WorkerBase industrial smart watch brings industry 4.0 to the worker to increase efficiency and let the expert focus on what he´s best at.
For eighteen months, the technology start-up WorkerBase analyzed industrial processes and interviewed managers and employees with the purpose of identifying specific areas, in which manual work operations could be improved. The solution for this was a wearable device enabling the worker to access, manipulate and receive data from the administrative software.
SMAL was asked to translate the research results and product requirements into design concepts. The design concepts could then be translated into a single coherent product. A product, whose design meets all requirements regarding an industrial working environment. The design should also invoke ergonomic qualities, seamless integration of hardware and software, as well as a contemporary appearance.
There are significant differences between a consumer smart watch and an industrial smart watch. But at the same time, for better acceptance, the industrial smart watch needs to have some attributes, that are associated with consumer goods. Work environments vary. Women and men with differing bodily proportions vary. Right or left hand preferences vary. Ultimately, different work behaviors translate into a myriad of expectations for the visual appearance of a device.
The design of the WorkerBase smart watch unifies all these discrepancies into a sleek and integrative design. Technical components come together in a compact design. The barcode scanner and camera components are tilted to enable an ergonomic scanning gesture.
Although the user can interact with the interface via touch screen, for operation with gloves all essential functionalities can also be accessed through hard keys, located on the side of the watch.
This is the way our team meets project challenges.
Before we sharpened our pencils, we listened and learned from WorkerBase to absorb everything, that would evolve into essential aspects of the user experience. We guided WorkerBase through the entire development process, to ensure that the key aspects would be preserved and incorporated. The end result is a flawless user experience.
We used a wide range of design tools to achieve this. Starting with a simple pen for narrative concept sketches, reaching to rapid iterative testing using 3D CAD, and a 3D printer in our in-house workshop. Unmistakeable product specifications and our on-site presence with the vendor in China ensured high production quality and functionality.