Baseline Study Synthesis

Baseline Study Description

Study Overview

For our baseline study, we wanted to understand the experiences of Stanford students in building a daily habit of stretching or yoga. Their participation helps us understand what motivates or hinders consistency and how this habit impacts mental and physical well-being. During our diary study, the main key questions we sought to investigate where the following:

• What motivates students to maintain a daily stretching or yoga habit? 
• What challenges do students face in staying consistent with this practice? 
• How does a regular stretching or yoga routine influence students’ mental and physical well-being? 
• What strategies or environmental factors help students sustain their practice?

Through the process of collecting qualitative and quantitative data from our participants (from diary study entries to pre-study and post-study interviews), we aimed to identify the patterns and behaviors that motivate or deviate students from incorporating the habit of stretching into their daily routines.

Study Methodology

The study employed a mixed-methods approach, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data through surveys administered via Google Forms. Qualitative assessments utilized a 10-point Likert scale. Quantitative data included measurements of time spent stretching during the second assumption test. Our third assumption test collected pictures sent by participants as an indicator of engagement. These methodologies allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of participants’ stretching habits and perceptions.

Participant Recruitment

For our recruitment process, we reached out to general Stanford student mailing lists, with special attention to wellness/fitness related mailing lists. By targeting these mailing lists, we ensured that these students are at minimum interested in or already consistently engage in wellness/fitness, making them more likely to be receptive to building a new fitness-related habit: stretching. We can also be certain that by being a member of these mailing lists that they have actively sought out easy, low-effort opportunities to be more mindful of their health/wellness, such as stretching.

For our study, we selected students in the age range of 18-25. We focused on this age range because young adults report some of the highest stress levels compared to other age groups, contributing to muscle tension. We also focused on students because their academic demands force a largely sedentary lifestyle onto them, similarly contributing to muscle tension. As a result, these groups would largely benefit from forming a stretching habit. Further, we selected students that never to occasionally stretch (0-2 times a week), yet desire to stretch often (3-5 times a week) to daily. Hence, they provide valuable insights into the barriers and motivations behind forming a consistent stretching habit.

Key Research Questions

Our baseline study was designed to build an understanding of our participants’ stretching habits and goals. By asking about their current relationship with stretching, including specific stretches, stretching environments/conditions, motivations, and barriers, we gained insight into the disconnect/mismatch between participants’ desired stretching habits and their actual demonstrated behavior, observing what worked for them – and what didn’t. With this foundation, we aim to fill this gap and design an informed solution that effectively meets the needs and wants of our target audience.

Raw Data → Grounded Theory

We dug deeper into our raw data with affinity and frequency mapping. We welcome you to explore these maps in further detail here.

From these maps and insights, we developed this grounded theory document. This reveals several key trends, contradictions, and tensions. 

• There’s a clear contradiction between students’ awareness of stretching benefits and their actual prioritization of the practice. While many acknowledge the importance of stretching, it often falls low on their list of priorities, especially when competing with academic demands. Thus, we can intervene by clearly communicating stretching benefits, especially in relation to academic performance.
• A significant tension exists between the short-term effectiveness of extrinsic motivation in initiating stretching habits and the long-term sustainability of such externally driven behaviors. Hence, we can intervene by designing solutions that transition from external to internal motivation over time.
• Additionally, there’s a notable conflict between students’ desire for control over their time and the potential benefits of spontaneity in forming new habits. Environmental and social factors also create tension, as students feel limited in where they can comfortably stretch, often restricting themselves to private spaces or designated exercise areas. So, we can intervene by normalizing stretching in various campus environments to expand “acceptable” stretching areas.

Our users, primarily Stanford students, are operating under high-stress conditions with packed schedules and competing priorities. They need solutions that seamlessly integrate stretching into their existing routines without adding perceived cognitive load or time pressure. What’s working for some students is anchoring stretching habits to established daily activities, such as morning coffee routines or bedtime rituals. Short, manageable stretching sessions and variety in stretching routines have also shown promise in maintaining engagement. We will leverage this by developing “habit stacking” strategies and diverse, micro-stretching sessions.

What’s not working is the reliance on willpower alone to establish stretching habits, especially when students are fatigued or stressed. The perception of stretching as a low-priority activity compared to academic work is a significant barrier. Additionally, the limited environments where students feel comfortable stretching is hindering consistent practice. We will combat this by providing low-friction, easy-to-follow routines that can be done anywhere—from laying in bed to sitting in a 100+ students lecture hall.

