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Alpha | Rugged case

The Brief

Design a protective case that can be built with soft and hard materials without the need for co-molding and is super protective.

This content is the property of Cellairis Pvt Ltd and any unauthorized distribution or publication is strictly prohibited. Quambio has provided explicit approval for showcasing this work as part of their trusted relationship with Analogy

Services

User Research
Design Language
Concept Generation
Design Engineering
Product Architecture
Visualization
Prototyping
Production Support

Year

2018 – 2019

Market

USA

Buy now

Cellairis Store

The Problem

When it comes to most rugged protective phone cases available on the market, whether it’s Atlanta or New York, one common trait they share is their protective yet bulky build. They typically undergo a costly and effective manufacturing process known as co-molding or over-molding. This time-consuming method requires specialized manufacturing processes and expert knowledge. As a result, it has limited the scope for innovation in protective case design, restricting changes in details, shape, or thickness of the soft TPU material. This limitation has led to a market where protective cases seem like derivatives of one another, with only the brand’s logo for differentiation. Our project, codenamed ‘Alpha’, aimed to challenge this norm.

Introducing

The Rugged Case

Differentiating a phone case purely on aesthetics has become the standard. The complexities involved in designing a rugged case define its characteristics, dictating why users gravitate toward specific products or brands. However, these complexities also limit our design and development capabilities.

Understanding Business, Visual and Functional Challenges

Our project required in-depth discussions with various stakeholders on the client teams across the USA, from manufacturing to product design departments, including those based in Seattle and Miami. This provided invaluable insights into their business objectives, strategy, and channels they intended for the product launch. The visual and functional goals naturally emerged from these overarching business objectives, helping us prioritize the features and identify the problems we needed to solve. From a product perspective, we also had to address various details to solve user problems from both a functional and aesthetic standpoint.

" Our focus has always been on who uses the product and how it could add value to the user "

Most of the device mishaps happen because lighter cases don’t have enough corner protection. When a device falls, due to the weight of the internal components and its CG, the device lands on one of the corners or a flat surface depending on various factors. But landing on the corner is catastrophic especially with glass and other delicate materials that curve to form the screen or the back. We set out to create a cushion of air that would flex when the material has an impact on a hard surface. To understand this, we looked closely at footwear, air vents, and patterns that inspired us to create some interesting and functional details that would help the case protect the corners.
SOLVING FOR

Corner Protection

We’re all familiar with the unfortunate event of a device dropping. Many of these mishaps are due to lighter cases lacking the necessary corner protection. When a device takes a tumble, the weight distribution and center of gravity often cause it to land on a corner or a flat surface. Such an impact can be particularly damaging if it hits the corner, especially when delicate materials like glass curve to form the screen or back of the device.

Our objective was clear: design a cushion of air that could flex on impact, absorbing the force rather than transferring it to the device. To achieve this, we didn’t restrict our inspiration to our home base in Atlanta. We examined diverse industries across the nation, studying the resilience of running shoes designed in the drizzle of Portland and the functionality of air vent structures in the dry heat of Los Angeles. The resulting design offered an intriguing mix of functional and aesthetic details, significantly enhancing the case’s ability to protect device corners.

SOLVING FOR

Grip Texture

One of the main complaints the client had from their consumers was that the soft-touch finish on a protective case or the phone itself was too slippery to hold the device securely in their hand. To make sure we had a strong grip texture, we had to test a variety of surface transitions by 3d printing various patterns. We finally set apart 3 textures that we thought did the job well but were subtle enough to blend into the design of the product itself.

One of the main complaints the client had from their consumers was that the soft-touch finish on a protective case or the phone itself was too slippery to hold the device securely in their hand. To make sure we had a strong grip texture, we had to test a variety of surface transitions by 3d printing various patterns. We finally set apart 3 textures that we thought did the job well but were subtle enough to blend into the design of the product itself.
Our focus to create a protective case that was also dustproof and all ports and openings were closed yet easily accessible. We also iterated on an approach of keeping the ports modular with a small tie in which could hold a port cover in place and could be either rotated out or hinged on a flap to open up. The raised and protruded out design language to reduce impact definitely helped us gain valuable real estate to add these plugs and hinges on the inside.
SOLVING FOR

Charging Port

Our focus to create a protective case that was also dustproof and all ports and openings were closed yet easily accessible. We also iterated on an approach of keeping the ports modular with a small tie in which could hold a port cover in place and could be either rotated out or hinged on a flap to open up. The raised and protruded out design language to reduce impact definitely helped us gain valuable real estate to add these plugs and hinges on the inside.

SOLVING FOR

Exposed Buttons & Openings

A lot of detail went into figuring out how to keep the details such as buttons and surfacing details on the exposed button areas and the open ports as well. These had to match the language of the case and compliment it well.

