Investigating the role of biofeedback and haptic stimulation in mobile paced breathing tools

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that mindfulness meditation and paced breathing are effective tools for stress management. There are a number of mobile applications currently available that are designed to guide the breath to support these relaxation practices. However, these focus mainly on audio/visual cues and are mostly non-interactive. Our goal is to develop a mobile paced breathing tool focusing on the exploration of haptic cues and biofeedback. We conducted user studies to investigate the effectiveness of the system. This study explores the following questions: Do users prefer control of the breathing rate interval through an on-screen slider (manual mode) or through a physiological sensor (biofeedback mode)? How effective is haptic guidance on its own? And how may the addition of haptic feedback enhance audio-based guidance? Our analysis suggests that while both manual and biofeedback modes are desirable, manual control leads to a greater overall increase in relaxation. Additionally, the findings of this study support the value of haptic guidance in mobile paced breathing tools.