System Models

The diagrams reveal that students often skip stretching due to perceived time constraints, lack of awareness, low motivation, and environmental discomfort. Many feel too busy, unaware of the benefits, or find stretching boring and awkward to fit into their routines. Instead of framing the problem as “students don’t stretch because they lack time,” a more accurate problem statement would be: “Students do not prioritize stretching due to competing demands, lack of habit, and low perceived value.”

A possible intervention could involve reframing stretching as a quick, mindful break rather than a chore, integrating it into existing routines (e.g., study breaks), and creating social or environmental cues to encourage participation. By making stretching feel effortless, rewarding, and normalized, students may be more likely to engage in this practice.

Secondary Research

Our literature review and comparator analysis revealed several key insights that influenced our ideation phase.

We invite you to explore the visual above containing in-depth evidence, findings, and citations here. From our literature review, the following key insights emerged:

• We learned from Reguero (2023) in a study of stretching by university students that people lack stretching education. When surveyed, even university students studying Physical Education only knew 1.87 stretching techniques (not even two!). Thus, we should provide our users easy to follow, in-depth guidance while they stretch, removing a significant barrier to stretching.
• Since stretching inconsistently makes its effects temporary (Behm, David G., et al. 2016) and stretching consistency bears greater effects than intensity and duration (Warneke, Konstantin, et al. 2022), we should guide our users in achieving their desired results, improving the reward and increasing their motivation to stretch.
• The StretchArms study (Kim, SangBin, SinJae Lee, and JungHyun Han 2018) found that people stretched an average of 4.75 more times per day with reminders, 8.13 more times when adding feedback, and 7.14 more times when adding gamification. Hence, we should provide our users reminders, real-time feedback, and wellness-conscious gamification, helping them habit build and effectively increasing their motivation.
• Because people prefer customizable and flexible/adaptive reminders (Kim 2018) and people stretch more if incorporated with the context of their preferences and routine (Phillips, L. Alison, et al. 2024), we should tailor our methods per user and allow them to adapt as desired, seamlessly integrating stretching to help form a sustainable habit.

If you would like even more detailed evidence, insights, and how they influenced our ideation phase, refer here.

Comparator Analysis 2×2 Map

We analyzed the competition using two key axes:

• Effort: How much effort is required from the user to engage?
• Focus: How niche is the competitor? Is its sole focus on the task its intended for, or does it include additional incentives/features?

We felt these axes were important since many of our diary study participants excelled in engaging in the habit when it required low effort from them; however, almost always did not stretch if it required high effort from them. Also, since we are interested in helping users form a stretching habit, this requires a more robust over niche program.

Our map reveals that most existing stretching solutions fall into two categories:

1. High-effort, niche apps (e.g. StretchLab, Recharge, Contemplative Programs, STRETCHIT, Pliability)
   • Places the activation effort to engage on the user
   • Assumes users are already motivated and solely need structured routines
2. Low-effort, broad apps (e.g. BeReal, WeStretch)
   • Inflexibility and failure to incorporate habit formation techniques counteracts the low activation effort they require

Our competitors were strong in providing extensive, high-quality education on how to stretch; however, too much work is placed onto the user, failing to support their retention. Evidently, there is an opportunity to strategically position ourselves as a habit-first, context-aware stretching solution. Not only will our product emphasize ease of use, it will prioritize habit formation and offer flexibility with minimal effort from the user.

Proto-Personas and Journey Maps

We chose Shame Shawn, Procrastinating Pam, and Booked and Busy Beetrice because they all represent common student experiences:

• Wanting to build positive habits but struggling to follow through unless external pressure is applied
• Understand self-care habits are beneficial to the body but failing to act on them due to a lack of urgency or further knowledge
• Being highly ambitious yet neglecting small habits that allow the ambition to be sustainable

From these proto-personas and their journey maps, the following insights emerged:

• Since Shame Shawn needs reminders from people, we can provide socially-driven stretching cues such as group-based stretching during study group sessions, sports sessions, etc.
• Since Procrastinating Pam is often triggered by avoidance, we can provide subtle, friendly reminders rather than pressure-based prompts
• Since Booked and Busy Beetrice will immediately eliminate interruptions, we can integrate with users’ calendars and provide reminders that don’t conflict with their schedules.
• We can provide short, ultra-low-effort stretches that…
  • can be done in social settings, making it easier for Shame Shawn to stay accountable through peer participation.
  • feel easy to start, reducing the mental friction that leads to avoidance for Procrastinating Pam.
  • can be done while sitting, leveraging the sedentary lifestyle of Booked and Busy Beetrice.

