The Amélie
Wireless Charger For Smartphone And Smartwatch
for Witricity
WiTricity is a company specializing in the development of magnetic resonance wireless charging technology.
In 2015, as a startup, WiTricity planned to showcase their newly developed coil-based wireless charging technology at CES 2015.
To strengthen their technology presentation and better engage the audience, they partnered with Altitude to design the enclosure for their wireless charger.
Challenge: Defining the Design Direction with the Client
The project objective was clear — to design an enclosure around pre-developed components that would capture the audience’s attention through strong visual aesthetics.
Since the WiTricity team had limited experience with the industrial design process, the Altitude team’s challenge was to establish a shared design direction and guide them through each step. To align team’s visions, the Altitude team curated an inspiration board filled with diverse visual references. This served as the foundation for an interactive ideation session, where both teams explored themes, forms, and materials together.
Through this collaborative process, the Altitude team was able to define a unified visual design language that balanced technical requirements with an appealing, consumer-ready look.
The defined visual design direction categories were Lifestyle, Premium, Sophisticated, and Joyful, and the Altitude team proceeded with design development to bring these categories to life visually.
“The Amélie”: Your Friend to Elevate the Experience of Daily Essentials
“The Amélie” is designed with a minimal overall look and feel, allowing it to harmonize naturally with other desktop objects as a lifestyle device. Its approachable natural wood base enhances the lifestyle aesthetic through both its visual warmth and tactile comfort.
The micro-textured elastomeric pad protects charging devices from potential surface damage while keeping them securely in place to prevent slipping. Its pop-up color intuitively guides users where to position their devices for charging.
The minimal and approachable enclosure encapsulates advanced technology that elevates the experience of your everyday essentials, making “The Amélie” a friendly and refined lifestyle companion.
* “The Amélie” was not produced due to internal circumstances on the client’s side.
Official Website: www.witricity.com
Design Team:
Joongoo Lee (Industrial Design Lead), Jeremy McDaniel and Tom Burchard (Project Manager) at Altitude, Inc.
Design Credit:
WiTricity
Altitude, Inc.