Health-Related Projects

Mobile Breathing Visualizations

Breathing exercises are an accessible way to manage stress and many mental illness symptoms. However, limited work has been done to investigate the effectiveness of these visual representations in supporting breathing pace as measured by synchronization. We utilized a within-subjects study to evaluate four common breathing visuals to understand which is most effective in providing breathing exercise guidance. Through controlled lab studies and interviews, we identified two representations with clear advantages over the others. We identify potential usability issues with the representations and suggest design guidelines for future development of app-supported breathing training.