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In the wake of the pandemic, people’s lives have grown increasingly chaotic and reliant on technology. Since individuals are always reachable by phone or email, most people work from home or spend time in their offices. This can result in stress, a lack of sleep – sometimes even insomnia, and a general disregard for mental health.
It’s crucial to remember why the technology was built in the first place: to make life simpler when it gets hectic and overwhelming. However, one way to break the tension is through meditation. This practice, which involves using mindfulness to achieve a state of mental and emotional tranquility, has become popular across the world, giving birth to the rise of meditation apps like Headspace.
In this article, we’ll discuss ins and outs of meditation apps, as well as the steps to take to develop a platform like Headspace of your own. Continue reading to learn more.
What You’ll Learn In This Post
- What Is Headspace?
- Why Do People Use Headspace?
- Meditation App Market Overview
- Popular Features of Headspace
- 5 Steps to Develop a Meditation App Like Headspace
- Mediation App Development Cost
- How to Market a Meditation App
- How to Monetize Your Headspace-Like App
- Top Alternatives to Headspace
- Idea Maker’s Experience In Mobile App Development
What Is Headspace?
Headspace is a mental well-being and mediation mobile app that provides users with guided meditations and resources aimed at reducing stress and anxiety. This app was launched in 2012, and is available on iOS, Android, and in-browser. A Headspace Netflix series has also been released in which viewers are guided through a different mediation or exercise in each episode.
What Is a Meditation App?
A meditation app refers to mobile applications that enable users to participate in guided meditation experiences. Leveraging technology, these apps aim to make the ancient practice of focused awareness more accessible and approachable for modern users.
The core functionality involves audio and visual cues to guide users into a calm, mindful state by prompting concentration on aspects like breathing, bodily sensations, or ambient sounds. These apps essentially act as a virtual meditation instructor, leading users through techniques to increase present moment awareness and inner balance.
Beyond real-time sessions, meditation apps also incorporate features like progress tracking, reminders, and communities to help form a consistent habit. After all, the ultimate goal is to seamlessly integrate mindfulness practices into busy lifestyles through convenient, customized digital tools.
Why Are Meditation Apps Becoming Popular?
In our modern world, many people feel depressed, have trouble sleeping, or feel overwhelmed every now and then. Thankfully, you can now use a soothing meditation app on your mobile device called Headspace to assist you in achieving a state of mindfulness.
Because it can be tailored to individual needs, Headspace provides a myriad of benefits, including improved sleep, heightened focus and overall relaxation.
Improve Sleep
A major reason why people use Headspace is to help improve their sleeping patterns and ensure that they get quality rest. However, having a proper night’s rest does not have to do with only the number of hours you sleep.
For example, sometimes you may sleep for hours but still wake up feeling very tired and drained. This may happen because your mind was not at rest before you went to bed, but sleep meditations create the inner circumstances necessary for a fully restful night’s sleep. In fact, science research shows that meditation increases the likelihood of getting a good night’s sleep by slowing down breathing and activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
Headspace’s guided meditation techniques can help you improve your sleep by providing you with new strategies to unwind your mind and body so you can be at ease as you fall asleep.
Improve Focus
To completely focus on something, your mind has to be free of distractions. Headspace can help clear your head and improve your focus through meditation.
A study by Adam Moore and his team found that just 10 minutes of meditation per day was enough to greatly improve an individual’s performance on a concentration test. Certainly, you will also drastically increase your productivity by incorporating meditation in your daily life.
De-Stress
Because life can become overwhelming, Headspace has implemented features that help relieve stress and alleviate the pressures of life through a variety of methods, such as mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness meditation lets you quiet the mind, connect with your body, and ultimately see the world in a different light. People who regularly practice mindfulness meditation report feeling happier, more patient, accepting, and compassionate toward themselves. They also feel less stressed, depressed, and irritated. Studies even show that practicing mindfulness meditation on Headspace can reduce stress by 14 percent.
Meditation App Market Overview
Applications for Android and iOS have been created to support users in increasing their awareness through meditation. In other words, mindfulness meditation aids in understanding your actions and emotions.
Increased smartphone usage and growing reliance on digital platforms brought about by the integration of sensor technologies are factors supporting the upbeat outlook of the global industry.
