Beoplay H100

Bang & Olufsen - 2024

As B&O expanded its design and engineering capabilities, H100 marked a pivotal moment as the first wearable product fully designed and engineered in-house. This project left nothing to chance, setting new standards for user experience and product performance.

OVERVIEW

As the Lead Human Interface Designer for the H100, I also took on the roles of Product Owner and contributed months to Industrial Design. This unique opportunity allowed me to spearhead the vision for B&O’s next-gen wearable.

My mission was clear: to fundamentally transform the core of B&O’s headphone line. This transformation was guided by extensive user research, customer engagement, and comprehensive competitive analysis, all combined with my deep passion for technology in the wearable space.

MY ROLE(S)

Lead Human Interface Designer — Product, Interaction, Industrial, App, Sound, System and Sensor Design, Product Owner, Prototyping, User Testing, Human Factors.

WORKED CLOSELY WITH

WORKED WITH

WORKED CLOSELY WITH

Embedded Software, Mechanical, Hardware, Industrial Design & Product Marketing.

WHAT DO REVIEWS SAY?

WORKED WITH

WHAT DO REVIEWS SAY?

"The sheer usability with the auto-on and auto-pause functions. I love the rotary volume control on the right earcup and the dial for transparency on the left"
Mark Sparrow
Technology Journalist, Forbes
"Everything exudes such refinement—to the exquisite sound and tactile feedback you experience when you turn one of the two dials on the ear cups"
Torben Vognsen
Editor-in-Chief, Inputmag
LYD & BILLEDE
"An impressive piece of engineering and design. Offering balanced and detailed sound, outstanding build quality, and a promise of longevity that few can match"
Geir Gråbein Nordby
Senior Tech Journalist, Lyd & Billede
"The sheer usability with the auto-on and auto-pause functions. I love the rotary volume control on the right earcup and the dial for transparency on the left"
Mark Sparrow
Technology Journalist, Forbes
"Everything exudes such refinement—to the exquisite sound and tactile feedback you experience when you turn one of the two dials on the ear cups"
Torben Vognsen
Editor-in-Chief, Inputmag
LYD & BILLEDE
"An impressive piece of engineering and design. Offering balanced and detailed sound, outstanding build quality, and a promise of longevity that few can match"
Geir Gråbein Nordby
Senior Tech Journalist, Lyd & Billede
"The sheer usability with the auto-on and auto-pause functions. I love the rotary volume control on the right earcup and the dial for transparency on the left"
Mark Sparrow
Technology Journalist, Forbes
"Everything exudes such refinement—to the exquisite sound and tactile feedback you experience when you turn one of the two dials on the ear cups"
Torben Vognsen
Editor-in-Chief, Inputmag
LYD & BILLEDE
"An impressive piece of engineering and design. Offering balanced and detailed sound, outstanding build quality, and a promise of longevity that few can match"
Geir Gråbein Nordby
Senior Tech Journalist, Lyd & Billede
"The sheer usability with the auto-on and auto-pause functions. I love the rotary volume control on the right earcup and the dial for transparency on the left"
Mark Sparrow
Technology Journalist, Forbes
"Everything exudes such refinement—to the exquisite sound and tactile feedback you experience when you turn one of the two dials on the ear cups"
Torben Vognsen
Editor-in-Chief, Inputmag
LYD & BILLEDE
"An impressive piece of engineering and design. Offering balanced and detailed sound, outstanding build quality, and a promise of longevity that few can match"
Geir Gråbein Nordby
Senior Tech Journalist, Lyd & Billede

"The sheer usability with the auto-on and auto-pause functions. I love the rotary volume control on the right earcup and the dial for transparency on the left"

Mark Sparrow

Technology Journalist, Forbes

"Everything exudes such refinement—to the exquisite sound and tactile feedback you experience when you turn one of the two dials on the ear cups"

Torben Vognsen

Editor-in-Chief, Inputmag

LYD & BILLEDE

"An impressive piece of engineering and design. Offering balanced and detailed sound, outstanding build quality, and a promise of longevity that few can match"

Geir Gråbein Nordby

Senior Tech Journalist, Lyd & Billede

DESIGN INTENT

Key focus areas

Interaction Design

Design

H100 had to elevate the design and experience beyond its predecessor, the H95. This involved introducing intuitive and adaptive features, refining the user interface, optimising connectivity behaviour, and enhancing overall comfort. Our goal was to mature the design while optimising it for performance and simplicity.

Performance

The H100 needed to surpass the H95 in every aspect, from audio performance to active noise cancellation, transparency mode, wind noise reduction, and voice pickup. The objective was clear:

Set a new industry standard.

Modularity

Every wear part on the H100 should be replaceable—not just the batteries, but also ear cushions, inner isolator fabric, and the inner headband. Designed with sustainability in mind, following cradle-to-cradle principles, exposed screws for easy replacement, along with smart battery management.

