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Breth
Overview
Breth transforms breathwork from something you follow into something you feel.
I led product design for Breth: a wearable device and app that transforms nervous system regulation into a physical, guided experience.
By synchronizing haptic feedback with audio and visuals, Breth helps users regulate stress, improve focus, and build consistent breathing habits.
I worked end-to-end from concept through launch, shaping hardware, software, and brand in close collaboration with engineering.
Impact
Shipped from 0 → 1 in ~12 months
Launched on Kickstarter + Indiegogo
Successfully transitioned to e-commerce sales
Built full hardware + software ecosystem
Created a new category: haptic-guided breathwork
Shifting from instruction-based tools to sensation-first design
Validated with real users across home, classroom, and clinical contexts
Insight: Calm isn't instructed. It's felt.
Most breathwork tools rely on attention, counting, or screens.
But in moments of stress, cognition is the first thing to break down.
We saw an opportunity to shift breathwork from something you follow to something you feel — using the body itself as the interface.
Breth replaces instruction with sensation.
The System:
Synchronized, multi-sensory guidance
Three synchronized layers work independently, but together create a cohesive system that guides without requiring attention.
Haptics
A pair of actuators create precise, rhythmic pulses across the body. Guiding inhale, hold, and exhale through touch alone.
Visuals
Soft, flowing motion paths mirror the structure of each breathing pattern. Providing clarity without demanding focus.
Audio
Soundscapes and heartbeat patterns deepen immersion, reinforcing timing and emotional tone.
Interface Design
Translating breath into something intuitive
While haptics anchor the experience in the body, the interface provides clarity, structure, and flexibility.
The goal wasn’t to add more guidance - it was to make guidance effortless.
A single, consistent language
Every breathing exercise is built on the same visual logic:
Upward movement → inhale
Horizontal → hold
Downward movement → exhale
This creates a system users can understand instantly — without needing instruction or memory.
A focal point
Each experience is anchored by a single glowing element.
It acts as a visual guide that:
Reduces cognitive load
Maintains time & pacing
Keeps attention grounded
Rather than presenting information, the interface directs attention.
As the sphere moves through each phase of breath, it gently crosses a boundary - marking the transition from inhale to hold to exhale. A subtle shift in shadow creates a sense of direction, a quiet signal that something has changed.
Flexible, not prescriptive
Each modality - haptics, visuals, and audio - can operate independently.
This allows the experience to adapt to context:
Full guidance when learning
Minimal guidance once familiar
Fully screenless when needed
The interface supports the system, but never becomes a dependency.
Key Experiences
Guided Breathing
Breathing patterns are expressed through a consistent motion system.
Users recognize interactions almost instantaneously.
Haptic Hearbeat
A familiar rhythm translated into haptics.
By translating a heartbeat into synchronized haptic pulses, we created an immediate, familiar sensation — calming, steady, and deeply human.
Two complementary modes were developed:
A slowing heartbeat to guide users into calm
A rising rhythm paired with audio to build energy and focus
This shifted the experience from instruction to sensation - something users could feel instantly, without explanation.
Synchronized Sessions
Breth enables multiple devices to connect and guide users through the same breathing rhythm.
Whether used by families, classrooms, or groups, this creates a shared physical experience, bringing people into sync through breath.
Screenless by design
Calm shouldn't depend on a screen.
Breth allows users to start and complete sessions directly from the device using haptic cues alone.
This makes the experience more accessible, more present, and easier to integrate into everyday life.
Execution
Hardware Design
The device was designed to be minimal, wearable, and intuitive.
Form and material choices support comfort and approachability, while internal architecture enables precise, high-fidelity haptic feedback.
Interaction Design
Breathing patterns were translated into clear, repeatable systems across haptics, visuals, and audio.
Every interaction was designed to reduce friction - allowing users to engage without needing to learn or remember steps.
Brand & Identity
The Breth identity reflects clarity, rhythm, and softness.
An open wordmark and flowing visual language echo the natural movement of breath, while reinforcing the physical, sensory nature of the product.
Packaging
Packaging was treated as part of the experience.
A calm, minimal exterior opens to reveal vibrant internal patterns - reflecting the shift from stillness to energy that defines the product itself.
Validation
Designed in the real world
We tested Breth through live sessions using early prototypes, gathering feedback across a wide range of users and environments.
Users didn’t need instruction - they immediately followed the rhythm.
We observed adoption in:
Home routines
Classroom environments
Shared group sessions
These sessions helped refine both the product and the system - validating that haptic-guided breathing could work without instruction or training.
Delivery
Keeping promises
We successfully delivered all Kickstarter orders on time, validating both the product and the process behind it.
From prototype to launch, I was deeply involved in the realities of bringing Breth to market - including assembly, packaging, and fulfillment.
This reinforced the importance of designing not just the product, but the system required to deliver it.
Following launch, Breth transitioned into a direct-to-consumer model, continuing to evolve through real-world use.
Designed to be experienced
The most effective interfaces don’t demand attention - they guide it.
Breth stands out as one of the most emotionally immediate products I’ve worked on.
The response was consistent:
surprise → calm → curiosity → repeat use
What made it meaningful was seeing how naturally it fit into everyday life - from quiet moments at home to shared experiences in classrooms.
Kickstarter Launch Video
Google Sites
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