OVERVIEW
Over 48 million Americans suffer from hearing loss but less than 20% actually do anything about it. One of the biggest reasons is social stigma.
Eargo’s discreet hearing aids and elegant case help individuals sidestep this fear of stigma, empowering them to re-engage with their surroundings and live life to the fullest.
ROLE
Industrial Design - Concept ideation & refinement, sketching, formgiving, surfacing, CMF, photorealistic renders
Mechanical Engineering - 3D CAD, rapid prototyping, 2D drawings, tolerance analysis, DFM, cosmetic inspection, root cause/failure analysis, design of experiments
Manufacturing - Initial BOM and Manufacturing Process Instructions for Proto build
AWARDS
2021 IDSA IDEA Awards (Jury Chair’s Award, People’s Choice Award, Bronze in Health & Medical Category)
2020 Edison Award (Silver)
2019 Good Design Award
COLLABORATORS
Tom Bergner, Jonathan Aase
The Eargo Neo charging case builds on the original charger’s pebble form factor and provides an enhanced user experience for customers to easily store and charge their Eargo Neo hearing aids on the go.
THE CHALLENGE
Redesign the charging case to accommodate the new Eargo Neo hearing aids, improve user experience, and address charging issues reported in the previous generation.
Concept ideation & refinement
Directed to maintain the exterior pebble form of the previous generation, I proceeded to explore different ways to streamline the charging cradle interface and incorporate subtle features to secure the hearing aids in place.
rapid prototyping
3D prints were used to compare different form factors. The lid magnetic closure was prototyped with magnets of varying strengths to achieve a satisfying snap.
EASIER ASSEMBLY
Parts were consolidated whenever possible to improve ease of assembly and reduce assembly time. The new redesign reduced total part count by 44% while improving part quality and finish.
improved charging reliability
A combination of physical features to hold the hearing aids in place and indicators to alert the user if they’re not properly inserted in the case reduces the occurrence of charging issues.
design for delight
Upon first glance, it appears that the exterior of the Neo charger is one smooth continuous surface. However, when the lid is removed, previously hidden light pipes light up to indicate how much charge is left in the Neo hearing aids and charging case. The cradle pockets also light up to indicate that the hearing aids are properly seated.
result
Eargo Neo was launched in early 2019 with an annual production of ~30K units. Users who upgraded from the previous version complimented the new charging case form factor, improved charging reliability, and intuitive LED indicators.
The charging case design was also carried over to the following generation, Neo HiFi, released a year later.
