Mindful Miles: Meditation Activities for Car Rides
Studies have shown that meditation can reduce stress and alter physical parts of the brain to promote emotional stability (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). During my interview with Upper Arlington's Intervention Specialist, Mary Weaver, I learned about numerous tactics to keep children calm in the classroom (M. Weaver, personal communication, September 16, 2025). A main technique for calming children was identifying creative ways to breathe. Some examples include blowing out the candle (exhale), smelling the flowers (inhale), or blowing bubbles. This inspired the design conjecture to showcase a mini meditation visualization to help children engage with breathing exercises to promote a calm car environment. These activities can be enhanced with physical toys that measure the breaths taken and correlate to imagery on the screen.
Some issues that come with this conjecture include parents' willingness for children to utilize screens in the car, since I found some participants were hesitant to give children screens for extended periods of time. Another implication is how to incorporate Honda's specific branding and guidelines within a primarily virtual design.
References:
Cleveland Clinic. (2022, May 22). Meditation: What it is, benefits & types. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17906-meditation
Weaver, Mary. (September, 2025) Interview/personal conversation. https://capstone-news.ghost.io/ghost/#/editor/post/68dac990848f2a00016ee9b8
