. Discreet, socially comfortable design.
Naming
“Body Fuel Use” is the clear winner — accessible and non-clinical, “not too scientific.”
Visualization
Trend Chart is non-negotiable — “I really crave long data.”
Price
€20/mo subscription or ~€200 one-time — but only with a perceived guarantee of results.
Triggers
Workarounds
User Segment 02 — Performance & Optimization
The body as a machine
High-performers 25–64
Already stack Garmin · Oura · Polar — high willingness to pay
Executive Summary
They already track everything — and are still missing one piece: real-time metabolic fuel data. They don't need convincing that tracking works; they need a better signal. Most likely to adopt a daily ritual from day one.
Most Pressing Problem
The Fueling Guess. They don't know whether their current metabolic state matches the demands of their next session — and the wrong call costs performance or recovery.
Values & Goals
Accuracy and scientific backing. Personal bests, avoiding bonking, data-driven recovery.
Desired UX
Technical clarity. “Gauge-style” go/no-go feedback. All want to know where the number comes from.
Features
Apple Health, Strava, Samsung Health integration — non-negotiable. Personalized off-track alerts.
Naming
Split: “Energy Use” for athletes vs. “Metabolic State / Fat Metabolic Score” for engineers.
Visualization
Dual Fuel Bars for athletes. Arc / Score Gauge for engineers who want a premium-tech feel.
Price
€200–300 — the highest, most consistent willingness to pay of any group.
Triggers
Workarounds
Try The Tools
The actual tools used in interviews
These aren't mockups made after the fact — they're the working prototypes we put in front of 30 participants. Click through them yourself below.
Journey Cards
8 key moments in the product story, from unboxing to the first confusing number — tested one card at a time.
Mock App
Tested comprehension of different score visualizations — gauge, trend chart, dual fuel bars — and goal framing.
Persona Identification
A fast, visual way to check which lifestyle photo each participant related to — used to validate the two segments.