INTERACTION DESIGN

Simplified, forgiving and enhanced

The existing B&O headphone lineup had a complex UI, with too many functions scattered across. My approach was to focus on the essentials, creating a user-friendly design that required no manual to understand. The symmetrical touch and button layout allows for interaction from either side, based on user preference. Additionally, the UI can be customised to add more advanced controls according to your preferences.

DIALS

Problem

The H95 dials were appreciated, but their placement within the monoarm limited functionality and required frequent finger repositioning for full rotation. Additionally, the sound feedback was confusing, with users needing to make three full turns to switch between Transparency and ANC modes. Data showed that 96% of users preferred either maximum ANC or full transparency, making the current design inefficient.

Solution

We moved the dials to the outside for effortless interaction and I redesigned the dial sensitivity to ensure full range control within a single interaction. I created a patent-pending haptic and sound feedback system, working closely with mechanical and software teams to reduce latency and create a synchronised experience. We made new clear endpoint sounds and added a button for quickly toggling between ANC and Transparency modes.

TOUCH INTERFACE

Problem

Users reported poor feedback from the touch-through-metal interface on previous models, leading to confusion and missed interactions.

Solution

We introduced a new hardened glass surface, which allowed for more responsive and forgiving interactions. To address the challenge of blind touch interactions, I designed a real-time feedforward system that provides auditory feedback about potential actions before they are executed, this was only possible due to tight collaboration with DSP and software teams.

Unmute the video to hear the sound feedback

Quick Listen

Quick Listen is designed for those moments when you need to quickly tune into the world around you. Lift an earcup or cover the touch surface, and Quick Listen will instantly activate transparency mode and pause your audio. Once you’re ready to resume, any interaction on the headset or pressing play on your device will bring you back to your audio seamlessly.

Unmute the video to hear the sound feedback

Solution

Quick Listen

Quick listen is for those instances where you quickly need to tune into the world around you. Simply lift an earcup or if you prefer to keep the headset on cover the touch surface with 3 or more fingers and Quick Listen will instantly enable transparency mode and pause your audio. Allowing you to hear everything just like you are not wearing any headphones. When you are done, any interaction on the headset or simply pressing play on your streaming device will bring you back.

Unmute the video to hear the sound feedback

ADAPTIVE & INTELLIGENT

Things that just make sense

H100 stands as B&O’s pinnacle headphone, integrating advanced sensors—force, capacitive, and IMUs—combined using Sensor Fusion and Machine Learning. I led the development of an industry-leading adaptive system, that is responsible for everything from automatically powering on or off, routing audio when needed, control playback and ANC/Transparency settings based on wearing state or user behaviour. All while ensuring optimal energy efficiency when not in use.

My role extended from conceptualising and patenting these features to leading multidisciplinary teams in their implementation, overcoming numerous challenges—from detailed sensor and system work and user testing to refining calibration methods and optimising production—ensuring design intent and product quality through hands-on involvement with OEM partners.

H100 stands as B&O’s pinnacle headphone, integrating advanced sensors—force, capacitive, and IMUs—combined through Sensor Fusion and Machine Learning. I led the development of an industry-leading adaptive system, that is responsible for everything from automatically powering on or off, routing audio when needed, control playback and ANC/Transparency settings based on wearing state or user behaviour. All while ensuring optimal energy efficiency when not in use.

My role extended from conceptualising and patenting these features to leading multidisciplinary teams in their implementation, overcoming numerous challenges, from detailed sensor and system work, and user testing, to refining calibration methods and optimising production. Ensuring design intent and product quality through hands-on involvement with OEM partners.

Automatic on & off

Place H100 on your head and they will automatically power on.
To power off, simply take them off.

Place H100 on your head and they will automatically power on. To power off, simply take them off.

Place H100 on your head and they will power on. To power off, simply take them off.

High precision sensing

Robust and high precision wear detect solution, lightyears ahead of anything B&O has ever built.

Intelligent audio routing

Routes audio and calls to headset when worn, and returns it when removed.

UX improving adaptions

UX improving
adaptions

Auto play/pause. Transparency. Handling robustness.

Auto play/pause. Transparency.

Handling robustness.

Intuitive light
feedback

Simplified feedback.

Smooth animations.

Sensor Design

State machines

Power management

User testing

Bluetooth connectivity

Factory calibration

System design

State machines

Next-gen Multipoint

In collaboration with the B&O software team, we designed an intuitive multipoint system that allows users to seamlessly switch between devices. All you have to do is start a stream on the new device, and the system will pause the old stream and instantly switch. All this without any of the false triggers that other multipoint systems have like notifications of the 2nd device. Supported with 2 devices multipoint at first, more to come later.

