VertiBuds

Brainstorming
Competitor Analysis
Screen Iterations
Brand Resources

Inspiration

 Vertibuds did not begin as just a design challenge. It began with a person in our design team.
 One of our teammates lives with vertigo, a condition that can make the world suddenly tilt, spin, or collapse beneath your feet without warning. Through conversations with her, we learned that vertigo is not only physically disorienting; it is emotionally exhausting.
Every day requires a level of awareness most people never think about. She described constantly scanning her body for subtle signals, wondering if a sudden episode might interrupt a class, a commute, or a moment of independence.

 This constant monitoring creates what we came to understand as vigilance fatigue: the mental burden of always being on alert for something you cannot fully control.
 Rather than designing for a hypothetical user, we had the rare opportunity to design with someone who lives this experience every day. That perspective shaped every decision we made.
We asked a simple question:

What if someone could know an episode was coming before the dizziness begins? That question became the foundation of VertiBuds.

The Problem

 Most existing solutions for vertigo or balance-related conditions are reactive.
 Medical alert buttons and fall detectors only activate after a collapse occurs. They are designed for emergencies, but they do not help people prevent them.
For someone living with vertigo, the most frightening moment is not always the fall; it is the uncertainty before it.

Our teammate described situations where she felt the beginning of dizziness but did not know whether it would pass or escalate. In those moments, having guidance or an early warning could make a critical difference. This revealed a clear gap in current technology: there is almost nothing designed to detect the early biological signals of a vertigo episode.

Our Vision

Vertibuds aims to transform unpredictable vertigo episodes into visible, manageable information.
The system consists of two components:
    A wearable earbud device with sensors
    A companion mobile application
Because the vestibular system responsible for balance is located in the inner ear, earbuds provide a natural place to detect subtle motion and equilibrium changes.

The wearable sensors track microscopic movements associated with the inner ear’s balance system.
These signals are then processed and visualized within the app as a real-time stability indicator we call the Internal Compass. Vertibuds alerts the user that an episode may be approaching. Instead of discovering the problem only after symptoms begin, the system provides advance awareness.

Designing the Experience

While the device itself is conceptual hardware, we designed the entire digital experience in Figma. Our focus was creating an interface that works in moments when a user may already feel disoriented or overwhelmed. We designed three core interaction moments:

Early Warning If instability is detected, the system gently alerts the user through: Haptic vibration Audio guidance through the earbuds A simple visual warning on the app Rather than alarming the user, the interface offers calm, clear instructions.
Episode Guidance If an episode begins, VertiBuds shifts into assistance mode. Through the earbuds, the system can provide step-by-step guidance such as: adjusting posture reclining to a specific angle focusing breathing stabilizing body position Users can choose between text guidance or audio instructions, depending on what is easiest during dizziness. Because vertigo can make reading difficult, audio support was an essential part of our design.
Emergency Support In severe situations where the user cannot move or recover quickly, Vertibuds can initiate an emergency protocol. The system can notify emergency contacts and share the user's location while continuing to provide calm voice guidance. This transforms the experience from being alone during an episode to having a digital support system present in real time.

What We Learned

Designing Vertibuds taught us that the best innovations often begin with empathy.
Working with a teammate who experiences vertigo gave us insights that traditional research alone could never provide. We learned how unpredictable symptoms can affect confidence, independence, and daily decision-making.

We also discovered how technology can extend human senses. By translating hidden biological signals into visual and auditory feedback, we can make the body’s internal processes easier to understand. Perhaps most importantly, we learned that designing for health conditions requires thinking about both physical safety and emotional reassurance. Sometimes the most important feature is simply helping someone feel less alone.

Challenges We Faced

One of the biggest challenges was conceptualizing how sensors could detect microscopic inner ear movements.
Vertigo originates from extremely subtle physiological changes, and translating those signals into usable data required thinking about how different sensor inputs might combine to detect patterns.
Another challenge was designing for moments of vulnerability. When someone experiences vertigo, they may struggle to focus on complex interfaces or read detailed instructions.

This pushed us to design a system that communicates simply, clearly, and calmly. We also had to balance the idea of predictive alerts with the risk of false alarms, ensuring that the system would provide helpful signals without overwhelming the user.

Why VertiBuds Matters

One of the biggest challenges was conceptualizing how sensors could detect microscopic inner ear movements.
Vertigo originates from extremely subtle physiological changes, and translating those signals into usable data required thinking about how different sensor inputs might combine to detect patterns.
Another challenge was designing for moments of vulnerability. When someone experiences vertigo, they may struggle to focus on complex interfaces or read detailed instructions.