Design + wellness with L’Oreal
L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator knows that in order for technology to be incorporated into our daily lives, the design needs to be human experience-centered. We partnered with L’Oréal not only to redesign My UV Patch, but to introduce an entirely new wearable – UV Sense, the first, and smallest, battery-free UV wearable.
My UV Patch is comprised of a series of tiles with photoreactive dyes that respond to UV rays, set against neutral reference points. We were challenged to design a patch that followed technical constrains, while designing new styles as body ornaments. By challenging the technical elements and shrinking them, we developed an aesthetic that could be directed into any number of stylistic collections. Working around the hand, arm, and wrist, we established a core collection that truly marries fashion with function; the My UV Patch redesign is sophisticated and discreet, a take on modern body ornamentation, with bold visual elements and tonality.
Then, L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator started to think about how a smaller and long lasting UV sensor could be incorporated in everyday life. In collaboration with L’oreal, fuseproject explored a domed based sensor mere millimeters in thickness. UV Sense is comprised of a sensor, capacitor, and antenna contained in a drop-like dome. All components are held under this tiny shell, which can be adhered an adhesive. The user experience discovery is that such a small sensor can be placed on a nail, or can also attach to personal accessories such as glasses or jewelry. UV Sense can hold data for months at a time and communicates with a smartphone. For us, the design of UV Sense needed to celebrate its size and flexibility, balancing discretion with personal style. Subtle patterns laid directly over the outer shell create playful and iconic expressions similar to nail-art. A miniscule window in the shell allows for light to enter; data collected and stored is then transferred directly to the mobile app through an NFC chip.
Through both the My UV Patch redesign, and the new UV Sense, our goal is to make a new category of wearables that can truly be worn daily, for anyone, of any age, with any style. More importantly, these beautiful and flexible devices are serving a much greater purpose for the wearer – providing real-time insights into one’s UV exposure, and providing the necessary health information while being worn discreetly and beautifully.