It is projected that consumers from China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and European countries will be more inclined to spend money on apps for mindfulness meditation. This is because in the U.S., China and U.K., about 30 percent, 40 percent and 65 percent of their citizens have been reported to have a mental disorder.
Additionally, according to a recent report, the market value for mindfulness and meditation apps is expected to reach $4.2 billion by 2027.
What Are the Key Features of a Successful Meditation App?
Knowing the features that make Headspace stand out among the competition can help you create a successful meditation app. Here are the major features you will need to incorporate in order to achieve the same success.
Guided Meditations
Guided meditation is a type of meditation led by an instructor through audio or video. The instructor will lead the user through the meditation process by setting the mood and speaking softly to help the user drift into the meditation state properly.
Headspace has an extensive catalog of guided meditations for different occasions, enabling users to choose the meditation needed for a specific event, season, or mood.
Sleep Sounds
Many people have trouble falling asleep, and because of that, there are meditation tracks that can help create the perfect condition for the listener to wind down. This sleep music ensures that the listener has a restful and healthy sleep without waking up feeling tired and stressed the next morning.
Monthly Check-Ins
The monthly check-in feature is another great tool that’s used to monitor the emotions and general well-being of the user. With this, you can track your emotional progress and see how much your feelings have changed since you started meditating.
The monthly check-in feature also allows Headspace to recommend meditation techniques that best suit your feelings and help improve your mental well-being.
How to Make a Meditation App Like Headspace
Now that you have a better understanding of what Headspace is, you need to know what steps are involved in developing an app like Headspace. Here are the important procedures you will need to follow to create a meditation app of your own.
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Choose Niché
The first step involved in creating an app similar to Headspace is determining the niche and primary aim of your meditation app. For example, would you like it to be an application strictly for meditation, or do you plan on incorporating other features like sleep sounds?
Asking yourself these questions is important to identify the features you will need to implement in your meditation app. You should also research your target audience to find what additional features should be included.
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Determine Features and Design App
The next step is using your findings to decide what features you will add to your app. You will also need to create a mockup of the app’s design, including its general aesthetic, theme, logo, and any other unique touches.
This step involves trying out features to see if they fit your app and your overall brand. Wireframes, which are essentially an app’s digital sketch, can help you better understand your application and plan it properly to achieve the ultimate result.
To ensure a smooth user experience (UX) and a solid user interface (UI), you must create a wireframe for your application. After you are done using the wireframe as a map for your application, you can now begin to use mobile app design tools like Mockflow and Figma.
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Develop Your Mobile App
The development of the mobile app is the longest stage because it is the most crucial. This involves server or back-end technology, application programming interface (API), and mobile app front-end.
However, it’s important to note that if you lack the expertise to build a functional and reliable mobile app, you can use a no-code development platform or hire an expert development agency. If you choose to work with a mobile app development agency, you should first examine the agency’s portfolio, credentials and post-release support options to verify they are the right fit for your project.
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Beta Test
The last round of testing before making a product widely available is called beta testing. This allows the opportunity for a small group of people to test a product in a real-world setting before it is released to the public in order to find any defects or problems.
Testing your application is critical, as it helps identify any bugs or glitches so they can be resolved before your app’s release. This will ultimately ensure the application is high-quality and capable of providing the best user experience possible.
Mediation App Development Cost
The cost to build a meditation app will vary depending on several factors, including its functionality and features. Here are some common factors that will affect how much you will need to invest in order to develop an app like Headspace.
Meditation Instructors
When creating a meditation app that offers guided meditation features, you will need to hire a professional meditation instructor to make a voice-over recording to assist the user with their meditation exercises. Generally, a professional meditation instructor or voice-over artist can cost about $150 to $350 per hour.
If a professional voice-over artist is too expensive, you can get an amateur with less experience to do it for you, as they will do it for a lesser cost. You can also research and record the voice-over yourself, which could result in a fun and exciting experience.
MVP vs. Feature-Rich
If you want to build a minimum viable product (MVP) or a feature-rich application, you should consider developing a scalable MVP. This means that your app will have the capacity to adapt its performance and cost to changes in system processing demands.
