Smart and Wearable Technology

Case Study: Breathe Tech

Breathe is a London based company focused on bringing user-friendly technologies to market; they place a strong emphasis on simple solutions, which is why their portfolio is dedicated to non-app enabled products. With established manufacturing partners and supply chains in the Far East, Breathe engaged ITERATE to create a unique aesthetic and design language for their flagship product.

Breathe Smart is an air quality monitor that alerts users to the level of pollution within a given environment. Due to its wide applications of use, the product aesthetic needed to appeal to a broad market that included: mothers, commuters and sports people who are conscious about the impact their environment is having on their health. The client was also keen for the aesthetic to retain a European style.

An uncomplicated design was established that incorporated a single button for activation and use, with air in/outlets being discreetly integrated in to either side of the plastic moulded enclosure. An equally simple docking station was proposed that enabled charging and provided the user with a safe place to store the device when not in use. Furthermore, a clip mechanism located at the rear allowed Breathe Smart to be quickly attached to a bag or handlebar.

Following a successful crowd funding campaign, Breathe Tech secured the necessary finance in order to launch production of their product at the start of 2019. To see more projects like this, please read our Case Studies.

Having developed a number of smart and wearable technologies, we have identified a series of success factors that are common across the projects we have helped deliver:

• Understand the user: the risk of developing a technology product is that it doesn’t become adopted by your intended user group. For this reason, it is important to understand the users’ needs and clearly articulate the benefits your product will offer. There is a well established market for tech gadgets; however, products that enable a user to solve a problem; perform a function more productively or more cost effectively will stand a greater chance of achieving market success.
• Understand the environment of use: this is a key factor that must be considered when developing any product. However, it is particularly important when developing smart and wearable technologies as they often involve a high level of user interaction. Understanding the environment of use will drive a vast amount of decisions throughout the design process. For example, a product that is intended for outdoor use may need to be manufactured from UV stable material. It may be appropriate to design-in shock absorbent features so that the product can withstand heavy handling, or the product may need to be Ingress Protected (IP) or use within wet or dusty environments. The intended environment of use should be established from the outset of your project.
• Specify method of communication: most smart and wearable technologies incorporate a method of communication such as Bluetooth, NFC, WiFi; or GSM for mobile communication. However, there are lots of emerging communication methods that offer alternative benefits. This is why it’s important to clearly specify the intended product function and align it with the most appropriate technology. Sigfox and LoRaWAN are power efficient ways of communicating with a mobile network; however, they do have range and coverage limitations. Over specifying such technologies can result in a higher unit cost without offering additional benefits.
• Consider power capacity implications: battery life should be carefully considered due to the impact this can have on product size and weight. Wearable tech is size critical; users are familiar with charging their devices on a daily basis, which is why there is little benefit in offering a large battery capacity if it will effect the overall product size. In instances where the product is intended for use within the home environment, it is sensible for that product to be mains powered or incorporate a small rechargeable battery.