Designed for everyday life
Good consumer products solve a real problem. We design and engineer products that make people safer, cut waste or support healthier habits, rather than adding one more thing to the shelf.
A product development partner built for this sector
Good consumer products start with a real problem, not a category gap. Callie began with primary research into how young women actually experience personal safety, research that made it clear the product needed to exist before a single concept was drawn. Shift set out to remove plastic entirely from deodorant packaging without compromising how it feels to use. Zebble took on a problem most of us recognise: phones that are hard to put down. We designed a device that keeps people in touch with what matters while helping them build healthier habits with technology.
Three different briefs, the same discipline underneath: understand the real problem a product needs to solve, then engineer and manufacture something that actually solves it.
“We worked with the npd team on the project from the very initial idea through to having something that we could actually hold in our hands, and I’m happy to say that I can wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone.”
Callum Coombes, CEO, Safepoint (Callie)
Research-led concept development
Callie’s design started with primary research into the target market, women under 40, gathering direct feedback on personal safety experiences before any concept work began. That research shaped three distinct concept directions, refined down to the final wearable in partnership with the electronics suppliers.
Sustainable materials & mechanisms
Shift’s ten-month development process tested numerous mechanisms and materials before settling on a mono-material aluminium casing that’s fully recyclable and holds its material value indefinitely, eliminating plastic entirely rather than reducing it.
Miniaturisation & component integration
Callie required advanced safety technology, GPS location, call-back service, silent alarm activation, housed within a footprint small enough to read as jewellery rather than a device. That meant working directly with electronics suppliers to fit the technology into as small a form as possible.
Designed around real behaviour, not just specs
Zebble needed to look and feel like a natural object, not a piece of technology, while still providing essential communication. That meant custom textures, specialised production methods, and miniaturised electronics that intentionally avoided the mental triggers associated with typical devices.
Consumer FAQ
Do you start with user research, or go straight to concept design?
Where the brief calls for it, research comes first. Callie’s design was shaped by primary research with the target market before any concept work began, since understanding real user experience changed what the product needed to do.
Can you design out materials like plastic entirely, not just reduce them?
Yes. Shift’s brief was to remove plastic from deodorant packaging completely, not minimise it. That took a ten-month process of testing mechanisms and materials before arriving at a mono-material aluminium solution.
Can a consumer product be designed to intentionally avoid typical tech behaviours?
Yes. Zebble was deliberately engineered to avoid the interaction patterns associated with screen-based devices, using material choices and form to support that intent rather than working against it.