What almost a year of building OceanMind on iOS taught us about what users actually want

When we started OceanMind on iOS, our thesis was pretty straightforward:

Build structured programs combining breathwork, movement, and meditation. Ask people for 30–40 minutes a day. Give them a path that produces meaningful results over time.

The interesting part is: it worked.

We tested the programs ourselves, with friends and focus groups, and saw real results.

Then we launched and met actual user behavior.

People didn’t necessarily want a month-long path to feel better later.

They wanted to feel better right now.

So we started following the data: completion rates, retention, session duration, which practices people finished, which ones they came back to, and how different cohorts behaved.

We shortened programs. Changed their structure. Watched what happened. Changed them again.

Eventually that learning started changing the product itself.

We built the home screen around current intent instead of a content library.

We added personalization.

Then AI-generated practices that use your current state and previous experience to answer a much simpler request:

“I’m stressed.”
“I can’t focus.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“I need to reset.”

That has probably been our biggest product learning so far:

Don’t just optimize the solution. Understand when the user actually wants the solution.

We’re now thinking much less about OceanMind as a “wellness app” and much more as a tool for changing your state when you need it.

Another unexpected learning has been our audience. We’re seeing more men than we originally expected, and that’s making us question the language we use, how we explain practices, our positioning, and even things like using a male vs. female guiding voice.

And now we’re taking everything we’ve learned from iOS and bringing OceanMind to Android on August 25.

For other consumer founders here, I’d love to compare notes:

Have you ever built something that clearly worked, only to discover that the commitment required didn’t match how people actually wanted to use it?

And if you’ve built wellness or consumer apps for men, I’d especially love to hear what you’ve learned about positioning them without making them feel like “wellness products.”