SoundTouch
Industrial design language for Bose's new line of Wifi speakers - intended
to replace the aging SoundDock line and help establish Bose as a leader in home audio products for streaming music content.
Strategy
- Evolve existing Bose Design Aesthetic
- Differentiate from SoundDock Design Language
- Physically embody a novel user-feature
Gesture and Composition
Product essence should be distilled to simple shapes and iconic composition of details
Product Stance
SoundDock products tilt 10 degrees to provide iPhone stability - SoundTouch should have vertical orientation for a purer form that harmonizes in the home
Color, Materials and Finishes
If SoundDocks are finished in metal, black and silver - SoundTouch could differentiate through a
color palette & materials that are elevated and more home inspired.
Initial Ideation
Emerging Themes
Architectural Studies / Acoustics Integration
Each concept direction was explored with Acoustic Engineering to understand how the form impacted
speaker layout and vice-versa. Initial layout consisted of Mid-tweeters, a base driver and passive radiators.
Form Selection and Refinement
Acoustics were simplified to 2 drivers and a wave-port because it provided the best cost to performance ratio.
The 'Vertical Taper' concept was selected for purity and best compatibility with final acoustics.
Speaker Controls
A unique feature of SoundTouch is the ability to program 6 presets for instant access to cross-platform audio sources. The physical design needed to celebrate this feature while being distinctive, elegant and adaptable to the remote control and screen interface.
UI concept exploration
Design Control
Successful implementation required a high degree of design resolution, definition, and close partnership
during development to ensure design intent was maintained.
Driving a holistic design vision
Initial plan for the SoundTouch family was to minimally change existing products to complete the line - the new design
inspired a program to strengthen the SoundTouch brand and product family more comprehensively.
