Image
Video
courtesy of
Embr Labs
Embr labs revolutionizes the personal wellness category with their wearable ecosystem, together with Loft
Services
Industrial Design
UX/UI Design
CMF Strategy
Human Factors & Ergonomics
Design Research
Design Validation
Challenge
Loft teamed up with Embr on their mission to leverage temperature to enhance personal comfort. Traditional temperature management solutions are inherently passive, have not evolved much in the last century and have no personalization opportunities. Building a thermal wearable involved some unique technical considerations. The TEC module, the heat sink and the battery all had to be developed together to ensure that the system could function at maximum efficiency. Initially considering a hardware-only solution, the team chose to invest in an app ecosystem as well, mainly to enable easy over-the-air updates to the products functionality.
Solution
Loft worked with Embr Labs on a comprehensive ID, ME and UX development project to help launch the wearable and app ecosystem. Wave was the first wearable solution that delivered instant thermal relief through its core technology. The team organized the insights collected from over 100 early prototype users to explore the right heating and cooling functionality. We finally settled on a very simple device and app interface that offered limited heating and cooling modes, to keep device interactions as simple as possible.
Outcome
The data-driven development process led to the next generation of the hardware and app platform by Loft and Embr. The updated device included many heating and cooling modes, a refined sleep mode and much longer experience times than the original. Users also had access to direct temperature dials and were able to give detailed feedback to the researchers through the app. Embr Labs sold over 150.000 wearables in 177 countries and recently secured $35M of growth funding to expand their market globally. With its innovative technology roadmap and embedded data flywheel, Embr labs is off to the races in terms of market expansion.
Our Customer <color=purple>
Premium Feel, Professional Sound
As aspiring drummers progress to more advanced kits, selecting the right instrument becomes critical to balancing performance needs and budget. Many brands compromise on key aspects such as sound quality, playability, and responsiveness, and not all drum kits deliver the same authentic playing feel. The Simmons team identified a clear gap in the market for a kit that genuinely supports skill development, one that balances premium hardware, authentic sound, and modern connectivity without the prohibitive cost of boutique or high-end acoustic setups. Simmons is a pioneering electronic drum brand founded in 1978 by Dave Simmons in the UK. Many hit albums of the 1980s and 1990s feature Simmons drums, whose distinctive electronic sound helped define the era’s musical identity.
Our Approach <content=dropdown, color=white>
Leveraging our industrial design development toolkit, Loft and Simmons established a robust foundation to guide the project from early concept through execution.
- User Needs Definition
Based on identified user needs in the home practice and live-performance markets, insights revealed gaps in playability, authentic feel, and sound quality at mid-range price points. These findings defined a clear opportunity for a kit that bridges studio-grade performance with accessible, everyday playability - Competitive Benchmarking
A comprehensive assessment of mid-range electronic drum kits benchmarked existing products, pad technology, rack systems, and sound modules to identify opportunities for improvement. These findings informed a clear positioning strategy for a premium, highly playable kit not currently represented in the market. - Technical Configuration
With a strong emphasis on feel, durability, and connectivity, pad internals, rack hardware, and electronic components were evaluated and optimized to support heavy use, frequent transportation, and long-term reliability. - Product Design Refinement
The team refined technical boundaries to support a selected design that clearly expresses premium quality and performance. The selected materials, CMF, and hardware elements elevate perceived quality, durability, and overall fit and finish, ensuring the kit communicates precision, reliability, and premium craftsmanship. - Industrial Design Development
Grounded in defined user needs, market demands, and technical constraints, a wide range of concepts was developed to prioritize intuitive interaction, playability, and a clear expression of the product's unique capabilities. - Design for Manufacturing
Working closely with the Bose design team, we refined the housing components and mechanical details, optimizing the design for efficient production, reliable assembly, and consistent quality while preserving the intended aesthetics, fit and finish, and overall design intent. - Product Visualization
Created high-fidelity visual assets to communicate product value across marketing, sales, and user education channels. Visualizations highlighted key differentiators, compact form, intuitive interface, and seamless integration through contextual usage scenarios and detailed feature callouts.
A masterful blend of design, technology and data
With its innovative technology roadmap and embedded data flywheel, Embr Labs is off to the races in terms of market expansion. The strategic synergy between design, technology, and data has taken the global menopause market by storm, winning over users with this highly personalized thermal experience.
A future as a regulated device ecosystem
The team hired a Chief Medical Officer and a clinical trial team to augment the data collected through the app with targeted clinical trials on specific user targets. The consumer wellness business continues to grow quickly and its rapid innovation cycles will certainly fuel future versions of the wearable, potentially purpose-built around specific therapeutic needs.
Video courtesy of
Embr Labs
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