Senze - User Persona
Primary User Persona

Meet Emma Chen

Our core user for Senze Companion Clip

👤

Emma Chen

24 years old

  • Occupation
    Junior UX Designer
  • Location
    Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC
  • Living Situation
    Shares 2BR apt with 2 roommates
  • Income
    $72,000/year
  • Education
    BFA in Design, NYU (2022)
  • Relationship
    Single, long-distance ex (recent)
💬

"I want something that feels personal and comforting, not like another app notification telling me to meditate."

📖 Background

Emma moved to New York after graduating from NYU's design program in 2022. She works at a mid-sized tech startup in Manhattan, designing user interfaces for a fintech app. The work is fast-paced and often stressful, especially as a junior team member navigating office politics and tight deadlines.

She shares a small Williamsburg apartment with two roommates—one works in marketing, the other is a grad student. Privacy is limited, and she's become acutely aware of maintaining boundaries in shared spaces. Her bedroom is her sanctuary, carefully curated with thrifted furniture and plants.

Emma has been in therapy on-and-off since college for generalized anxiety. She recently ended a 2-year relationship when her ex moved to LA for a job. She owns three Jellycat plush toys from different periods of her life—one from college, one her ex gave her, and one she bought herself during the breakup.

😔 Pain Points

  • 📱
    Emotion tracking feels clinical
    She's tried apps like Daylio and Moodpath, but they feel impersonal and data-driven rather than emotionally supportive. Opening them feels like homework.
  • 👀
    Privacy concerns with roommates
    She's uncomfortable with visible mental health tracking. Doesn't want roommates to see her "logging anxiety" or ask questions about therapy apps.
  • 🧘
    Inconsistent mindfulness practice
    Uses Headspace sporadically but forgets to practice. Needs physical reminders but finds wearables like Oura Ring "too quantified self."
  • 💔
    Difficulty with emotional vulnerability
    Post-breakup, she finds it hard to express emotions to friends. Feels "too old" to cry to a stuffed animal but still needs that comfort.
  • 📵
    Phone addiction before bed
    Scrolls Instagram and TikTok for hours instead of sleeping. Knows it's bad for her but lacks a meaningful alternative to reach for.

🎯 Goals & Motivations

🧠
Build emotional awareness
Wants to understand her anxiety patterns better and develop a healthier relationship with her emotions.
🏠
Create private rituals
Needs something that works in her bedroom without feeling "performative" for roommates.
♻️
Use what she already has
Values sustainability. Doesn't want to buy more stuff—wants to make existing possessions more meaningful.
🌱
Practice consistency
Wants to build habits that stick without feeling like a chore or another to-do list item.

💻 Tech Savviness & Lifestyle

Tech Comfort: Highly comfortable with technology as a designer. Uses Figma, Sketch, and prototyping tools daily. Owns iPhone 15, AirPods Pro, and a MacBook Pro. Familiar with app ecosystems and values good UX.

Privacy Awareness: Reads about data privacy, uses incognito mode, declined Facebook/Instagram face recognition. Wants control over her data and transparency about how it's used.

Wellness Stack: Therapy (biweekly), Headspace (inactive), journaling (sporadic), yoga studio membership (underused). Has tried Daylio, Moodpath, Calm—all abandoned after 2-3 weeks.

Shopping Habits: Thrifts often, buys from sustainable brands (Everlane, Patagonia), avoids fast fashion. Willing to pay premium for quality and values. Budget-conscious but not cheap.

Aesthetic: Quiet luxury, Scandinavian minimalism, earthy tones. Pinterest boards full of Kinfolk-style interiors. Follows: @apartmenttherapy, @the_indigo, design studios.

iPhone 15
AirPods Pro
Apple Watch (considering)
Spotify Premium
Notion
Headspace (inactive)

📅 A Day in Emma's Life

7:00 AM
Wakes up to iPhone alarm (not peacefully). First thought: check phone. Scrolls Instagram in bed for 15 mins before getting up. Wishes she had a better morning routine.
8:30 AM
Commute to Manhattan on L train. Listens to podcast (99% Invisible, currently). Avoids eye contact, stays in her world. Arrives at office feeling already drained.
12:30 PM
Lunch at desk (salad from Sweetgreen). Texts friends, scrolls Twitter. Feels guilty about not taking real breaks but everyone else does the same.
3:00 PM
Afternoon slump. Anxiety spike about upcoming design review. Goes to bathroom, sits in stall for 5 minutes doing breathing exercises from therapy. No one knows.
6:30 PM
Leaves office, stops at Trader Joe's. Commute home on crowded train, tired and overstimulated. Roommate cooking dinner when she arrives—makes small talk but wants solitude.
8:00 PM
Finally alone in bedroom. This is when she feels safe. Sits on bed, looks at her Jellycat from college. Wishes there was a ritual to decompress that felt right.
11:00 PM
Should be sleeping but scrolling TikTok. Knows it's bad. Phone screen at max brightness in dark room. Falls asleep with phone in hand around 1 AM. Wakes up tired.

✨ Why Senze Companion Clip Works for Emma

  • 🧸
    Uses what she already loves
    She doesn't need to buy a new smart plush—her Jellycat from college becomes smarter. Sustainable, meaningful, personal.
  • 🔒
    Discreet emotional support
    Roommates just see a plush toy. No obvious "mental health tracking device." Privacy maintained, dignity intact.
  • 📵
    Physical alternative to phone
    At night, she can reach for her Jellycat instead of phone. Physical grounding, not another screen.
  • 💛
    Emotional, not clinical
    Doesn't feel like logging symptoms. Feels like connecting with something that already comforts her.
  • 🎨
    Aesthetically aligned
    Quiet luxury design, soft materials, minimalist app interface. Fits her taste, doesn't feel "tech bro wellness."