CORO development team: Audrey Ji, Vishaka Nirmal, Natalia Escobar
Taking a group fitness class can be nerve-racking, especially without access to audio instructions.
Group fitness classes are more than just workouts—they’re spaces for connection, shared energy, and synchronized learning.
Instructors typically guide participants through a blend of visual and auditory cues, but not all participants can rely on these, making accessibility a core requirement—not an afterthought.
Without access to these cues, participants can feel lost or excluded, creating barriers to confidence and participation.
Fitness Class Experience (Pre-CORO)
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How do we improve this experience?
Our Research
We observed dance classes, yoga classes and instructional activity classes and interviewed accessibility and instructional experts including dance professors, yoga instructors, athletic directors, Cognitive Science researchers, touch interaction expert and group fitness attendees.
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“As an educator, I see an opening about the pedagogy of skin sense”
“Dancers are so used to wearing things while moving around”
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“Everyone knows to move in sync based on the vibrations of a ‘big-ass drum’”
“I’ll give signals to my buddy behind me, based on the verbal cues I hear”
Our Solution
How It Works—
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Fitness Instructors who curate class structure, progression, and instructional prompts
Participants with hearing loss or in need of extra support who want to attend group fitness classes
Designed For The Users—
CORO App
The mobile app lets you pair CORO devices, preview instructor cues before class, and personalize haptic feedback to fit individual needs. It also offers pre-set configurations for class types like yoga and dance.
Our research shows that yoga benefits from steady, breath-regulating pulses, while dance is guided by rhythmic 8-count beats—making these two formats our primary focus.
(Wireframe prototyped by Vishaka)
How We Designed CORO
Research Synthesis
Material and wearable experiences
Form Evolution
User Experience Test Prototypes
Prototypes used for designing the haptic vibration patterns and experience, demonstration and testing.
(Haptic code prototyped by Vishaka and Natalia)
