Mindful Connections: 

Mindful Walking App 

Executive Summary 

This exploratory study examined attitudes and interests around a potential mindfulness walking app that incorporates historical/educational information about the location. The study involved:

Survey (142 respondents):

• 78% go for walks/hikes at least infrequently, suggesting a large potential market.

• Strong interest (57%) in the proposed mindfulness walking app incorporating location history/science.

• Most (70%) already practice mindfulness at least monthly.

• Personalization is key, as people's interests differ in what creates a sense of connection.

• Users expect specific outcomes like calmness, awareness, and focus when practicing mindfulness.

Interviews (5 participants):

• Identified themes around feelings of connection being personal, a sense of amazement at the world, finding peace in nature, nostalgia promoting wellbeing, and authenticity being important.

• Suggested educational content could foster feelings of awe/wonder that create a sense of connection to one's surroundings.

Overall, the study findings suggest strong potential and market interest for the proposed mindfulness walking app that connects users to location history and nature. Personalizing content and aligning with users' desired mindfulness experiences will be important for the product's success.

Introduction

As companies and consumers increasingly prioritize mental health and wellness, there is growing interest in mindfulness and nature-based experiences that can promote present-moment awareness and feelings of connection. This study explored the potential for a new mobile application that combines mindfulness practices like walking meditation with educational historical and scientific information about the user's surroundings.

The goal was to determine if providing locational context could enhance users' sense of connection to their environment, thereby deepening the mindfulness experience. The study took a mixed-methods approach, conducting interviews to gather qualitative insights and deploying a survey to gauge broader interest in such an application.

Through this research, key themes emerged around what fosters feelings of connection, awe, and presence for individuals when engaging with nature and location-based activities. Users' motivations, perceived benefits, and desired experiences related to mindfulness practices were also examined. The findings shed light on the viability and market potential for an application linking mindfulness, physical movement, location learning, and emotional wellbeing.

Background: 

The market for mindfulness and wellness apps has seen tremendous growth in recent years. Growth in the market is being driven by an increasing awareness of the importance of mental health and the practices of mediation. Further,  stress levels and instances of mental health issues are generally increasing, leading some to declare we are experiencing a " national mental health crisis." In line with this, the market for mediation apps grew by 8% from 2016 to 2020 and is expected to grow 8% in the next 10 years. Interestingly, some analyses suggest that paid apps are more successful than those available for free to users because paying for the service creates a sense of obligation and keeps users coming back.

Participation in outdoor recreation activities is also up, according to the Outdoor Foundation. For example, the number of Americans who hike has grown from 32 million in 2010 to 60 million in 2022, an 87% increase in just 12 years. It seems that, maybe counterintuitively, both outdoor recreation and mental health issues are on the rise. But of course, correlation is not causation, as one would surmise is the case here.  However, it does suggest a strong potential market for the suggested applicaiton.

Goals 

• To conduct an exploratory study on attitudes and interests related to a proposed mindfulness walking app with educational location content

• To determine if providing locational context can enhance users' sense of connection to their environment during mindfulness

• To gather qualitative insights through interviews on what fosters feelings of connection, awe, and presence with nature/location-based activities

• To gauge broader interest and market potential for such an app through a survey on user motivations and desired mindfulness experiences

• To examine the viability of an app linking mindfulness, physical movement, location learning, and emotional wellbeing based on findings

Survey

Methods

The study adopted a survey methodology to explore attitudes and interests regarding the proposed mobile application. Participants were recruited via online platforms, leveraging the subreddits r/SampleSize and r/SurveyExchange on the social media website Reddit, as well as the professional networking site LinkedIn. These methods were chosen for participant recruitment due to the limited resources of the study. Further, the use of these web-based platforms facilitated efficient participant recruitment and data cost-effectively gathering from a broad population. The survey instrument was comprised of 9 primary questions and 2 demographic questions, a combination of Likert-type scaled questions and open-ended short response items. It was distributed through these channels, enabling the researchers to access a wide sample from various backgrounds and demographics. Data collection occurred over a period of 4 weeks, during which a total of 142 responses were obtained from individuals who voluntarily accessed and completed the survey through the provided online links. 

Analysis 

Do to the mixed methods approach of the survey as well as some of the short response questions eliciting unanticipated responses, a variety of analysis methods were utilized. Below methods and findings for each question will be explored. 

Demographics

Participants were asked 2 demographic questions at the end of the survey to determine their age groups and gender identities. It was hypothesized that these might have and impact on outcomes, based on existing literature.  Overall, the sample skews female and young and lacked any responses from the 55+ age group. This last point is likely due to the sampling technique relying on a social media platform aimed at working professionals, who are more likely to be under 55 than over, and the demographics of Redditt users. 

Questions and analysis

Question 1: In the past 3 months, how many times did you go for a walk or hike specifically for your mental or physical health?

It was found that 42% of respondents go for infrequent walks 36% go for frequent walks 21% never or rarely for go for walks or hikes. This indicates that 78% of respondents are in the target market for this product, as they go for at least infrequent walks. This is suggestive of a large potential market.

Question 2: What are your main reasons for going for walks or hikes?

  Overall, their was a wide variety of reasons people go for walks or hikes. Their were very strong responses, over 50%, to 4 of the pre-defined categories, and a medium response to the other 2. Further, numerous other reasons were given in the “other” category included in the question. These answers included varied answers like foraging and wildlife photography.

In the past year, how often have you engaged in any mindfulness (meditation, ect.) practices?

