App Description.docx

Mindfulness Program Description

At it’s core, the protocol is divided into 3 parts, plus assessments:

1) a 3-4 hour listening program that explains the benefits of mindfulness practice

2) a four-week program of guided mindfulness exercises or practices and

3) a habit-formation module to encourage continued practice after the 4-week program.

4) Optional attention, stress and sleep assessments before and after the 4-week program AND an optional “daily check-in” before and after each practice

1) Lessons

a. Lessons are 12 minutes long and there are 12 lessons in the learning section.

b. At the end of certain lessons, guided practices appropriate for that lesson are “unlocked”

2) 12 Minute Program

a. The program is designed to be completed over 4 weeks. However, it may take longer to complete is the user is not consistent. The program cannot be completed in less than 4 weeks.

b. The 4 weeks are separated into 4 modules

i. Each module will present 4 practices to the user

c. To advance to the next module you must complete 4 practices within a 7 consecutive day period.

3) Habit Ramp Up

a. If the user is not comfortable moving on to 12-minute practices, we offer a “2 week” Ramp Up. Ramp Up generally follows the rules of the core program, but in practices are shorter, either 3 or 6 minutes.

b. Ramp Up rules

i. Practice 4 out of 7 days, 3 minutes per day. User continues here until achieving 4 of 7 days

ii. Practice 4 out of 7 days, 6 minutes per day. Same as the first week.

4) Continuity Habit

a. After completion of the Program, user is invited to set a “habit”

b. User can set goals

i. 4, 5, 6, or 7 days per week

ii. If less than 7, users can select desired days to practice.

iii. In all cases user can elect to practice up 3 times per day and set a notification time

iv. Practices can be pre-recorded guided practices or silent practices with a timer

5) Library

a. All practices will be available in a library

b. Within each category practices are organized in the four practice types

c. Users can filter the list by practice type and practice length (3, 6 or 12 minutes)

d. The Library also contains and FAQ and Resources tab for extra reading and supplemental materials

6) Evaluation

a. Evaluation in this case means three distinct types of evaluation.

i. Behavioral Impact will entail methods to determine whether users’ functioning (cognitive, emotional, social) and behavior is changing in a positive way based on App usage. This data will come from self-report questionnaires given at key points in the App: After the Lessons, After the Program and at 3-month intervals while Habit is active or App is being actively used.

1. Optional – Opt-in will come after the Lessons, but before they start the Program

2. Questionnaire will be in 3 to 5 Domains

a. No more than 5 minutes to complete

b. 1-5 likert scale

3. Domains

a. Wellness

b. Focus

c. Stress

d. Anger

e. Sleep

4. Check-ins before an after-practice

a. Another optional add-in

b. 3 questions on a 1-5 Likert scale presented before and after practice

c. Data would be available in User Dashboard

ii. User Subjective Evaluations will be questions that probe User opinions of the App. Quite simply we are asking if the user “liked” the app, and perhaps getting more granular to determine if there were parts of the App the users liked more than others. Trigged through in-app Notification, most likely right after the Program.

iii. Object User Engagement will probe app usage to determine how much users engage with the App as a whole, as well as specific components of the app (e.g., each individual lesson or practice). Nearly every user interaction will be logged(linked to anonymous userID).

Each practice session will track

a. Start timestamp

b. End timestamp

c. Length or practice

d. Number of pauses

b. Evaluation Presentation

i. Admin Dashboard— This data shall be available to DoD personnel and will not be public.

ii. User Dashboard— A user dashboard within the App will present Engagement/Encouragement (more information in section 13)

7) Practice Timer

a. In addition to guided practices the App will provide a silent practice timer. Liked guided practices, every session will be logged.

b. Option to manually enter a practice session that was not started in the App.

c. Should have multiple user selectable bell sounds

d. Silent time should have 4 parameters

i. Practice length

ii. Preparation (5, 10, 15 seconds) – give the user time to hit start and the position one’s self before the opening bell

iii. Opening bell sound

iv. Closing bell sound

v. Interval bells – bell every 3, 5, 6, or 10 minutes (reminders to “come back” if you are lost in thought)

8) User Dashboard (still in progress)

a. A user dashboard should show a number of statistics computed from user data

i. Summary of Checkin data

ii. Days of practice in last 7 days, 30 days, and 365 days

iii. Others are under consideration

9) Coins

a. A special page which shows challenge coins collected. Coins are earned

i. Completing Lessons

ii. Completing a Ramp UP

iii. Completing the Core Program

iv. Setting up you first Habit