Ghanta is a prototype of a mindfulness workshop that helps people to manage stressful and anxious situations. Through various practices and techniques it helps to focus on the present moment.
Ghanta is a prototype designed to improve the quality of life of its users, it has been carefully developed with an approach that puts people at the centre of its creation. Aimed at those seeking to integrate mindfulness practice and effective stress and anxiety management into their daily lives, Ghanta offers a complete solution to promote emotional well-being and mental health.
The first step was to collect and analyse existing information related to mindfulness in the current market as a way to understand the overall context of the study. During this analysis, it was discovered that the mindfulness market has been growing rapidly in recent years, as well as people's interest in mindfulness apps.
In today's world, where stress and anxiety are increasingly common, meditation and mental wellbeing apps have become an invaluable resource for many people. Among the most popular options are Headspace and Calm, two apps that offer a wide range of benefits for improving mental health and wellbeing.
Both, known for their focus on meditation and mindfulness, offer users a variety of guided meditation sessions, wellness programmes and content designed to reduce stress and anxiety. Users are willing to pay a monthly subscription fee that ranges on average between $10 and $22 per month, according to various surveys and market analyses. This reflects the belief that investment in mental health is essential and that the benefits of meditation and mindfulness justify the cost.
The next step was to analyse mindfulness applications in the market to identify opportunities and challenges.
As a result, a number of positive aspects were highlighted, as well as some negative aspects that reduce the satisfactory user experience:
1. Positive points:
· Interactive elements.
· Soothing and calming voice.
· High variety of content.
· Simple interface.
2. Negative points:
· Unnecessary complexity and unintuitive to use.
· Excessive content.
· Frustration with the "streak".
· Users dissatisfied with only 1 voice option.
In order to gain a holistic view of the needs of the target audience, we chose to employ a mixed research methodology, including interviews and surveys. Interviews give us an in-depth understanding of the needs, wants and challenges of our users, while surveys allow us to identify patterns and trends in the data collected.
A mixed (semi-structured) in-depth interview was conducted with Mariela to understand her goals, vision and expectations for the application. This helped to align the research with the vision of the project.
Some of the topics included within the guiding questions for the interview were:
Business vision. Competitors. Brand name. Brand concept or personality. Language of the application. Contents and programme. Operation of the face-to-face workshop, structure, techniques, evaluation of results, profile of people attending the workshops. Desired involvement in the project and scalability. Target user. Needs that the application should satisfy. Difficulties in adapting the content of the face-to-face workshop to the digital one.
The result of the interview with Mariela was transcribed and classified in Figjam:
As we aim to transform face-to-face courses into an effective digital experience, it is essential to select a sample that reflects the diversity of users who are interested in mindfulness and can cope with stressful or anxious situations.
I decided to conduct a mixed research survey consisting of quantitative questions for the purpose of obtaining statistical and representative data, as well as qualitative questions that are open-ended and exploratory, designed to gain a deeper understanding of the target user.
A set of 110 surveys were evaluated, from which both quantitative and qualitative results were obtained. As quantitative findings, we can highlight some of them:
The surveys we conducted provided us with valuable insight into our users in relation to mindfulness and stress management. However, to gain an even deeper understanding of who our users are, their lives, experiences and challenges, we have chosen to complement our research with user interviews.
Through interviews, we sought to understand the mental models, motivations, aspirations and desires of our users. I wanted to go beyond quantitative data and connect more deeply with their personal experiences. This allowed me to build a stronger empathy with our users, which in turn will help design solutions that truly facilitate their lives and meet their needs.
I opted again for a mixed (semi-structured) interview with 5 users who have already attended Mariela's face-to-face workshops and who aim to achieve effective stress and anxiety management.
I then transcribed the interviews and organised the data to make the information actionable for the next stages.
- There is a wide variety of strategies and techniques that people use to cope with anxiety in social or work contexts.
- Users consider deep breathing as a key strategy. Most see it as a vital method of coping with anxiety, suggesting that this technique is widely used and effective.
- Users highlight the importance of acceptance and focusing on the present as strategies for coping with anxiety. This demonstrates a focus on mindfulness as a valuable technique.
- Certain individuals show a preference for the company of familiar individuals, indicating a demand for an empathic environment in which they can share their emotions freely and openly.
- Several participants highlight the relevance of maintaining positive thoughts and practising self-reflection as effective strategies for coping with anxiety.
Based on the data collected from the research, I decided to build a User Journey Map that is geared towards understanding a person's states of stress and anxiety in their everyday life, as well as the strategies they employ to cope with them. This not only allowed me to sketch a detailed picture of our users' experiences and challenges, but also helped to uncover key needs on the road to better emotional management.
