Presence Mirror- Non-Verbal Behavior Coach

Inspiration

Presence Mirror was inspired by my experience as a Brazilian international student studying at an American university. Before coming to the United States, I had never taken formal English classes. Most of my English came from TV shows, movies, and animated cartoons.

When I arrived, I realized that speaking English was not the only challenge. The bigger challenge was learning how to communicate in a professional way: how to present myself, how to sound confident, how to stand, how to use eye contact, and how to make my delivery feel natural in a different culture.

For almost a year, I worked on improving the way I presented projects and spoke in academic and professional settings. I often relied on American friends to help me understand what sounded natural, what looked confident, and what could be improved.

That experience inspired Presence Mirror.

What it does

Presence Mirror is a nonverbal presentation coaching app. It allows users to rehearse with their camera and microphone, record themselves, and receive feedback on how they may be presenting through body language, voice energy, posture, and emotional cues.

The goal is not to correct someone’s language or accent. Instead, the app focuses on nonverbal communication, because culture can affect how people express confidence, nervousness, confusion, or professionalism.

Presence Mirror helps users notice signals such as:

posture and body positioning
eye contact habits
facial tension
nervous or distress-like cues
low-energy or sadness-like cues
confusion or uncertainty cues
voice energy and pacing
overall professional presence

Why it matters

Many students, especially international students, are expected to present confidently in environments that are culturally unfamiliar. However, most presentation tools only focus on slides, grammar, or speech content.

Presence Mirror focuses on the part that people often feel but do not know how to measure: how they are coming across.

The app gives users a safe space to practice before a presentation, interview, pitch, or class project. It helps them become more aware of their nonverbal communication and improve their confidence over time.

How we built it

We built Presence Mirror as a web-based MVP using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The app uses the browser camera and microphone so users can rehearse directly from the website. It includes a live mirror preview, a recording feature, playback, and a feedback dashboard with coaching suggestions.

The project was deployed using GitHub and Vercel so it can be easily accessed through a public web link.

Challenges we faced

One challenge was designing the app in a way that felt helpful without pretending to diagnose emotions or mental health. We wanted the feedback to be supportive and practical, not judgmental.

Another challenge was making the camera and recording experience simple for users. The app needed to feel like a mirror, not a complicated technical tool.

The biggest design challenge was turning a personal experience into a product idea that could help many people, especially students who are learning how to communicate professionally in a new culture.

What we learned

We learned that presentation confidence is not only about words. It is also about body language, comfort, culture, and self-awareness.

We also learned that technology can help people practice professional communication in a private and supportive way. For international students, this kind of tool could make the process of adapting to a new academic or professional culture less intimidating.

What is next

In the future, Presence Mirror could include more advanced computer vision and voice analysis, personalized progress tracking, and culturally aware coaching suggestions. It could also offer different practice modes for interviews, classroom presentations, business pitches, and public speaking.