{"id":337085,"date":"2017-03-29T21:00:56","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T13:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1470183"},"modified":"2017-03-29T21:00:56","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T13:00:56","slug":"sway-is-another-interactive-relaxation-app-from-ustwo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/sway-is-another-interactive-relaxation-app-from-ustwo\/","title":{"rendered":"Sway is another interactive relaxation app from ustwo"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Digital design studio ustwo<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 best known for its mobile gaming chops<\/a> \u2014 is doubling down on a move into mindfulness and wellbeing apps in recent years, with the launch of a second\u00a0\u2018interactive meditation\u2019 app, called Sway.<\/p>\n

This follows a journaling app (Moodnotes<\/a>) with a cognitive behavioral therapy twist, which launched in August 2015, and a visually-guided \u201cmeditation\u00a0experience\u201d, called Pause<\/a>, in October 2015.<\/p>\n

All three\u00a0apps are collaborations with third parties\u00a0working in the health & wellbeing space, with ustwo bringing in psychological expertise for Moodnotes via LA-based mobile app firm Thriveport, and working with\u00a0Danish mental wellness company PauseAble on\u00a0Pause \u2014 and now also with Sway.<\/p>\n

Sway is\u00a0very much a continuation of the thinking behind Pause, which ustwo said was aiming to draw on \u201cancient Tai Chi and mindfulness practice\u201d. That app\u00a0involved guiding users to touch the screen of their device and move an\u00a0amorphous blob around slowly as a way to slow down, relax and achieve a moment or two of clam.<\/p>\n

With Sway, the movement element expands beyond just an on screen movement\u00a0to encompass the whole body, with users guided by on screen instructions,\u00a0music and moving visuals to focus their attention and make slow and gentle movements \u2014 these can be whole body movements, or just moving the hand that\u2019s holding the phone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sway starts with a couple of minutes of guided \u2018swaying\u2019, and gradually increases the time of each daily session until the user is clocking 20 minutes of movement per day. A series of levels are also unlocked as you progress, encouraging a range of different movements aimed at relaxing the user.<\/p>\n

As well as displaying\u00a0text instructions to get sessions started, the screen of the Sway app is given over to\u00a0soothing visuals \u2014 consisting of a generative soundscape of undulating hills in pastel-toned gradient colors that morph and change form and color while\u00a0you move\u00a0back and forth. Users are encouraged to don headphones and soak themselves in the tranquil accompanying music.<\/p>\n

After a few moments, the app also moves on to\u00a0instructing the user\u00a0to look away from the screen so a\u00a0relaxation\u00a0session can continue with a\u00a0phone tucked entirely out of sight, in a pocket say, with just\u00a0music and physical movement left.<\/p>\n

If this is all sounding a bit too hippie for your tastes, ustwo is claiming it can back up its\u00a0theory of \u2018interactive meditation\u2019 being effective for relaxation purposes, and more accessible \u2014 and more effective in noisy environments \u2014 than audio-guided meditations based on\u00a0a series of studies it commissioned.<\/p>\n

The basic argument being you might be able to more easily fit one of its \u2018interactive meditation\u2019 sessions into, for example, your daily commute\u00a0or your office environs, where it might be harder to concentrate on a more traditional audio-guided meditation given all the distracting activity going on around you.<\/p>\n

The studies were carried out\u00a0by Professor Xiangshi Ren at the Center for Human Engaged Computing at the Kochi university of Technology in Japan, and compared ustwo\u2019s earlier\u00a0Pause app with the\u00a0audio-guided meditation app Headspace.<\/p>\n

However they only involved a small number of participants, and were not placebo-controlled. \u201cTo date we\u2019ve only focused on validating its functional effects, and not yet done any placebo controlled trials \u2014 this is something we\u2019ll definitely explore,\u201d says\u00a0a spokesman.<\/p>\n

They also weren\u2019t studying\u00a0the effectiveness of Sway specifically \u2014 but testing its\u00a0predecessor Pause. Albeit, ustwo is arguing both apps are essentially utilizing the same physically interactive approach to encouraging mindfulness and relaxation.<\/p>\n

And, well, at the end of the day if an app ends up making some people\u00a0feel calmer because they think it\u2019s helping them feel calmer it\u2019s arguably doing something positive (even if not necessarily for the reasons claimed).<\/p>\n

As with ustwo\u2019s other mobile health apps, Sway is a paid download, this time priced at\u00a0$2.99. The earlier\u00a0Pause app ($1.99) has had around 400,000 downloads to date, while\u00a0Moodnotes ($3.99) has clocked\u00a0around\u00a040,000 downloads on iOS, with an Android version also due to launch \u201cwithin weeks\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" Digital design studio ustwo — best known for its mobile gaming chops — is doubling down on a move into mindfulness and wellbeing apps in recent years, with the launch of a second ‘interactive meditation’ app, called Sway. Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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