I structured the map into four fundamental lanes: actions, tasks, feelings/thoughts and opportunities. Each of these areas is mapped on a timeline, in this case, on a full day, from the time the person wakes up to the time they go to sleep, to have a complete narrative of the user experience.
By prioritising an understanding of our users' authentic experiences, we discard theoretical guesswork and unfounded assumptions. This ensures that future design and content decisions are based on the actual experiences and needs of our target audience.
Our user is a person in search of an effective solution to relieve anxiety and improve their emotional well-being. To achieve this purpose, he begins to explore the field of meditation and mindfulness.
However, his path is riddled with activities and fundamental requirements that must be met in order for him to access and take advantage of a specific product, in this case, a mobile application that includes a mindfulness workshop for stress and anxiety management.
Condition 1: Eliminate distractions
- User need: To increase the effectiveness of the activity, the user needs the ability to eliminate distractions, which means minimising external interruptions and maintaining focus on the meditation and mindfulness task.
- Solution: The app should offer a "do not disturb" mode that silences notifications and blocks other apps during the meditation session.
Condition 2: Quiet and comfortable space
- User need: A quiet and comfortable environment is essential for an effective meditation and mindfulness experience. Users want to feel relaxed and undisturbed.
- Solution: The app could provide tips for creating a space conducive to meditation, as well as recommendations for the arrangement of cushions, chairs and elements that promote comfort.
Condition 3: Adequate breathing
- User need: Proper breathing is a fundamental component of meditation. Users seek guidance and feedback to ensure they are breathing correctly and benefiting the most.
- Solution: The app could offer guided breathing exercises and real-time tracking of the user's breathing rate.
Condition 4: Regulating ambient lighting
- User need: Ambient lighting can affect the meditation experience. Users want to control and adjust the lighting so that it is optimal for their practice.
- Solution: The app could be linked with smart lighting devices to allow users to adjust the intensity and colour of the light according to their preferences.
1. Notifications: morning and evening
- User need: Users want reminders or notifications at specific times of the day, such as morning and evening, to integrate meditation into their daily routine.
2. Activity duration visualisation
- User need: Users want to see how much time they need to spend on meditation, which helps them plan their day and set clear expectations.
3. Create habits through repetition
- User need: Users want a feature that allows them to track their progress over time, which motivates them to maintain regular meditation practice.
4. Clear goal and evolution
- User need: Users are looking for a meditation experience that offers them a clear purpose, a sense of progression over time to keep them engaged and motivated.
- Transforming Mariela's mindfulness courses into an effective mobile app is feasible, but must be approached carefully to maintain the essence and effectiveness of the techniques.
- The research has provided valuable information about users' needs and desires in relation to stress and anxiety management, which will guide the design and development of the app.
- Effective coping strategies, such as deep breathing and mindfulness, should be incorporated into the app.
- While not a necessary feature for the 'minimum viable product', empathy and social support are important components for the success of the app, suggesting the inclusion of community or social interaction features.
- The app should offer features such as notifications, progress tracking and encourage regular mindfulness practice.
The User Experience (UX) Research work does not end with the delivery of the results; instead, it must give way to the execution of the recommended actions for the improvement of the product or service. It is essential to maintain constant alignment with business objectives and user needs.
Future steps:
- Naming-Branding: it is about creating the name that identifies and differentiates the company and/or product from the competition. This identification should be based on the values and elements highlighted in the research process.
- Information Architecture: define the structure, organization and navigation of the product content. The goal is to create an information architecture that is clear, consistent and easy for users to use.
- User Flows: This involves graphically representing the steps the user follows to complete a task or objective with the product or service through techniques such as flowcharts, wireframes or storyboards. The goal is to create user flows that are simple, intuitive and efficient for users.
- Tasks Flows (Mindfulness activities): This involves specifying the steps that the user follows to perform a mindfulness activity. The goal is to create tasks flows that are attractive, motivating and beneficial for users.
- UI: This is about designing the user interface of the product, i.e. the visual and aesthetic aspect of the product. Techniques such as mood board, style guide or high fidelity prototyping can be used. The objective is to create a UI that is pleasant, coherent and accessible to users.
- Style Guide: This is about defining the rules and principles that guide the design of the user interface, such as colors, fonts, icons, buttons, etc. The goal is to create a style guide that is consistent, scalable and reusable for UI design.
- Hi-Fi prototype: This is to create a high-fidelity prototype of the product. The goal is to create a hi-fi prototype that is functional, realistic and testable for the product or service.