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Walking Tall app

An app to improve your posture while you're walking.
It's designed to help people with balance issues, eg, with Parkinson's or motor neurone disease.

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Walking Tall app	By University of New South Wales
	Features Education and information. Tracking – this app tracks user activity on a daily basis and checks off the days across a week that the user’s complete a timed walk. The app also has a reward feature where completion of walks over consecutive days results in the user unlocking a digital trophy.
Country of origin	Australia
Clinical review	Read a clinical review below.
Security and privacy	Does the app: Collect medical information? No Require a login? No Have password protection? No Have a privacy policy? No Require internet access to use? No Read more about safety and security when using apps. Brochures: Tips to improve your privacy and security [PDF, 65 KB] Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ Staying safe online(external link) Netsafe, NZ
Cost	Free
Advertisements	This app contains no ads
How to get the app	(external link) (external link) (external link)

The Walking Tall app, developed by the University of New South Wales, aims to improve overall balance and stability. The app offers a new approach to improving posture and overall spinal health by educating users on posture while walking.

Its interface guides users through tailored aspects of walking, with voice over educational comments advising user on focus points while walking in their environment.
The app's emphasis on education ensures users understand the importance of particular aspects of safe walking to reduce the risks off falls and encourages small tweaks to walking form.
The app puts its users through a series of timed walks, with variations to the speed of the walk, so it challenges the user’s steadiness on their feet. The duration of the walking session can also be varied.
The app tracks user activity on a daily basis and checks off the days across a week that the users complete a timed walk. It also has a reward feature where completion of walks over consecutive days results in the user unlocking a digital trophy.

The Walking Tall app offers a simple solution for addressing posture concerns that can negatively influence someone’s balance, focusing on walking in a tall position. For the complete app description, go to Google Play(external link), App Store(external link) or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

PROS	CONS
✔ Easy to navigate, so the target audience will find this app easy to use. ✔ The app is simple, and users only have 2 variables that they can change – duration of the session, and the speed of walking that is programmed. This adds to its easy-to-use nature. ✔ The voice over gives the user the ability to put headphones on and walk in many different environments, while still gaining all the educational information that's needed.	✘ The app allows users to set their own walking speed based on the a ’beats per minute’ pace. It makes the assumption that a user will know what pace to set for themselves, and many users may not have this insight.

PROS

CONS

✔ Easy to navigate, so the target audience will find this app easy to use.

✔ The app is simple, and users only have 2 variables that they can change – duration of the session, and the speed of walking that is programmed. This adds to its easy-to-use nature.

✔ The voice over gives the user the ability to put headphones on and walk in many different environments, while still gaining all the educational information that's needed.

✘ The app allows users to set their own walking speed based on the a ’beats per minute’ pace. It makes the assumption that a user will know what pace to set for themselves, and many users may not have this insight.

Clinical review

Reviewer: Simon Keepa, Physiotherapist
Date of review: May 2024
Platform: Apple
Version: 1.2
Comments: The Walking Tall app guides people through a series of small, timed walks, with focus on walking and balance education. It offers a simple solution for addressing posture concerns that can negatively influence someone’s balance, focusing on walking in a tall position. The app is targeted to people who have low level balance issues, particularly when walking, or people who are in early stages of neurological conditions that may affect their balance, eg, Parkinson’s disease or motor neurone disease. It's a very simple app, without a huge amount of variability or interaction required. That said, the walking education that's provided in this app will be beneficial to users with balance issues while walking, or those with early-stage neurological diseases/complications.
Safety concerns: This app may not be suitable for those users that have moderate or advanced neurological conditions.
New Zealand relevance: Relevant to a New Zealand audience.

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