PEBBLE

Cisco for your work and life balance

Intro

Cisco Pebble is a portable collaborative communication device focused on maintaining the work-life balance of hybrid workers by supporting their daily work-from-home and after-work time.

About

Student Term Project

Strategic Product Design

Duration

2022 - 8 weeks

collaboration

Cisco

Team

Chinmay Bhogaonkar

Trend

As businesses reopen after the historic challenges of the pandemic, it’s clear that the workplace has changed forever. The business stakeholders have seen the value that workforce flexibility can bring. The future of work will continue to be a hybrid of in-office and remote.


challenge

Remote work creates great new opportunities, but to make the most of it, you need to be sure people are using the best device for their role or location.


However, hybrid workers often find it difficult to unplug from work and even tend to work overtime. This work-life imbalance can cause physical & mental chronic stress, reduce productivity and impact social relationships with friends and family.

Why Cisco?

In cooperation with Cisco, based on their years of experience in the collaborative communication devices field, we aim to re-envision it as a lifestyle brand and bring it into the homes of users. We see it as an evolutionary step for Cisco since our product will organically extend into the consumer market.


How might we provide hybrid workers a way to be productive during work hours whilst detaching from work when needed and celebrating after-work life?

In cooperation with Cisco, based on their years of experience in the collaborative communication devices field, we aim to re-envision it as a lifestyle brand and bring it into the homes of users. We see it as an evolutionary step for Cisco since our product will organically extend into the consumer market.


How might we provide hybrid workers a way to be productive during work hours whilst detaching from work when needed and celebrating after-work life?

In cooperation with Cisco, based on their years of experience in the collaborative communication devices field, we aim to re-envision it as a lifestyle brand and bring it into the homes of users. We see it as an evolutionary step for Cisco since our product will organically extend into the consumer market.


How might we provide hybrid workers a way to be productive during work hours whilst detaching from work when needed and celebrating after-work life?

Final design

The final design is Cisco Pebble, a portable collaborative device focused on maintaining the work-life balance of hybrid workers by supporting their activities in daily work and after-work time.

Different modes

With a retractable screen, Cisco Pebble supports three display modes, which are designed for flexibility within the hybrid worker’s environment. This offers you the most comprehensive support when you need it, and when you're on a break; you'll have one less black mirror in your home.

With a retractable screen, Cisco Pebble supports three display modes, which are designed for flexibility within the hybrid worker’s environment. This offers you the most comprehensive support when you need it, and when you're on a break; you'll have one less black mirror in your home.

With a retractable screen, Cisco Pebble supports three display modes, which are designed for flexibility within the hybrid worker’s environment. This offers you the most comprehensive support when you need it, and when you're on a break; you'll have one less black mirror in your home.

Work-life switch

Hybrid workers can personalise how to perceive Pebble. By using the physical Work-Life Switch button, you can transform your house environment through smart lights, to create a suitable atmosphere for different times. This can help you maintain a healthy balance in your daily life.

Hybrid workers can personalise how to perceive Pebble. By using the physical Work-Life Switch button, you can transform your house environment through smart lights, to create a suitable atmosphere for different times. This can help you maintain a healthy balance in your daily life.

Hybrid workers can personalise how to perceive Pebble. By using the physical Work-Life Switch button, you can transform your house environment through smart lights, to create a suitable atmosphere for different times. This can help you maintain a healthy balance in your daily life.

Designed to blend in

Pebble is designed to blend seamlessly into the home environment. The CMF forms an intricate balance between comfort and sophistication. Its small footprint ensures multiple use cases around your home.

Contactless experience

You can command simple functions like playing a video or switching off a timer through gesture control when your hands are occupied. Additionally, voice control offers a deeper level of interaction to enhance the contactless experience.

Smart Webex assistance

The screen gently rises to notify you of upcoming meetings. You can then choose to attend sessions on your workstation or Pebble, resulting in the screen rising to its maximum to start the video conference.

Cooling

The cooling process takes place on the back of the pebble, ensuring that it maintains high performance at all times. Air is drawn in from the bottom and expelled through the top cooling holes.

The cooling process takes place on the back of the pebble, ensuring that it maintains high performance at all times. Air is drawn in from the bottom and expelled through the top cooling holes.

The cooling process takes place on the back of the pebble, ensuring that it maintains high performance at all times. Air is drawn in from the bottom and expelled through the top cooling holes.

Adjustable & portable

The foldable stand on the back allows the screen to be angled to give the best visual experience. The portability of Pebble is also well ensured, allowing you to hold it comfortably with one hand.

The foldable stand on the back allows the screen to be angled to give the best visual experience. The portability of Pebble is also well ensured, allowing you to hold it comfortably with one hand.

The foldable stand on the back allows the screen to be angled to give the best visual experience. The portability of Pebble is also well ensured, allowing you to hold it comfortably with one hand.

Privacy protect

Cisco cares about your privacy. Pebble allows you to instantly access the camera switch function through the physical button at the back of the screen.

Cisco cares about your privacy. Pebble allows you to instantly access the camera switch function through the physical button at the back of the screen.

Cisco cares about your privacy. Pebble allows you to instantly access the camera switch function through the physical button at the back of the screen.

Well-being

Cisco also takes care of your well-being. If the work slots are too long, by changing the display on the screen, Pebble will remind you to take a short break to relax and get some fresh air.

Design process

The initial concepts started as a portable phone/tablet docking module with reliable networking and audio capabilities that enable hybrid workers to have quick Webex meetings from the comfort of their favourite spots at home. The device doubles as a portable speaker for after-work entertainment. And portable module consists of a wired charging station and a smart hub that controls smart devices in the home. The physical switch on the charging station allows the user to switch between work and life modes, represented by environmental and digital changes.

The initial concepts started as a portable phone/tablet docking module with reliable networking and audio capabilities that enable hybrid workers to have quick Webex meetings from the comfort of their favourite spots at home. The device doubles as a portable speaker for after-work entertainment. And portable module consists of a wired charging station and a smart hub that controls smart devices in the home. The physical switch on the charging station allows the user to switch between work and life modes, represented by environmental and digital changes.

The initial concepts started as a portable phone/tablet docking module with reliable networking and audio capabilities that enable hybrid workers to have quick Webex meetings from the comfort of their favourite spots at home. The device doubles as a portable speaker for after-work entertainment. And portable module consists of a wired charging station and a smart hub that controls smart devices in the home. The physical switch on the charging station allows the user to switch between work and life modes, represented by environmental and digital changes.

initial concepts ideation

In the first phase of concept exploration, we demonstrated user daily interaction flow and developed ideas by sketching, illustrator, and rapid foam & laser cut prototype iterations.

Concept refine and development

After the ideation presentation, we received valuable feedback from Cisco industrial designers and UX designers. The idea of ​​switching between different screen modes to help hybrid workers transform the atmosphere of their work and life environment was appreciated. They also encouraged us to explore different ways of converting screen modes. We also conducted further exploration and iteration on the ergonomic design of the entire device, the selection and use of materials, and the screen & device ratio.

Physical model building

In the final stage of design development, we decided to build up the functional screen retractable model to better show the user interaction experience in a real environment during the final presentation.

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