Meet Buddy, the Spirometry Coach

Designing an endearing character to guide patients through an at-home diagnostic device

“Hi! I’m Buddy, your spirometry coach.”
But what is spirometry, and why would it need a character like Buddy?

Patients with certain lung diseases need to perform spirometry tests on a regular basis. These tests measure how much air the lungs can breathe and how fast. Until recently, patients had to visit their doctor to perform the test.

ndd Medizintechnik AG, a Zurich-based health tech company, has been developing spirometry devices for decades. One of their newest devices lets patients do the test at home and upload their results to the cloud. A real breakthrough!

To get reliable results, the test must be performed very precisely. This is where Buddy comes in. Within the smartphone app connected to the spirometer, Buddy guides patients through the test and explains how to do it correctly.

The final spirometry instruction video. Buddy points out to everything that is important. But the hard work is done by Andy, the main character!

Character Development

Originally, the task was not to design a character at all. ndd asked for a short explanatory video that would make the process easy to understand. The video needed to show a person performing the test, but live-action footage was not an option. So we designed a digital character instead. A person that feels relatable, friendly, and reassuring, helping to reduce hesitation or fear. This is important, because the results are only valid if the patient gives their best effort.

During development, we realised that we needed a clear way to point out details such as feet flat on the floor, an upright posture, or lips tightly sealed around the mouthpiece. Instead of using simple arrows, the idea evolved further. This is how Buddy was born.

Buddy is essentially just a dot that highlights where attention is needed. But he does so in a motivating and endearing way.

Initial sketches

Trial and Error

We started with a simple 3D head, made quickly and with minimal effort. But would this quickly made face meet high expectations? Could it express emotions like joy, exhaustion, and satisfaction? Could it seal the FlowTube tightly with its lips?

These were just a few of the challenges in this project. Every detail had to work: tongue, mouth, teeth, lips, eyes, cheeks, nose, hands, and even lungs had to be fully animatable. On top of that, our client wanted a character that was both simple and endearing. Our job was to find the right balance between functionality and charm.

Buddy is a star!

What started as a small helper in an app video soon became more. Today, Buddy is the official mascot of ndd’s at-home spirometry device and part of the broader product communication.

Our project received Excellence in the category ‘Campaigns – Healthcare and Pharma’ at the 31st Communicator Awards.

The awards celebrate clear, effective, and creative communication across media, judged by a jury of industry professionals. We’re happy that the work we put into making complex content understandable and engaging was recognized on this international stage.

Additionally, it was awarded ‘Silver’ at the 2025 Muse Creative Awards and ‘Silver’ in the category Digital Communication, Healthcare & Medical at the 2025 Collision Awards.

Check out the second EasyOne Sky video. Again with Andy and Buddy, this time showing you step-by-step how to do a calibration check.

Clientndd Medizintechnik AG
Year 2022–2025 Quaint techniques
Character design, 3D animation Partners Luca Magni - music and sound design
Redefine - app development