TOM NIVEN
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HULGER ‘BERØRE’
With ‘Berøre’, I am questioning the archetypal MP3 player currently on the market. It was born of a personal observation that older music formats are always revered as having that elusive design quality; ‘character’. Undoubtedly MP3 players offer huge music capacity as well as high sound quality, but for me, they are extremely complicated and offer very little in terms of a satisfying user interface. Looking back at obsolete formats; tapes, 8 tracks, vinyl, they are very tactile. You can manipulate the music; there is a satisfying click or clunk when a command is executed or button pressed.
Body-storming MP3 players showed that very little functions were actually needed; a navigation tool for the on-screen menu, an execute command and volume control. Rotation was a key element of older technologies, so I felt the form should reflect that. Material selection plays a pivotal role in my design; chrome and white plastic aren’t suitable for an item that takes a lot of wear and tear. Inspired by the 1970’s Bang & Olufsen aesthetic, rosewood and aluminium provide tough and rugged qualities and are beautiful in their own right. In contrast to polymers, they will also gain character and routine with age.
‘Berøre’ MP3 player: bringing analogue movements and tactility to digital technology.
The unit has a 6.35mm headphone jack, not the standard 3.5mm. Why does everything have to be miniature? Large can headphones provide a better sound quality so I felt that should take president over scale
With the holster, the unit can be worn on the arm. These things are beautiful objects in their own right so I felt they should be more on display. ‘Berøre’ is robust and strong and in many ways, wearing an MP3 player on your arm is more convenient
For me, the ‘character and soul’ of older, more obsolete music formats came from the physical interactions that have been somewhat lost with digital technology. To navigate through the on-screen menu, the user ‘clicks’ round the jog wheel re-introducing that analogue feel. The sound, the resistance and the tactility all add to a more satisfying interface.
Similarly to the menu scroll, executing a command is also accompanied by an analogue movement and sound. Pushing in the navigation wheel executes the chosen command with a satisfying ‘click’
Sometimes bigger is better. We like the materials as we’re very tired of white glossy plastic at HULGER
