KEYSMART AIR
KeySmart Air is the biggest key organizer project since the launch of KeySmart Pro and KeySmart Max. When Apple AirTag was released in late April 2021, our best-selling products - KeySmart Pro and Max, which work with Tile - were threatened by the shift of users moving away from the Tile service in favor of Apple’s ecosystem.
I was tasked with leading and overseeing the entire development of a new key holder designed to fit the Apple AirTag - all within five months - as we couldn’t afford to miss the 2021 holiday sales window.
Role: Lead Industrial Designer + Product Manager
Development Timeline: 5 Months (Design to Launch)
Launch: Q4 2021
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RESEARCH + PLANNING PHASE
_MARKET OPPORTUNITY
When Apple launched the AirTag in late April 2021, it opened up a massive market for AirTag accessories. With our history being the first key organizer company that integrated a tracker, our customers began asking if we would make a KeySmart that works with Apple Find My.
_DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES // TIME RESTRAINTS
We quoted a few development firms that helped us with the KeySmart Pro and KeySmart Max, and we learned the development cost of a KeySmart Apple Find My will be upward of $100,000. Plus, the lead time is at least a year because of Nordic chip shortage. However, our Directors didn't want to miss the market opportunity for the holiday 2021, so we needed to find a creative way to develop and launch an AirTag-related KeySmart on the market within a year.
_PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE PLANNING
As the product manager and lead designer, I plan our development timeline, coordinate with other departments’ teammates, and ensure the product finishes on time. The project officially kicked off in May 2021, and the Directors wanted to launch it in the holiday of 2021. So my challenge is to have the product ready for production no later than August to arrive before the holiday.
The factory estimated the production time to be 3 - 4 weeks, so we only have a three-month product development time. I separate the design phase into one month and the rest of two months for refinement and packaging design. The quicker we get to the refinement stage, the faster we tackle any potential issues in production.
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PLANNED PRODUCT MILESTONES:
Design Stage Finish: 06/14/2021
Pre-Production Stage Finish: 07/06/2021
Production Kick-Off: 08/08/2021
Assets Hand-Off to Marketing + Sales: 08/31/2021
Mass Production Receival: 09/30/2021
_MARKET RESEARCH
All the AirTag holders that came out on the market in May/June 2021 were cheap and looked the same. Most of them wanted to capture the market, so they rushed and focused on delivering an ok product. The products with superior materials like Silicone or Metal were only for Pre-Order. We bought a few that were available and tested them. We found they were hard to attach to keys, and the leather material feels cheap.
_USER PAINPOINTS + INSIGHTS
For our user research, we wanted to understand why people return their purchase of KeySmart Pro and KeySmart Max to improve upon it with this project. After looking through comments in Returnly, we found the top 3 reasons are “difficult to assemble,” “TILE™ connectivity issue,” and the plastic material. Our new KeySmart will need to solve these issues to be considered successful.
_BUSINESS CASE REPORT
Before developing the product, we created a business case for our directors to review. We calculated the total investment cost, potential profits, and timeline to install confidence in this project. The Directors approved the program and set the target product investment for development.
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DEVELOPMENT PHASE
_CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Our design team produced three main concept groups, ranging from a simple AirTag holder with a carabiner to a full-sized KeySmart model. To keep our brand language consistent, we choose water/resistant-proof TecTuff™ leather as our primary materials. We also use the same hardware found in our KeySmart products.
_PROTOTYPING + MARKET TESTING
We worked with the manufacturing factory to prototype all three concepts with the actual materials. Then, our marketing team tested them with limited customers online to see which concept was the most popular. After two weeks of testing, Concept C - the full-sized KeySmart was the most popular. It is unique from any other AirTag holder on the market because of its materials and structure.
_PRODUCT FINALIZATION w/ SUPPLIERS
As we finalized the product details and the packaging with the manufacturing factories, we got a lower product cost than estimated. Still, the packaging and shipping cost ended up higher than estimated. However, the final unit cost is still lower than the target unit cost ($5.60 vs $6.75).
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FINAL PRODUCT
KeySmart Air became the first key holder on the market that fits the new Apple AirTag. The end-user can easily organize their keys and track them using any of the iDevices. They no longer need an extra key pouch or keyring to attach their Airtag to their keys.
KeySmart Air is also our first fully leathered KeySmart key organizer and will satisfy many of our customers who want us to make a full leather version of KeySmart. The water & stain-resistant TecTuff™ Leather provides excellent durability and won’t scratch users’ phone screens in their pockets. In addition, we added a carabiner to help attach key fobs or other big keychain multi-tools.
_EASE OF ASSEMBLY
KeySmart Air is designed to be easier to assemble than our other models. With only one set of screws and posts, the end-user can quickly pile their keys with one hand and seal them down with another. The screw and post system also locks the AirTag securely in the KeySmart Air. The body forms a loop for the end-user to attach other keychain accessories and protect the screw from rotating itself loose.
_PACKAGING DESIGN
The KeySmart Air packaging is designed to reflect the quality of the product. The graphic and the copy are arranged to be informative but not too cluttered. We wanted to attract customers in the retail setting without overwhelming them with information. The open-box experience was also designed to be delightful and easily understood. We only used card stock to avoid any plastic so the whole packaging could be easily recyclable.
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MARKET SUCCESS
The initial batch of KeySmart Air sold out in a month! It made over $23,000 in total revenue with over $17,000 in gross profit, and that is only from our website sales alone. We expect the products to do even better once we push them through our other Sales Channels. The product became one of our most popular products of the holiday 2021.
In 2022, it surpassed KeySmart Max in sales, becoming the second best-selling key organizer in the company's history, just behind KeySmart Pro.