Feel free to view our proto personas and journey maps closer here.

Drawing	Name	Shame Shawn
	Activated Role	Shame-Driven Stretcher
	Goal	I want to build a consistent stretching habit.
	Motivation	I know it will help my body recover and improve my flexibility.
	Conflict	Knows stretching is good but only does it when external pressure is applied.
	Attempts to Solve	Tried relying on reminders from the study team → Worked temporarily but didn’t translate into habit formation.  Tried stretching after soccer → Effective because it felt necessary, but not a consistent habit. Tried stretching before bed → Helped relaxation, but was often skipped due to tiredness.
	Setting/ Environment	1. In the room if not too tired by the end of the day. 2. Stretches in social settings that involve sports and physical movement.
	Tools	Needs reminders from people or structured commitments. Plays soccer regularly, which provides a natural moment to stretch.
	Routines	Studies late at night → Sits for long hours, making muscles tight. Plays soccer → stretches before and after games.
	Habits	Ignoring discomfort because he feels tightness but doesn’t take action unless it’s extreme. Procrastinating on self-care because he knows he should stretch but keeps putting it off. Responding to shame-based motivation because he only follows through when external pressure is applied.

 

Drawing	Name	Procrastinating Pam
	Activated Role	Intentional Avoider
	Goal	“I want to incorporate stretching into my routine”
	Motivation	“I know it’s good for me and I technically have time.”
	Conflict	Wants to care about stretching more but struggles to make it feel important.  Believes she needs stronger motivation or external proof that stretching has major benefits. Prefers other activities (like sleeping) over stretching, even when she has free time. Struggles to act on knowledge—she “knows” she should stretch but lacks urgency.
	Attempts to Solve	Recognized she had time but didn’t act → Awareness didn’t lead to habit formation. Considered reading about stretching benefits → Needed external validation to feel motivated. Thought about using an accountability partner → Would be more likely to stretch if a friend did it with her. Tried associating stretching with relaxation → Sees stretching as a way to unwind but still didn’t commit.
	Setting/ Environment	At home in her room – The only place she’s comfortable stretching, but she often chooses to sleep instead. At the gym – Would be open to stretching here, but didn’t have time to go. Thinks about stretching but pushes it off. Would be more consistent if someone else was involved.
	Tools	Accountability System – Would benefit from a stretching partner or check-ins. Scientific Justification – Needs clear evidence of why stretching matters. Habit Stacking – Could pair stretching with an existing routine. Relaxation Framing – Could see stretching as a self-care moment rather than a task.
	Routines	Busy schedule filled with studying and social commitments → Limited time for new habits. Choosing sleep over self-care → Would rather rest than take a few minutes to stretch. Prefers structured external motivation → Would stretch more if it was part of a group effort. Reflects on missed opportunities → Knows she has time but doesn’t act on it.
	Habits	Ignoring free moments – Recognizes time slots where she could stretch but doesn’t use them. Pushing off non-urgent self-care – Treats stretching as an optional activity rather than a priority. Avoiding effortful change – Wants to care more but doesn’t actively try to shift her mindset.

Drawing	Name	Booked and Busy Beetrice
	Activated Role	Full-time Stanford student
	Goal	They want to integrate stretching into their life as seamlessly as possible. Stretching should not bleed into the time they need for their other responsibilities.
	Motivation	They feel physical discomfort when they sit down for prolonged periods of time to complete their tasks, leading them to unconsciously shift around in their seat in an attempt to relieve the tension. They care about completing their tasks because it has led to great academic/professional rewards. They do not care about long-term health at the moment because they do not think it has affected their life’s pursuits.
	Conflict	They are so hyper focused on their responsibilities that they do not realize their discomfort is actually causing a distraction to their workflow and dampening their efficiency/productivity. Because they deal with their discomfort unconsciously, they view stretching, a conscious action, as an interruption not worth stopping their work for.
	Attempts to Solve	They tried to schedule stretching in for 10 minutes when they wake up. This did not work out because life happens causing their schedule to shift, and, in that shifting, their school/work-related schedule always took priority.
	Setting/ Environment	Their desk where they do work, study spaces on campus with tables and chairs so they can do work, and in class where they must sit in chairs. There are periods of movement only during transitions to and from class/working locations or when tending to necessary needs (e.g. eating).
	Tools	Calendar scheduling, tracking assignments/deadlines in Notion
	Skills	Organization and achieving goals if that goal leads to more immediate results that alter their life in a positive manner.