Why
To move beyond the digital screen and understand how the tactile world, specifically physical interfaces and CMF (Color, Material, Finish) dictates a user’s relationship with a product. By deconstructing the product, I aimed to see how subtle shifts in texture and form can redefine its identity.
What
JBL Elemental is a deep-dive study and redesign of the JBL Go and JBL Clip speakers. The project involved reverse-engineering the physical interface through 3D CAD and developing a new CMF line.
My redesign concept, JBL Elemental, models its palette after the five natural elements to fit into JBL’s brand identity as a fashion-forward, portable style statement.
How
Reverse Engineering with SolidWorks
Exploded view renders with Keyshot
CMF Research
PUI Ideation
Rapid Prototyping
Concept Visualization with Keyshot
JBL Elemental
This series embodies the brand’s emphasis on personality and durability, inspired from natural elements that people can resonate with, allowing them to choose a speaker that reflects who they are, whether bold and adventurous or sleek and sophisticated.
Physical Interface Redesign
Press and Roll for Volume
Instead of repeatedly pressing a button, users can press down and roll the speaker back and forth on any surface to adjust the volume. This interaction works against fingers, the palm, or even a tabletop—making it an intuitive and playful way to control sound. The rolling mechanism complements the integrated voice interface, offering both tactile and hands-free control.
Voice Assistant and Power Ring
These speakers function as regular Bluetooth/wireless speakers but can also transform into voice assistants when needed. Since AI thrives on customization, the additional buttons are customizable connection options, allowing users to adapt their speakers to evolving software and new functionalities.
Design Process
The project began with the physical deconstruction of the speakers to map out their internal components, which I then translated into precise digital models using SolidWorks and KeyShot renders.
For the redesign, I analyzed JBL’s existing design language and conducted user form studies to iterate on a new Physical User Interface (PUI) that prioritized volume control, voice assistant features, and portability.
To align with JBL’s identity as a fashion-forward brand, I researched street fashion trends and developed the Elemental Series. This CMF concept, inspired by Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, doubles down on personality by offering a range of colors that turn the speaker into a personal style statement.
