Case study
You can't optimize a system you haven't read.
nuyu is an open-source biological self-knowledge system: a curriculum, a diagnostic, and eventually a piece of hardware. Built on the premise that wellness interventions fail when they skip the reading step.
The premise
Most wellness systems try to change outputs (energy, cognition, mood, resilience) without reading inputs first. The inputs are when you sleep, what you eat, how you move, how you handle stress, how connected you are, what you're working toward.
nuyu is built on a single claim: you are a programmable system. The diagnostics exist to read your configuration before prescribing changes.
Not a dashboard (data-first), not a wellness app (inspiration-first): infrastructure people return to weekly to understand their biology.
The 7 input domains
How it evolved
Started as a sleep-focused tool and expanded as it became clear that sleep is the entry point, not the whole system. The project now has three layers:
- A 67-page interactive curriculum covering sleep science, circadian biology, nutrition, movement, mindfulness, habit architecture, and social/cognitive inputs
- A 26-module diagnostic PWA that captures configuration (Wiring), current state (Read/Pulse), and compensatory behaviors (Load)
- A hardware project: a custom aromatherapy alarm clock whose settings are derived directly from the user's diagnostic profile
Eleven documentation waves completed between 2025 and March 2026, each tightening the brand vocabulary, UX architecture, and science content.
Sleep Curriculum
Circadian biology, sleep architecture, chronotype assessment
Full Curriculum
Expanded to 10 parts: nutrition, movement, stress, social, cognitive, environment
Diagnostic PWA
26 assessment modules, IndexedDB persistence, offline-first
System Dashboard
7-axis radar, Today cockpit, Practice tracking, Routines builder
Hardware Prototype
Aromatherapy alarm clock: settings derived from diagnostic profile
Architecture decisions
Three decisions shaped the architecture.
No build system: static HTML/CSS/JS only, all dependencies via CDN. The complexity ceiling is low and the project stays deployable on GitHub Pages forever.
IndexedDB via Dexie.js instead of localStorage. Safari's ITP deletes localStorage data every 7 days; IndexedDB is exempt when the app is installed as a PWA. Since the assessment data is the product, losing it breaks the system.
Three distinct assessment types: Wiring (stable biological configuration, run once), Read/Pulse (current state snapshot, weekly), and Load (compensatory behaviors, quarterly). Most self-tracking collapses these into a single score; separating them is what makes the diagnostic actionable.
Privacy by default: no backend, all computation client-side, all data on device.
26 diagnostic modules
What exists now
67 stable curriculum pages across 10 parts, 51 interactive elements (drag-sort, sliders, breathing timers, quizzes, countdown timers), and 26 diagnostic modules across 7 input domains plus cross-domain combinations.
The PWA has 5 purpose-driven pages: a Today cockpit, a 7-axis radar system view, a Practice review with week-over-week comparison, a Routines builder with Wake Lock API timer, and a Settings/Schedule tab.
Service worker caches all app pages and assessment modules for offline use. Full data export/import as JSON. Live at nuyu.works.
Open questions
Push notifications (assessments due, goal check-ins, routine reminders) require a server component that doesn't exist yet. The MVP is intentionally serverless. Cloud sync for cross-device use is the next major architectural decision: adding accounts changes the privacy model.
Post-MVP features designed but not built include AI journal prompt generation from profile and trend data, wearable data integration, and an .ics export for the assessment cadence calendar.
The hardware device (aromatherapy alarm clock with profile-derived scent intensity, light level, and alarm style) is specified and prototyped but not yet manufactured.