To develop a scalable minimum viable product, you will need to build an app with the essential features and then further develop it once you have created a deployable base. Using this strategy will help ensure that your app is marketed quickly and at a low cost.
It is important to note, however, that building a feature-rich application is only viable if you are completely sure about your app’s required features.
How to Market a Meditation App
Once your app is available in app stores, you’ll need to generate a solid user base for later monetization. Here are some of the best ways to market your meditation application.
App Store Optimization
Similar to Search Engine Optimization, App Store Optimization (ASO) is the practice of positioning your iOS app store and Google Play page for high visibility through in-store page titles, relevant keyword usage, and description quality.
If you’re already familiar with SEO principles, you can apply them to ASO. Otherwise, check out this Idea Maker article to learn more about optimizing your meditation app for maximum visibility.
Google Search Ads
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is a type of online advertising strategy in which the advertiser will pay the publisher every time someone clicks on the link that is being advertised. This allows you to get users from the publisher’s site.
Generally, you can place these ads on Google search results, where you can find users with specific interests when searching for a keyword relevant to your application. This is a great way to garner brand awareness on a small budget. Running test ads at a low cost is also a smart idea before initiating more expensive campaigns.
How to Monetize Your Headspace-Like App
After marketing your app to a solid customer base, you can work toward a monetization strategy. Always note that it is important to first work on your app properly and ensure that it functions well before you start trying to monetize it. Here are a few monetization strategies you can try when the time is right.
In-App Purchases
Offering in-app purchases is an excellent way to generate revenue from existing and engaged users. As a meditation app, you could offer additional guided sessions for a small fee or access to a greater library of meditations and soundscapes.
Subscription Model
The subscription model is another solid monetization strategy that’s used by many apps today. You can offer users a free or basic version of your app and then allow them to unlock additional features by paying a recurring subscription fee.
This is a good way to build a large user base because the users get to use your app before deciding if they’d like to pay for upgraded features.
Paid App
Another monetization strategy is allowing users to purchase your app for a one-time fee to receive access to all its features. This strategy is an ideal choice for low-feature applications that may not need additional features, as it may reduce your chances of generating passive and additional income.
What Other Meditation Apps Are Out There?
Want to make a mediation app but not sure about Headspace? Here are some alternatives to Headspace you could consider basing your platform on.
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Calm
Used for guided meditation and sleep, Calm enables users to enhance their sleeping patterns and improve their mental health by watching calming and soothing audiovisuals. This app also offers specific themes that are aimed at anxiety attacks, panic attacks and sleeping problems.
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Breethe
Breethe is a wellness app that helps users with anxiety, sleep, stress, and many more mental issues. It provides access to therapists and coaches who offer hypnotherapy, wellness solutions, and stories to ensure users understand that they are not alone in the way they feel.
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Buddhify
With more than 80 guided techniques available, Buddhify is an interactive meditation app that introduces users to the beauty of urban meditation. This app also enables users to keep tabs on their daily activities to get better meditation recommendations at the end of the day.
The Future of Meditation Apps
The future outlook appears promising for meditation apps, as interest in mindfulness and mental wellness solutions continues to grow. Additionally, with technology advancing at a rapid rate, these apps are poised to become more sophisticated and mainstream, helping people to recognize the benefits of regular meditation.
For example, AI personalization, biofeedback integration, and VR immersion will likely enable hyper-customized meditation experiences, while partnerships with wearables and smart home devices could allow mindfulness practices to permeate more aspects of users’ daily routines. Backed by digital therapeutics research quantifying their impact, meditation apps could even have the potential to be recommended or subsidized as clinical treatments.
This means that demand for these apps is on the rise; however, a thoughtful approach to development is crucial to ensure these apps fulfill their promise of bringing balance to modern life.
Idea Maker’s Experience in Mobile App Development
At Idea Maker, we have extensive experience in mobile app and software development, successfully completing a wide range of projects in industries across the board. Some of our more recent mobile app developments include I Am Available, a messaging app for people who work irregular hours, and Cover Fields, which allows app users to learn more about cover fields in their area. So, if you need help building a meditation app like Headspace, schedule a free consultation with our experts today.
