Jawbone MINI Jambox

With the introduction of the Jambox in the fall of 2010, Jawbone set the experiential bar for all other portable bluetooth speakers to follow. The combination of true wire-free flexibility, rugged construction, and compact size let people share sound in new ways. With the mini Jambox initiative, the challenge was to evolve the archetype while staying true to the product DNA that had achieved such success.

To inform our approach, the strategy team began by gathering and synthesizing user insight and feedback, while at the same time spearheading an effort to identify new ways to evolve key product attributes that customers loved: durability, portability, compelling finishes and textures, and compact size.

Through research and focus, the resulting strategic approach led us to identify and leverage novel advancements in manufacturing. The Mini Jambox’s machined aluminum housing delivers a new aesthetic appeal, premium perception, and compact size without sacrificing rigidity and durability. In short, a clear evolution across the board, yet unmistakably Jambox.

MINIJAMBOX was the third speaker to enter the Jambox product portfolio. We created an instructive, yet playful name to help convey its personality, while continuing the family’s naming convention. The brand expression follows the product’s design intent: a pure celebration of innovative materials and arresting colors. MINIJAMBOX’s packaging is another example. The front of the package is stripped of all secondary information, maximizing the focus on the speaker. To further highlight form and materials, we used a patterned high-gloss finish that captures the light, further dramatizing the product’s texture.

The design explorations for MINI Jambox started with a blank sheet and the idea to completely re-invent the wireless speaker, as we knew it. On MINI, we are pushing the boundary of rough and fast CNC, typically used to machine mechanical internal details. We flip the use of this usually hidden process, employing it externally to reveal beautiful capabilities for textures. We used large CNC cutting bits programmed to sculpt a few marks in the aluminum at high speed; the resulting intersections create new unexpected patterns.The CNC process innovation has transformed what’s both possible and efficient in using aluminum. We turned CNC, an industrial process, into a brush we can paint with.