The urge to connect with people and express yourself through dancing is a near-universal experience. Whether it is celebrating with friends on a night out, slow dancing with a partner in your living room, or feeling the resonance of a crowd at a concert; dancing is a powerful form of connection. However, when someone is hard of hearing, dancing becomes more complicated. Good Vibrations is a wearable device that picks up the different frequencies in a song and vibrates in sync, allowing someone with deafness to groove more easily.

Discretion was top of mind during the design process of Good Vibrations. We wanted to aid someone to feel the music in a more comprehensive way–while being able to blend into the crowd or stand out from it. This was accomplished by having two states, one when the device is on normally, and the other that gives Good Vibrations a glow.

The concept was first developed based on insights around how people feel the urge to connect physically, especially after the isolation of a global pandemic. Good Vibrations was the response designed to reduce the friction of connecting with those close to you on the dance floor.