Designing AI Orbs for Audio-Based VR

This project explores the design process behind AI Orbs—spatial companions crafted for a VR experience centered on diabetes awareness. These orbs act as audio guides, helping users navigate emotionally charged narratives through voices in the stories, aura, and rhythm rather than visuals alone.
‍

‍

Sketches and Visual Clarity

The color palette for the AI Orbs was intentionally chosen to evoke clarity, empathy, and a futuristic softness. Since the VR experience is driven by sound and emotional presence, color becomes a vital non-verbal cue—signaling the orb’s state, transitions in mood, and moments of interaction.

Diabetes Blue , Soft Pinks , Muted Teals and icy grays are the main colors of the visuals.

Meanwhile, behavioral motion—like the orb’s oscillation between -30° and +30° or pulsing between sizes—adds rhythm and presence that supports the audio cues. The VFX style blends surrealism, vaporwave textures, and minimalist brush effects to ensure the orb feels light, intuitive, and not overly gamified.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

The Jobs to Be Done

The AI Orbs are not just interactive companions—they are narrative carriers. Their core job is to guide users through a story about diabetes awareness, anchoring the experience in everyday actions, resilience, and future hope.

Through spatial audio and presence, the orbs help communicate:

• What diabetes is and how it affects people on a daily basis
• How it's currently being managed—the small but vital steps individuals take
• And most importantly, how collective awareness today can ensure future generations treat diabetes like we treat the flu: manageable and non-threatening

‍

‍

The Experience

Designing these AI Orbs was less about tech and more about presence—how to make someone feel guided, supported, and heard without relying only on the fixed visuals. Working with sound, aura, and movement forced us to think differently about interaction.

‍

From the sketches to the final environments, the goal was to create a softly guided journey. The orbs hover at a distance, gently pulsing or rotating when attention is needed, but never interrupting the flow. Everything is driven by audio cues and natural motion, allowing users to engage with the story on their own terms.

‍

The environments reflect both the clinical reality of living with diabetes and the emotional landscapes surrounding it—past, present, and future. Whether seated or standing, users are immersed in a quiet world where voice, rhythm, and ambient visuals work together to shape an atmosphere of care and awareness.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Thanks for reading ❤️

‍