Breathe Easy. Design That Wins.
Our Solution
How we helped a tech services firm transition to a virtual ODM
The Result
A device that matches the aesthetic of the German homes delivering air quality status through easily recognisable light patterns
Why It Matters
Indoor Air Quality Sensor for Celstream & Technisat
A Collaboration Across Borders
Celstream is a Bangalore-based product engineering company known for delivering cutting-edge solutions in consumer electronics and enterprise software. They were approached by Technisat, a leading German manufacturer that has shaped the consumer electronics market in Germany for nearly four decades, with elegantly designed, technologically advanced products.
THE CHALLENGE
The Design Ambition
Our goal was unambiguous: create an Indoor Air Quality sensor design worthy of global recognition, the kind that could win a Red Dot or iF Award. That meant aligning with the aesthetic preferences of design juries while still delivering on user experience, sustainability, and manufacturability.
OUR APPROACH
Research & Inspiration
We immersed ourselves in the patterns of previous award winners. The common thread was clear: simplicity of form, sophistication of surface.
- Clean geometric outlines—especially circles—dominated the winners’ lists.
- Curvature continuous (C2) surfaces elevated the tactile experience, particularly in transition zones where people naturally make contact.
- These subtleties made lifting, handling, and interacting with a product feel premium, intuitive, and human.
Our design language followed these cues, treating the circular form as the primary geometry and sculpting every touchpoint with soft, fluid transitions.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Human-Centered Detail at Every Touch
Designed for Everyday Life
The product was intentionally designed to be flexible in placement — equally at home on a tabletop or mounted to a wall. At just 45 mm in diameter, its compact presence made it easy to blend into any living space while still being noticeable when needed.
Callout: USB-C for Sustainability
The device housed a rechargeable battery powered via USB Type-C. Any mobile charger could be used, reducing e-waste and extending product life — a feature that resonated strongly with European consumers focused on sustainability.
Light as an Interface
At the time, the Amazon Echo light ring was a cultural and design phenomenon. We took inspiration from it but reinterpreted it for our own product.
- A circular lightguide embedded with evenly spaced LEDs signaled air quality levels.
- Each LED was individually shielded to prevent leakage.
- Working with prototyping partners, we perfected the “milkyness” of the diffuser so the glow remained uniform and hotspot-free.
One small but memorable detail: during prototyping, we adjusted the light diffuser four times before the halo looked “just right.” Too transparent and hotspots showed, too opaque and the glow felt lifeless. The sweet spot was only found after endless back-and-forth with the tooling team — a true example of design persistence.
- Despite the small footprint, the halo effect was visible across a room, making air quality status instantly legible from a distance.
Callout: Uniform Light Halo
By carefully balancing LED spacing, shielding, and diffuser opacity, we created a continuous ring of light — smooth, ambient, and instantly readable anywhere in the room.
Engineering the Invisible
Behind its minimal form was significant functional engineering:
- We designed airflow channels that guided ambient air past the sensing elements.
- This ensured the sensor could reliably differentiate between CO₂ concentration and the presence of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the environment.
During user testing in Germany, we noticed something unexpected: when the halo pulsed red for poor air quality, people didn’t just read it as data — they described it as the room itself “breathing.” That emotional reaction validated our idea that light could turn invisible air into something people felt.
- The combination of precision sensing and thoughtful airflow meant the device delivered accurate readings without compromising its aesthetic purity.
Callout: Airflow Engineering for Accuracy
Purpose-built air channels guided air directly across the sensing components, ensuring high-fidelity readings and reliable distinction between CO₂ and VOC levels.
THE OUTCOME
Crafting for Experience
From the first sketches to engineering collaboration, our focus was on making the product a pleasure to see, touch, and use:
- A geometric clarity that appealed to international juries and end-users alike.
- Seamless C2 transitions that elevated ergonomics and handling.
- Sustainability-conscious charging that made ownership simpler and greener.
A light ring interface that turned invisible air into visible, ambient information.
IMPACT
Utility Transformed into Desire
The Indoor Air Quality Sensor demonstrated how design, sustainability, and engineering can converge to transform a utilitarian device into a desirable, award-contending product. For Celstream and Technisat, it validated their reputation as companies capable of marrying technology with human-centered design.