BELKIN
Smart Dock | One Size Fits All
THE ASK
Join the Belkin design team to independently design a versatile bedside smart charging dock showcasing the new Belkin-Samsung partnership. The dock needed to support all Samsung phones in portrait and landscape orientations, align with Belkin's design language, and meet the targeted BOM cost. @Upwell Design
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I helped strengthened a new design partnership between Belkin and Samsung, accelerated the speed to proof of concept, and supported an overburdened team to ensure progress on key initiatives despite resource constraints, all while delivering a new product within Belkin’s suite of home consumer electronics.
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While living in San Francisco, Belkin asked me to contract with their design studio in LA. During my stay, I ended up at the same hotel as the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team during their training camp—and got to meet some of my favorite players.
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I designed a highly adaptable bedside dock, from concept to CAD handoff, in just eight weeks while adhering to a strict $7.50 BOM cost. I defined the project scope, ensured alignment with cost and manufacturability, and led concept ideation, prototyping, and CAD modeling for a seamless handoff to engineers..
APPROACH
Rapidly design and test forms that can securely hold phones of various sizes in both landscape and portrait orientations. Use hands-on prototyping to explore holding and compression mechanisms, letting the most functional solutions guide the design process.
Phone Docking Interaction
“Compression wings” with a loaded ratchet mechanism automatically close to the phones size when docked by triggering a release button near the USB. A rear dial allows for tightening and unlocking the mechanism.
Compression Wing Design
Design Inspiration