Co-founded by Kim Colin and Sam Hecht, Future Facility is a London-based UI, UX, engineering and product design studio that assists companies such as Panasonic, Muji and Square to conceive and realize ideas of the future.
At a time where products are increasingly becoming connected to the internet, there is a need for IoT (Internet of Things) products to be designed with the consideration of recognizing what functions and features are truly necessary.
“We came to a realization that every product with a button will become connected to the Internet–it’s an inevitability and will become an overcomplicated situation,” said Hecht. “If that is a reality, there are two routes you can take as a designer. One is to completely ignore it and say, ‘That’s not for me, I’ll stick to furniture design.’ Or you could say, ‘There’s a bit of a beauty and an important part a designer can play as an editor and a form-giver for digital content.’ We felt compelled by that second option.”
“When networking came, we saw the repeat of the same mistakes,” added Hecht. “The difference is it’s now digital. You have a fridge telling you what you’ve got and haven’t got and advice on recipes. It’s this silliness of data and information which leads to these pseudo features–things that are good for sales brochures but meaningless when you’re using them on a day-to-day basis.”
“In the end, do you want to live in a home where each of your products is shouting about what it can do?” asked Hecht.
With this in mind, Braun and Oral B commissioned Future Facility to design and develop an IoT electric toothbrush. Although Braun and Oral B had initially requested a comprehensive data-tracking tool capable of providing reports such as gum sensitivity among other features, Future Facility instead convinced the two companies to focus on solving the issues associated with the use of electric toothbrushes.
“A toothbrush is already loaded with guilt, that you’re not doing it properly or enough,” said Colin. “The companies weren’t thinking about the customers’ experience. They were thinking about the toothbrush the same way you would an athletic activity tracker, that it records and processes information.”
Capable of being charged with a conventional induction dock, the OH! electric toothbrush can also be charged via USB. This makes OH! the perfect choice for travel.
For those who often forget to order replacement toothbrush heads, the handle cover can be removed and with a simple press of a button, the Bluetooth-paired OH! sends a reminder directly to a smartphone. Clicking the reminder on the smartphone will directly lead users to an e-commerce store where replacement toothbrush heads can be purchased.