Surprisingly, 69.8% of respondents reported engaging in mindfulness monthly. People are doing it, but most every day. While most are not doing it daily, over 40% reported engaging in deliberate mindfulness at least once a week.

Interviews

Methods

For this exploratory study, 5 interviews relating to mindfulness, walking habits, and a sense of connection to the wider world were conducted. Participants were recruited through a combination of social media and convenience sampling. Four participants were female and one was male, and ranged in age from mid-twenties to mid-fourties. Interviews were conducted via a recorded video call, with participants being in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. A semi-structured approach was taken to allow for a wide-ranging exploration of topics, in line with the goals of the study. The researcher had a set of 16 pre-set questions. Not all questions were asked in each iuiu, and additional questions were asked based on the conversations. 

Analysis 

To better understand the relationships between the areas identified in the codes, as co-occurrence analysis was conducted. First, the number of times each code occurred in each interview was noted, as well as the number of times each code occurred in total. 

Next, code 3 occurrences in a single interview were noted and written down on note cards. These were supplemented with additional observations made during the interview process, which were also written down on note cards. Affinity Mapping was then used to conduct a thematic analysis. The affinity map was developed iteratively, with note cards being resorted 5 times to increase grouping accuracy.

The following themes result from the above methods:

1. Its personal - Feelings of connection vary from person to person based on their personality and interests. Different people of mindful of different aspects of an experience. Participants mention things as varied as looking up at the night sky, a family history in a certain town, and cultural events as sources of these feelings. Further, any consider these activities a method of self-care.

2. amazement at the world - Regardless of where it comes from, a general sense of awe, amazement, or the like is tied to feelings of mindfulness.

3. nature = peaceful - People find a great deal of meaning in nature and natural spaces give them a sense of peace, serenity, ect.

4. It's hard - People have both a difficult time engaging in and keeping up with these activities. Further, many have a difficult time with traditional meditative practices.

5. Nostalgia and wellbeing - Positive memories or a sense of nostalgia creates a feeling of connectedness, and can also bring peace of mind.

6. Authenticity - A sense of authenticity is also important for creating a sense of well-being and connectedness.

Results

The above evidence suggests a strong potential for an application that connects mindfulness, walking, and educational content. Feedback on the idea was positive, with 57% of respondents expressing interest in such an application. Further, almost 70% of users already practice mindfulness on a monthly basis. This means a majority are already accepting of the idea. One does not have to convince people that mindfulness works, meaning one only has to sell the product and not the concept itself.

The concept of using educational material to create a sense of connection between the individual and their surroundings while on a walk or hike is strongly supported by respondent feedback. Results show that having a greater knowledge of one’s surroundings can create a greater sense of connection to those surroundings.  In combination with the interview insights, one can surmise that educational content could foster a sense of awe, wonder, curiosity, ect. which can in part create that sense of connection. Simply knowing more about a place can help one to be present in that place 

Other findings indicate a number of important points that should be taken into consideration during product development. First, personalization is key. What creates a sense of connection from person to person, based on their interests and the like. A person who fell asleep in history classes isn’t like to feel a sense of connection based on a local history lesson. Secondly, we can see that there are a number of specific results that users would expect to have. That is, what feelings users expect to have when seeking mindfulness. Fortunately, it seems that potential users have a fairly good idea of what mindfulness is. In turn, this means a synergy between and effective product and what people expect that product to feel like.

Other insights that are not as relevant here, but are nonetheless interesting are the connection between certain ideas. For example, the evidence suggests that respondents believe managing stress will help them to have more mental clarity. Or the connection between ideas about calmness and connection with one’s inner self.

Conclusion

This study suggests a strong potential for the suggested application that connects mindfulness, walking, and learning. The alignment between people’s perceptions and actual mindfulness practices suggest a positive potential outcome for users' mental health. A strong positive reaction to the product and a broad awareness of mindfulness suggest a strong market potential. Further, other findings in this study suggest avenues that can be explored that could help create the best possible user experience. 

Appendix

Interview Codes

1. Amazement/awe

A sense of amazement or awe inspired by some outside circumstance.

2. Connection to culture

Realizing or feeling of one's connection to human history, or the realizing or feeling of connection to events that happened in the past.

3. Connection to world/universe

A feeling or realization of one's connection to or part in the the world or universe as a whole.

4. Difficulty meditating  

Having a difficult time engaging in a meditative practice for any reason.

5. Focus on / Connection to Nature

Connection to or positive feeling connected to the physical outdoor setting of a location where there are perceived to be natural elements. This can be a beach, a park, the wilderness, etc.

6. Focus on present

7. Garden/park/Natural setting

Connection to or positive feeling connected to the physical outdoor setting of a location where there are perceived to be natural elements. This can be a beach, a park, the wilderness, ect.

8. Gratitude

Feeling grateful for others, one circumstance, or for any reason.

9. Mental space/Clear mind

Deliberately seeking to have a "clear mind" through an activity, such as a mindfulness activity.

10. No connection to past

Nostalgia: A feeling of connection coming from or relating to nostalgic emotions.

11. Nostalgia 

A feeling of connection coming from or relating to nostalgic emotions. 

12. Peaceful

A sense of calm, peace, serenity, etc. coming from or relating to a location.

13. Positive memories of place

The feeling of connection coming from or relating to happy memories that are associated with a place.

14. Realization of connection to past

A sense of connection or realization of history or a deep past.

15. Shared experience

An emotional connection to a place created through an experience one shared with another person.  

16. Social connection

Friends/family: Feeling or connection coming from or relating to interpersonal relationships.