Open headphones

2016, Bose

Open-ear audio

Work
︎ Sketching
︎ 3D modeling
︎ Prototyping
︎ Storytelling
︎ Visualization
︎ Copywriting/advertising mockups
︎ Presentations to executives

Goals
︎ Socially acceptable/understandable
︎ Signal social openness
︎ All-day comfort
︎ Good acoustic performance

One of the side effects of conventional headphones is that they often separate people from their environment and the people around them. While this is oftentimes a valuable feature, there are many situations where environmental awareness, social availability, and an audio experience are desired simultaneously.

For my purposes, I define an “open headphone” as a wearable audio system that does not occlude the user’s ear visually (for social openness) or acoustically (for environmental awareness).

I developed a number of open headphone concepts to seek out a balanced blend of social acceptability, comfort, performance, and style. I explored both traditional banded headphone archetypes as well as two-piece designs that attach directly to the ear.

I conducted extensive user testing on many designs, including fit and comfort studies for both conventional and active use cases such as running.

The ear-clip design I developed was awarded a utility patent. This concept was taken further into development and the Bose Sport Open Earbuds launched in January 2021.