The One Touch and The Circle
Bluetooth Earphones
for Seneka, Inc.
Seneka, Inc. was a small startup specializing in software and electrical engineering development.
Its main business was providing software and electrical engineering development services for companies involved in full product development.
However, Seneka had ambitions to transition into a full-fledged consumer product company. With this goal in mind, the team turned its attention to the growing demand for Bluetooth earphones—driven by the rapid increase in mobile phone usage in South Korea in 2007. They believed Bluetooth earphones were a suitable choice for their first consumer product, as they already possessed the necessary software and electronics development capabilities.
Core Question: Why Are People Using Bluetooth Earphones? Who Will Be the Core Target Users?
To define the design direction, I first asked myself two core questions. The first was: Why are people using Bluetooth earphones? There are several reasons, but the primary purpose is for hands-free phone calls. Based on this insight, the second question followed: Who are the core target users who use Bluetooth earphones regularly and also have strong purchasing power?
The answer was delivery workers, who frequently need to make phone calls while driving or riding motorcycles.
Design development focused primarily on delivering the ideal Bluetooth earphone experience for these core target users, as well as for regular users.
Simply touch it instead of pushing it.
Typically, users cannot see their Bluetooth earphones while wearing and using them. This makes it difficult to locate and operate any physical buttons—especially the main activation button, which is frequently used to answer and end calls. This issue is particularly problematic for delivery workers, who are the core target users. They frequently use Bluetooth earphones and need to activate and deactivate them often while driving or riding motorcycles.
In addition, most Bluetooth earphones have tactile buttons that require users to push them to activate the device. This often causes discomfort or even pain in the user’s ear during use.
“The One Touch” is designed specifically to address this usability challenge. Its entire front surface functions as a capacitive touch activation button. Users can now simply touch anywhere on the front surface to answer or end calls—eliminating the need to search for a button and avoiding ear discomfort.
Volume controls are integrated into the gently raised chrome cosmetic part in the middle of the device, allowing users to easily locate them by touch. The chamfered surface detail further enhances tactile feedback.
The overall minimal yet sleek aesthetic, paired with a high-gloss surface finish, makes it appealing not only as a usability improvement but also as a stylish wearable device for everyday consumers.
“The Circle” was designed by reusing the internal components of “The One Touch”, except for the capacitive touch activation feature, which was excluded at Seneka’s request. They wanted to develop a lower-cost version using a traditional tactile activation button. However, its large circular button with a chamfered surface still allows users to easily find it by touch, even when they cannot see it.
Both “The One Touch” and “The Circle” offer a new Bluetooth earphone experience—combining significantly improved usability with a sleek, modern design—refined as modern wearables. devices.
*Both The One Touch and The Circle was sold only in South Korea.
Design Team:
Joongoo Lee (Industrial Design Lead / Manager)
Design Credit:
Seneka, Inc. Suwon. South Korea.