Mobvoi
The First Generation Ticwatch
“frog exceeded my expectations with their global design expertise and Chinese consumer design research insights. The close collaboration between both companies pushed the boundaries of product and software realization and positions us for future growth through innovation.”
Mobvoi, a Chinese artificial intelligence start-up, partnered with frog to reinvent voice search for wearable devices.
Unique Opportunity
Following partnership offers from global wearable manufacturers, and extensive testing with early adopters, the Mobvoi leadership team decided to develop an entirely new wearable – the first generation Ticwatch – to bring their unique voice recognition software to life.
Made for Millennials
Mobvoi launched the Ticwear operating system in 2014, which quickly gained traction with young people in China. They asked frog to design a smartwatch for the same demographic, whose needs and desires we uncovered during in-depth design research and the development of target personas.
Innovative Interaction
To overcome the challenge of interacting on a small watch screen, frog introduced the “Tickle Strip” on the edge of the watch. This area can be pressed and scrolled to offer zoom and menu selection, while keeping the screen clearly visible.
October 2014
frog conducted in-depth conversations with Chinese millennials to generate personas, and created key design principles to inform the product design.
November 2014
A variety of concept sketches were presented and iterated upon until a single concept was chosen and further developed to include charging, sensing, user interface, and packaging.
December 2014
The design concept was delivered to Mobvoi for final detailed design and manufacturing. The first generation Ticwatch launched in June 2015 and today it is the top selling Android watch in China.
When the first generation Ticwatch launched in June 2015, Mobvoi raised over $1.2 million in two weeks on the Chinese crowdfunding site JD.com. The product has been featured by over 60 media outlets, including TechCrunch, Wareable.com and Wired UK. In October 2015, the first generation Ticwatch secured series C funding from Google. In 2016, Mobvoi will launch the Ticwatch 2 and an English language version of the Ticwear operating system.
Careers
