Prototype
1 day Speedy Sunday Sprint
Reading time:
3 minutes
inspiration
The Spark
As a design educator, I witnessed a concerning pattern: students would spend hours hunched over their laptops, completely absorbed in their Figma workflows. The irony wasn't lost on me – here were future designers, crafting beautiful experiences for others while compromising their own physical wellbeing.
One particularly late evening, I watched as a student massaged their neck after a 6-hour design sprint. "I forgot to move again," they sighed. This moment crystallized a reality I'd observed repeatedly: design tools that enhance creativity were inadvertently encouraging poor ergonomic habits.
The Challenge
While existing posture-tracking solutions existed, they often disrupted workflow with screen blurring or aggressive notifications – unacceptable for designers deep in their creative process.
Behind the curve
When studied, there seemed to be quite a few reasons that lead to (or are co-related to) bad posture. Most people start with sitting straight but as time goes on, ,their posture gets worse. There were a few more things I learnt about them:
soltion
Posturize
I designed Posturize as a Figma widget that transforms posture awareness into a collaborative experience. There is something very counterintuitive, students actually preferred more noticeable interventions. "If it's too subtle, I'll just ignore it". Sometimes, good design means being bold enough to interrupt – especially when it serves the user's long-term wellbeing.
prototype
Proof of Concept
Check out the working proof of concept and code for Posturize. It requires your webcam to work- you can always turn it off any time you like! Press "Start" to begin
There are two states- one with Good Posture, other with Bad Posture. The indicator begins turning red, alerting the user when the posture is incorrect
How will it work?
Posturize in action- By combining real-time monitoring with social features and gamification, it transforms what could be an annoying reminder into an engaging team experience that actually improves both individual and collective wellbeing. The goal wasn't to be seamless, but to create meaningful interruptions that spark real behavior change
reflection
A Push Ahead
This project is a part of "Speedy Sunday Sprints" - a personal challenge to break free from design perfectionism. While most wellness apps aim to be invisible, I made the conscious choice to create slightly "obtrusive" moments.
Future Scope
Every profession has its physical demands - from developers hunching over code to architects bent over drawings. Posturize's potential extends beyond just design students, suggesting an opportunity to create profession-specific posture awareness tools that understand the unique demands of each field.
The future isn't about being less intrusive – it's about being intrusive in ways that genuinely serve the user's physical wellbeing while respecting their creative flow. Now it's about understanding how these interventions can be tailored across different work styles and professional contexts.
also, if you're reading this with your back arched,a friendly reminder to sit straight and breathe ✨
