Key indicators since the launch in April 2023 (subscriptions launched in October 2023) :
- +400 paying users
- 40% conversion from the startup program to a quarterly subscription
- Annual churn rate below 20%
- Excellent customer satisfaction (NPS 30)
- 500,000+ listening minutes
- An average of 140 minutes of listening per week per client
- Download on the App Store
- Get it on Google Play
AudioVitality and its RubesaSounds®
Founded in Switzerland in 2010, AudioVitality is a global leader in the scientific applications of sound and vibration technologies in sports, health, and wellness.
AudioVitality’s proprietary RubesaSounds® technology is at the heart of this game-changing approach. These low-frequency neuromodulated sounds are precisely designed to target specific areas of the body and brain, inducing specific physical and mental states – from deep relaxation to improved concentration and attention.
In collaboration with elite athletes and renowned ENT doctors, AudioVitality has scientifically developed personalized programs that offer measurable improvements in sports performance, effective tinnitus management, and enhanced overall well-being. Clients can experience these exclusive sounds in immersive studio environments or on the go through the AudioVitality app.
Challenges in the WellTech sector
The WellTech sector encompasses technologies and innovations that aim to improve individuals’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This includes a wide range of products and services, such as meditation apps, health trackers, connected fitness equipment, improved sleep solutions, digital therapies, and much more. The primary goal of WellTech is to use technology to help people take better care of themselves and lead healthier, more balanced lives.
However, WellTech is not the same as medical devices. You may wonder where the boundary lies? Is your Apple Watch that does an electrocardiogram a medical device or not? Discover answers and reflection points by watching the third edition of the “digitalks” we organized in June 2024.
This is not a new concept either. In ancient Greece, there were “music therapists” who influenced moods using various instruments, rhythms, and sounds. Depending on the ailment, they would choose the aulos for ecstatic and emotional play or the gentle, harmonious sound of the lyre. This marks the beginning of a technical challenge in creating an app like AudioVitality: adapting the sound to the listener based on the desired outcome.
Bringing AudioVitality benefits outside studios
AudioVitality’s technology was initially developed for studio use. However, to realize their vision of making their technology accessible to the masses, they asked us to develop a mobile app. This app was designed to allow users to enjoy the benefits of AudioVitality’s RubesaSounds® anytime, anywhere. The goal of offering global coverage was also a central concern.
Their objective was twofold: provide a solution for those unable to visit their centers and ensure that the scientifically proven quality of service and beneficial effects were maintained. Although the physiological impact of the sounds is mainly felt in studios, their studies have shown that regular listening to 20-minute sessions through the app will extend and strengthen the benefits, ensuring optimal effectiveness.
The AudioVitality app needed to integrate seamlessly into users’ daily routines, with the goal of becoming an essential ritual for their well-being and health. The ambition was to create a high-quality user experience, without friction, that could evoke the highlights experienced in AudioVitality studios or encourage users to discover the full in-center experience. The app was intended to become a true health and wellness partner throughout the user’s life, offering a unique moment of relaxation every day.
A use case and its implications
The tinnitus care program by AudioVitality is a relatively simple example to explain. AudioVitality uses the intensity of the tinnitus to identify which component (G, D, noise, tone) is the strongest. The frequency of this component is then selected. These data are processed and transformed into RubesaSounds® – sounds composed of a fundamental frequency containing specific harmonics. Their distortions are capable of creating a range of mental effects, from relaxation to stimulation.
As we can see, it’s no longer about simply making a sound library available. The library responds to a personalized need, with solutions as numerous as the number of customers. Moreover, the product itself requires producing very high-quality sounds. When we talk about quality information, this results in large, heavy files – a challenge given the limited storage available on smartphones.
Final touch to this challenge, the application had to integrate with the existing information system. We therefore connected it to their strategic management tool : Salesforce.
Transforming a therapeutic sound into a digital experience
We designed and developed an app capable of offering operational flexibility and a smooth user experience, from sound generation to distribution, without leaving any doubt or opportunity for using a “mis-modulated and thus inappropriate” sound for the user.
But the starting point of this project goes back much further. We were involved in a close collaboration with our client from the outset. A comprehensive service design process was undertaken with AudioVitality. This collaboration began with deep reflection to help them structure their service proposition. Creating an app to offer personalized sounds might seem like just another solution; the specificity of AudioVitality’s offer needed to be clarified to ensure both commercial effectiveness and public adherence.
