Earbuds have come to dominate many areas of our everyday culture. The goal in designing the Google Pixel Buds was to create an entirely new system for this type of product. It was envisioned to be usable and work well for a variety of different people and activities. The result is a well-balanced design that encapsulates the design maxim of being organic and approachable, yet also technical and contained. Technologically innovative, these earbuds feature a variety of specialised sensors and a distinctive acoustic geometry within a low-profile form that makes the buds fit well into the Google Hardware family. They aim to be a refreshing, colourful and vibrant statement that wants to stand out in the crowded market of wireless earbuds. A key aspect of the design is that the formal relationship between the storage case and the earbuds themselves was considered right from the outset. The details of how the earbuds sit in their case and how they sit in the wearer’s ears were developed together. Thus complementing one other, they have emerged as a pleasant, tactile design with a form factor that fits into the pocket. The Pixel Buds were developed with a focus on the individuality of the wearer’s ears. They offer perfect fit against the background that ears, similar to fingerprints, show a wide variety of different sizes and shapes.
Statement by the Jury
With their form and functionality, the Google Pixel Buds offer a new experience of smart technology for a highly mobile target group. The special appearance of these earbuds is the result of a design that considered all elements from the beginning to develop them in conjunction. The Pixel Buds thus also fit well into the Google product family. By seamlessly incorporating the storage case, they present a refreshingly unconventional statement.