Unmute the video to hear the multipoint switching

36x

Faster than H95

97ms

Switching time

False triggers

ERGONOMICS & MAGNETS

Comfort by design

Ergonomics is a critical factor in the design of any headphone, and with H100 coming in at 375g, getting it right was essential. To ensure optimal comfort, I meticulously worked to distribute the weight across the top of the head, pairing it with a finely-tuned clamping force that needed to be strong enough to maintain an acoustic seal and secure fit during movement, yet loose enough for extended wear without discomfort.

To achieve this harmony, I led user testing and prototyping, iterating on various clamping forces, cushions and headband curvatures. These iterations, informed by real user feedback, were crucial in refining the design. We carefully considered material deformation, acoustic sealing, and user comfort throughout this process, ultimately arriving at a design that achieves the best comfort in any B&O headphone without compromising on performance.

Ergonomics plays a huge role in the experience of any headphone. And with 375g it was crucial to get right with H100.

I managed the weight through appropriate distribution on top of the head together with a carefully tuned clamping force that has to be strong enough to provide an acoustic seal and secure fit during movement, yet loose enough to remain comfortable for extended wearing. Achieving this perfect sweet spot involves considering the material deformation of the ear cushions, user testing, and acoustic measurements.

Earcushion isolators

More room for your ears

The objective was to maximise comfort and ear space without enlarging the headphones, compromising acoustics, or reducing the space available for internal components, all while ensuring that every wear part remained replaceable. After numerous prototypes and iterations, we developed a 3D-formed knitted isolator that provided an additional 8mm depth, enhancing comfort without sacrificing the product’s design or acoustic performance.

Magnetic modularity

Using a 3D-knitted isolator allowed us to eliminate plastic carriers often found on removable ear cushions, increasing ear space and ensuring no hard elements touch the earlobes for lasting comfort.

However, avoiding plastic carriers introduced a new challenge: if the earcushion were not placed correctly, the isolator would deform. To address this, I designed a magnet array that guarantees correct placement every time, ensuring the isolator maintains its intended shape.

I applied the same magnetic solution to the removable headband, ensuring it snaps into place perfectly.

Animation showing the removable headband and earcushions

UNBOXING & APP

Helping you get started

Welcome card

Designed a new first-time setup experience for new users, utilising NFC and App Clips as a way to guide people.

Step 1

Begins with new unopened box

Step 2

Discover the welcome card as the first thing when opening the lid

Step 3

Unwrap the headphones and delve into the instructions on the card

Step 4

Hover phone above card to trigger App Clip or setup

App Clip

The app clip shows how the headphones work. What you can do with the B&O app and help lower the bar of entry for downloading the app, as you can simply tap to download while exploring the app clip.

Step 1

Begin unboxing.

Step 2

Welcome card is the first thing you see.

Step 3

Unbox the headphones.

Step 4

Hover phone above card to trigger App Clip flow.

Step 1

Begins with new unopened box.

Step 2

Discover the welcome card as the first thing when opening the lid.

Step 3

Unwrap the headphones and delve into the instructions on the card.

Step 4

Hover phone above card to trigger App Clip or setup.

App starting point

Our existing setup flow was slow, confusing, had too many steps, manual updates, and outdated pairing methods. Taking up to 2 minutes when skipping updates and up to 45 minutes with updates.

Simplify & optimise

I broke the setup process down into its core elements. Redesigned each part and created a new simplified flow that's drastically shorter, taking around 10s.

Designed new ways of doing OS pairing, reducing the pairing time from up to 80s down to less than 2s, while improving security.

Led our work enabling automatic background updates.

Designed a new product guide with 3D animations showing how to use the headset.

58%

Less taps

12x

Faster from start to finish

(without update)

300x

Faster from start to finish

(including update)

App architecture work

I simplified the app architecture by prioritising the most-used features, placing them prominently on the home screen to minimise the steps required for users to take action. I took responsibility for UX writing and crafted numerous product-specific screens. These designs served as the foundation for the final UI, which was meticulously developed by B&O’s UI designers based on my briefs and sketches. To ensure seamless functionality, I collaborated closely with app developers and embedded software engineers, integrating the product’s features smoothly with the app interface.

Let's chat

I'm always open to chat, get in touch with me here!

Let's chat

I'm always open to chat, get in touch with me here!

Let's chat

I'm always open to chat, get in touch with me here!

Beoplay H100

As B&O expanded its design and engineering capabilities, H100 marked a pivotal moment as the first wearable product fully designed and engineered in-house. This project left nothing to chance, setting new standards for user experience and product performance.

As B&O expanded its design and engineering capabilities, H100 marked a pivotal moment as the first wearable product fully designed and engineered in-house. This project left nothing to chance, setting new standards for user experience and product performance.