After benchmark and market analysis phases of the wellness sector, design workshops were held to precisely define the value proposition. We then developed target personas, ensuring a clear understanding of market needs. Using the Business Model Canvas, we aimed to develop a funding model and pricing strategy adapted to users’ expectations.
User tests played a key role in validating our assumptions and helping to develop strategic partnerships, including with leaders like Sennheiser. In fact, the quality of the RubesaSounds® required technical efforts (discussed later in this article) and ensuring that users listen to the sounds in the best possible conditions. The audio headset used must accurately reproduce the sound, making this hardware an essential tool in AudioVitality’s care programs. Being able to engage in serious discussions with a reputable partner in the field was an important step.
The UI/UX testing approach was particularly focused on the “Tinnitus” program. We sought to understand the app’s limits, whether in terms of listening regularity, program visualization, etc. Evaluating these points was necessary to ensure that both AudioVitality experts and customers could use the app effectively.
Combining our efforts, we were able to continuously refine the specifications of the AudioVitality app to meet the specific needs of its future users. The goal was to maximize the app’s impact in the highly competitive wellness sound market.
From a design perspective, the challenge was to replace physical accompaniment with a largely dematerialized service. Managing the screen during listening sessions was also an important step. While in-center listening requires no visuals, the user experience through the app had to offer a dynamic interface. But once again, the sound being fully personalized required a solution that could adapt to each session, each sound, each user.
Ultimately, the app had to be clear and simple enough to allow the complete execution of a program remotely.
The challenge :
- Providing a simple audio player
- Allowing users to track their progress
- Resuming from where they left off
- Offering an activity visualization
- Providing an immersive player
- Managing subscriptions and support
The app essentially acts as a dedicated space allowing users to :
- Connect to their personalized program
- Define accompaniment goals (sounds, listening time, steps, etc.)
- Receive personalized guidance and practical tips for each session
- The program spans several weeks, is adaptive, and should be adjustable.
Each point was discussed, evaluated, and validated during our various design workshops. This work was exciting in every way, and we are very proud to have collaborated with AudioVitality’s teams on these aspects.
Generate 100% Personalized Sounds
Apptitude’s technical teams collaborated with AudioVitality experts to develop a unique solution for producing and managing sounds efficiently with high quality, all while preserving the exclusive nature of sound creation. The challenge was ensuring the audio file maintained exceptional quality, resulting in larger file sizes. To meet this need, we chose a file type that preserves audio quality through lossless compression. “Lossless” formats retain the integrity of the original audio file without significant data loss.
If you’d like to learn more about audio compression techniques and discover the best current format, we dedicated an article to it on our blog.
A final criterion was compatibility with most smartphones, computers, and Hi-Fi devices. Our choice also preserves infrasound and ultrasound frequencies, which have been used for therapeutic treatments for several years.
Personalized Sound Broadcasting: Advanced Technical Processes
Creating an on-demand, personalized sound broadcasting application for a global audience requires a robust computational infrastructure to ensure a smooth and enjoyable audio experience. During development, we first optimized the system to reduce computational load. Our solution minimizes resource demands while preserving the desired sound output. The final AudioVitality application ensures efficient and seamless generation of personalized sounds.
Final challenge: Integration with Salesforce
Salesforce is a leading Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform used for managing sales, marketing, and customer service.
Through its API, Salesforce offers integrations with numerous external tools, allowing for increased customization and optimization of business processes. The goal is to facilitate process automation and data exchange between different platforms, such as a mobile application.
With the help of Salesforce engineers, we had to connect our application to their system to enable AudioVitality to track their clients through the platform.
An App that redefines WellTech
The collaboration between Apptitude and AudioVitality has led to the creation of a comprehensive specification for a mobile application capable of generating and delivering high-quality, personalized sounds for user well-being. Thanks to the combined expertise and skills of AudioVitality’s teams and our service design, UX/UI design, and web and mobile development teams, we were able to address the numerous challenges of offer positioning and technical challenges of the project. This application is now ready to make a positive impact on the Welltech sector by enabling more effective management of stress and tinnitus while ensuring an optimal user experience.
“Apptitude understood and realized our ambition to make AudioVitality’s technology accessible to a broader audience. Their ability to overcome technical challenges, including creating a high-performance audio engine and seamless integration with our Salesforce CRM, was crucial in delivering a high-quality user experience while maintaining our standard of excellence. A big thank you to the entire Apptitude team.” Cedric Felli, Marketing and App Director, AudioVitality