The complexity of modeling collaborative systems has been broadly recognized by the CSCW community. Mobile collaborative applications are a particular case of those systems, where design requirements and constraints are even more complex than in stationary solutions. Design complexity in mobile application increases because mobility changes the interaction requirements of nomadic users and the capabilities of devices to support them. Consequently, the awareness support provided by these systems should also be adjusted according to the nomadic users' context. This article presents a method that helps identifying the awareness mechanisms required by nomadic users to support a certain activity. The method, named Awareness Identification Method for Mobile Applications (AIMMA), suggests particular awareness components embedded in mobile collaborative applications, which will increase the interaction possibilities of users participating in a collaborative process. AIMMA can be used by software developers as a design guideline. This article reports the results of a proof of concept where the proposed method helped identifying suitable awareness mechanisms to improve the collaboration support of a mobile application. This method could also be extended to help identify, e.g., the services required by mobile workers to support their interactions.