Mindfulness App Feedback

[klamping]

I'm a parent of two young kids and have trouble fitting in meditation due to long hectic days. I had the idea to build an app/website where you go through mindfulness exercises that don't require a quiet room or being alone (something you don't get much of with kids around).

I'm looking for feedback on it and was hoping y'all could take a few minutes to give it a try. The thing I need the most help with right now is making sure the prompts/exercises are good. As someone who has limited experience with mindfulness, I'm not entirely confident I got the exercises right.

Right now you can go through the exercises for free at http://busymindapp.com, or you can check out the Android app on the Play store or the iOS store

Thanks!

[FeeHutch]

I really like the idea of this. It'd be perfect for the times I am waiting at the end of school for the kids, at hospital to be called for appointments and even during social occasions which sometimes feel overwhelming.

I am off to get the app and I'll let you know what I think.

[klamping]

Thanks! Yeah, that's one of the unique things about mindfulness I think. While it helps to have the solitude/quiet, it's not necessary.

I'd love any feedback you have, especially re: the prompts. I'm not entirely sure about the 'feel your heartbeat' one; often times I can't feel my heart beating even when i'm still.

Also, I've only known about mindfulness for about a year, so I still don't know much about it. I think the prompts will go through some refinement as I get feedback from more practices folks out there.

[FeeHutch]

Well I'm a day in and so far only tried the 1 minute version - in a literal circus surrounded by children dangling off silks and trapezes. It was great. I really like the interactive bits, it means I don't consciously or not skip them. It was discreet and I love the fact it doesn't log how many minutes or meditations I've done. I find that very distracting on apps such as Headspace because it feels like it brings goals into my practice.

[klamping]

Glad it's working for you! Love that you were able to "meditate" with craziness all around. That's exactly the scenario I was going for.

Would you mind if I attribute this quote to you for promo material (e.g. app store description, twitter, facebook fan page)?
"I tried the 1 minute version - in a literal circus surrounded by children dangling off silks and trapezes. It was great."

And I'm happy to hear you appreciate the lack of tracking. That was definitely a conscious choice to leave out, as I think it ultimately takes you away from the root motivation to meditate.

On a different note, I talked with a guy I used to work with who does some interaction design and he had some great ideas for how to simplify it even more. It's a bit different and I have some other non-busymind obligations to take care of first, but I'm excited to keep iterating over the interface over the next few months.

[FeeHutch]

Yes I'm more than happy for you to 'quote me on that', I'd just request that you linked me to the Everyday Mindfulness website if that's ok? I'm the administrator if you need that too.
I'm going to try and encourage my husband to try the app too. He's always been supportive of my practice but despite seeing how it's helped me and being independently recommended it by others he's never taken the leap. I'll ask him to try it as a person who's never tried mindfulness before

[FeeHutch]

P.S I've added a review at the Play store too.

[klamping]

Can definitely link back here.

Thank you tremendously for the review and sharing the app. While I'm wanting to promote the app so I can invest more time in to building it, I don't want to do it with spammy marketing tricks, so reviews/ratings/testimonials/word-of-mouth is incredibly valuable.

[JonW]

Hi klamping,
You say you've only known about mindfulness for about a year and you still don't know much about it.
If you're launching a mindfulness app, surely it would make sense to practice mindfulness yourself. Your experience would then feed into the development of the app. Just a thought.
Cheers,
Jon, Hove

[barbs55]

Also tried the App and think it's very well designed, really like the little timers that keep you on track. I've given it a shout-out on the Everyday-Mindfulness Facebook page. I think it's USP is that you don't need to shut your eyes or be in silence to use it, and that's very useful.