Mindfulness Apps - Headspace and Pine

As I plan to create a mock-website that will be designed for tablet and possibly smartphone screens, looking at what is already out there in terms of mindfulness apps has been useful.  Not only have I been able to see how the content is designed for the tablet/smartphone screen, but also the visuals that each app creator has used to encourage today's audience of app users.  Looking at these was really useful as some of these have been successful and are pointers to a style I could use myself to attract my target audience.  I found a lot of these apps through this post on Minful.org.

Headspace by Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson

Headspace is considered one of the leading mindfulness apps on the market at the moment.  Created by mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe, the latest version had it's launch party at the Royal Society of Medicine, so you know it's good.  "Headspace…(is a) way to introduce the age old discipline of mediation into the mainstream and help people to focus more, sleep better, stress less and live a happier, healthier life." (Caddy, 2014).

"Headspace is so appealing because it is meditation made easy.  You don't have to chant, light incense, dress like a monk, or take part in any other weird misconceptions we all have about meditation in the western world. " (Caddy, 2014)  The success of the app is also indicated by it's expansion into other avenues:  "…Headspace has teamed up with big brands to deliver the same experience in unexpected places, like Virgin Atlantic flights to calm the nerves of those scared of flying, and huge companies in an attempt to ease corporate stress." (Caddy, 2014)  Particularly handy is the SOS feature with 2 mins of guided mediation; on the go sections.  Puddicombe says there are no social media features because mediation is much more personal, but up to five "buddies" can follow you on your account to help encourage each other.

I signed up to Headspace on the homepage and was greeted by a very cute on-screen character who gave me a "tour" of the site and what is available.  The colours are muted here and work well with the eggshell shade in the background.  Many of the icons are created to look faux-3d (vector illustrations with imitation shadows).  As they are very crisp and clean, the font used for the header text has to match this so it is a sans serif.  Body text is in italics to contrast this and break up the reading.







Overall the images are contemporary, charming and cute, which is deliberately very removed from the traditional visuals the wider public would associate with mindfulness.  Recently I have been asking myself if completely turning my back on all the culturally associated icons and imagery was a good thing, as some of the "core values" of the practice might be lost, particularly the healing and spiritual ones.  However, Headspace's popularity shows that taking a new approach to meditation visuals can be successful and still retain the heart of the practice.



The Headspace site also offers series of meditations aimed at various aspects of life, shown below.  An example is the SOS meditation for panic moments, or the walking meditations for when the user is out and about.







The website also has some information graphics on its homepage, which link to extensive information on the benefits of mindfulness practice.  It is made very clear that meditation is something that can only yield good results, and benefits are in abundance.  They way this is presented, as seen below, is quite a change from the wall of text as seen on the Mindfulness Scotland site.

Changes in size, colour, boldness and italics highlight the information, but the mix of text and illustrations mean that this is not overwhelming to the eye.  

The information presented here is the kind I would potentially use in my own campaign visuals.  The one I found a big potential for is the snippet near the bottom about "smart drugs" used to enhance academic performance.  It is proven here that mindfulness would be a safer, free alternative.  The illustration I also really like - the way the mind's focus is portrayed as a piece of string or dotted line, loopy when distracted and straight when focused.  I found some early sketches in last semester's sketchbook with a similar idea which I will try working on again as part of practical development.

This call to action screen is effective as the illustration evokes a positive mood, and the information reads that mindfulness can change the brain.  The big green "sign up for free" button contrasts all the other colours and almost shouts "click me!"

Mindfulness has benefits for those under pressure, as shown by this info screen.  

I have yet to try it out on an iOS or Android device, but in the mean time here are some images I found of Headspace running on a smartphone.  I am hoping to borrow my boyfriend's Nexus tablet in the next few days and try some of them out - after all I can't find out much about navigation from screen shots.

Dashboard screenshots are colourful and organised in a way that is easier to read.  Some of the pages do feel a bit crammed full to me, however the result is a few concise pages detailing the user's progress.

 Pine

Renjie Butalid's PINE app takes a different approach to the social element of meditation practice, while also managing to keep the focus on the user themselves.  The app is designed to encourage users to "check-in" with themselves on a daily basis, aiming to attain a better sense of well-being.  "In a safe and private space, PINE enables you to take the proverbial step back for a few seconds each day to reflect and answer the question "How are you doing?…With PINE, the core of the experience is making it as simple as possible to build the daily habit of checking in and connecting with yourself, while knowing your friends and family are doing the same." 

   

The app charts your streak of "check-ins", charting your mood with symbols as below.  Everything is quite simple in illustration and layout, with type to match.

Of the app itself, one of it's developers Michael Lewkowitz writes that: "…it's private.  These are my experiences, my thoughts, expressed in a way that's unfiltered and unedited.  Not shared, they are raw and real.  Second, the simplicity.  I can check in just about anywhere at any time, and I can do it in a few seconds whether I have anything to say or not. Third, while it's private, I'm not alone.  I can't see what my friends are saying, but I know they are checking in." (Lewkowitz, 2015)

Pine has a much simpler colour scheme than Headspace, and is closer to the nature vibe we associate with mediation.  However the simple vector illustration and user interface manages to be far removed from traditional new age imagery too.  

I am just back from a meeting with Simone, and she suggested doing case studies on these apps and others, so these posts may be revisited and expanded on for those.  In my next blog post I will write about other apps I have discovered; there are quite a few so it may extend over a few posts.

References

Caddy, Becca. 2014. Shiny Shiny. "Headspace V2: How an app could improve the health and happiness of the world." Available at: http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2014/06/headspace-v2-how-an-app-could-improve-the-health-happiness-of-the-world.html
[Accessed 20th Jan 2015]

Tucker, Heather. 2013. Appstorm website.  "Grab Some Calm on the Go with Headspace." Available at: http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/grab-some-calm-on-the-go-with-headspace/
[Accessed 20th Jan 2015]

Puddicombe, Andy.  2012.  "Andy Puddicombe: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes." [online video] Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes
[Accessed 20th Jan 2015]

Butalid, Renjie. 2015. Side by Side website. "Living With Intention Every Day" http://sidebysidemh.com/2015/01/09/living-with-intention-every-day-by-renjie-butalid/
[Accessed 20th Jan 2015]

Lewkowitz, Michael. 2015.  Igniter website. "How Are You Doing?"
http://lewwwk.com/post7583
[Accessed 20th Jan 2015]

Unknown, 2013.  The Huffington Post "The 8 best apps for a calm, focused mind." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/12/the-10-best-apps-for-a-ca_n_4426410.html

This past year was the year when meditation and mindfulness finally stopped being seen as something vaguely flaky, vaguely new age-y, definitely California, and fully entered the mainstream.

That shift is backed up by an ever-growing mountain of scientific evidence about the incredible power of mindfulness, meditation, and looking within. The list of all the conditions that these practices impact for the better – depression, anxiety, heart disease, memory, aging, creativity – sounds like a label on snake oil from the 19th century. Except this cure-all is real – and there are no toxic side effects.

In my own life, I’ve found the practice indispensable. I now start every morning with at least 20 to 30 minutes of meditation. But I’ve also found that meditation can actually be done in very short windows of time, even while on the go.