A lot of detail went into figuring out how to keep the details such as buttons and surfacing details on the exposed button areas and the open ports as well. These had to match the language of the case and compliment it well.
Having a protective case be compatible with wireless charging is a must as there are very open charging ports and also the thickness of the material is hard to control. Our focus was from the beginning to keep the back within the limits of the range of 8-10W Qi-certified wireless charging devices and chargers. After testing a variety of chargers and Identifying an upper limit on the acceptable range and dimensions we created a variety of concepts.
SOLVING FOR

Wireless Charging

Having a protective case be compatible with wireless charging is a must as there are very open charging ports and also the thickness of the material is hard to control.

Our focus was from the beginning to keep the back within the limits of the range of 8-10W Qi-certified wireless charging devices and chargers. After testing a variety of chargers and Identifying an upper limit on the acceptable range and dimensions we created a variety of concepts.

Product Architecture

We experimented with a variety of product architectures based on the material combination, manufacturing techniques, IP restrictions, user, and client feedback. Some of the final ones are depicted below.

This type of product architecture was built to be sustainable and also serve various use cases and personas. The modularity aspect of the architecture was useful to add and remove protective elements based on the use cases for each consumer.
The architecture was not shy about its bulk but was immensely protective with a double-walled soft elastomer on the front face as well as a rigid pc construction. The back had the same but with a switch of the materials in order to reduce the impact and increase scratch resistance. The walls and edges were raised so that the high polished clear PC did not touch any surface or have any scratches easily.
We set out to create a variety of product architectures that could be adapted and also scaled for a variety of SKUs and variations which would help reduce tooling costs as parts could be repeated in various other products as well as be specific enough to meet the requirement. Our focus on Architecture 1 was to keep it light and also thin and avoid co-molding as a manufacturing process.
EXPLORATION

Architecture 1

We set out to create a variety of product architectures that could be adapted and also scaled for a variety of SKUs and variations which would help reduce tooling costs as parts could be repeated in various other products as well as be specific enough to meet the requirement. Our focus on Architecture 1 was to keep it light and also thin and avoid co-molding as a manufacturing process.

EXPLORATION

Architecture 2

The architecture was not shy about its bulk but was immensely protective with a double-walled soft elastomer on the front face as well as a rigid pc construction. The back had the same but with a switch of the materials in order to reduce the impact and increase scratch resistance. The walls and edges were raised so that the high polished clear PC did not touch any surface or have any scratches easily.

EXPLORATION

Architecture 3

This type of product architecture was built to be sustainable and also serve various use cases and personas. The modularity aspect of the architecture was useful to add and remove protective elements based on the use cases for each consumer.

The Alpha
FINAL FORM

The Alpha

The final concept ended up being a combination of architectures but mainly focussed on keeping the case thin and light. The entire periphery of the protective case has a thicker cross-section than the back and the front screen protector to keep the weight light. The grips on the sides give it a tactile feeling that is ergonomic. The overall rounded form is pleasant to hold and the extruded buttons and covered ports provided dust protection to keep your device clean. In order to cut down bulk the back and the front have large chamfered edges that slowly transition into the back and front surface providing a raised edge to prevent impact and scratches while the hard PC surfaces are used to strengthen weaker areas inside.

DETAILS

Camera Openings

The front and the rear camera cutouts are precision designed to make sure there are no flash feedback on your photos and are chamfered at a 45º angle.

Camera Openings
Tactile Buttons
DETAILS

Tactile Buttons

The buttons on the outside are flush and have a plateau kinda treatment to make it easier to manufacture, but the inner profiles help keep it tactile.

DETAILS

Corner Protection

The corner protection mechanism designed creates a significant amount of an air pocket so when there is an impact, the material has enough room to flex without impacting the device and cracking it.

Corner Protection
Wireless Charging
DETAILS

Wireless Charging

The protective case was designed to work with a wireless charger by maintaining the back thickness to be in sync with the standards. We also looked at the orientation of how the case docks in with the charger and potential scenarios around vertical, angled, and lay flat orientations.

Charging port & Speaker grills

The charging ports are secured by pins that hold securely and can rotate to open and close and the speaker grills are raised to increase space internally and reduce impact. Speaker openings are precision cut and are telescoped inward to provide an amplification of sound that is being transmitted out.

Ergonomic Grip

The side grip was inspired by alternating convex and concave surfaces like in a heat vent. The grip was definitive and subtle enough to blend in.

Colour, Material & Finish

The charging ports are secured by pins that hold securely and can rotate to open and close and the speaker grills are raised to increase space internally and reduce impact. Speaker openings are precision cut and are telescoped inward to provide an amplification of sound that is being transmitted out.

THE RESULTS

The advantage of a clear design process and working through iterative improvements.

Results Analogy Brings to the table

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