insensi and MAP want you to rediscover the possibilities of the home phone

insensi and MAP want you to rediscover the possibilities of the home phone 
image courtesy of insensi

with smartphones being so unquestionably mobile and available everywhere, the classic landline phone is falling behind on truly connected times. technology start up insensi recently introduced the ‘ily’, a family phone that provides a safe, simple way for family members to connect through voice, video and messaging. 

‘even with multiple smartphones and tablets, families still have difficulty making sure the youngest and the oldest family members talk regularly, much less use video or share pictures,’ said ilan abehassera, founder and CEO of insensi. ‘we struggled with this in our house. our children were too young to have unsupervised access to a smartphone, and their grandparents were simply less technical. that’s why we created ily. ily makes everyday connections effortless, regardless of age, location or tech savviness.’  
image courtesy of insensi

the minimalistic phone ditched the traditional number pad for an eight inch touchscreen that sits in the family room, kitchen or any other central location in the house. it connects through wifi, and can replace the landline phone by plugging you old cable into the device. smartphone owners in the home can also pair it with the ‘ily’, to redirect all the incoming phone calls. with no distracting features like an internet browser, the insensi ‘ily’ children can connect with family members without access to games, video sites, or unsafe internet content. 
image courtesy of insensi

MAP project office designed it for wide age group, from three to 93, the device turns on automatically using an IR sensor and connects by simply tapping on the person’s photo to start a video call,  send photos or even drawings made on the touchscreen. insensi also created an app for both iOS and android for users with smartphones and tablets to connect to the ‘ily’ platform. this enables parents who travel to always make voice/video calls or send messages through the app when they’re on the road. designboom spoke to jon marshall founder and director of MAP studio about the insensi ‘ily’ and his unique design background.

jon marshall founder and director of MAP studio
image courtesy of MAP projects

designboom: what originally made you want to design the ‘ily’?

jon marshall: i met insensi founder ilan abehassera just over a year ago and was impressed with his core proposition of using a dedicated home smart device to help connect families. its a idea I felt a strong affinity with as i travel a lot on business and i loved the prospect of having a dedicated device for my kids to get in touch with me.

DB: what particular aspects of your background and upbringing have shaped your design principles and philosophies?

JM: my grandfather was a carpenter and my father ran a small engineering company, so growing up i learned a lot about making and manufacturing and i developed a love of factories and workshops. at MAP we have an end-to-end approach to industrial design with a strong focus on manufacturing intelligence.

DB: Overall, what would you say is your practice’s strongest asset and how have you developed that skill over time?

JM: our projects always start with a strategy stage that identifies how design will create commercial growth for our clients. we marry this with a progressive user-centred approach to industrial design. although we are industrial designers at heart we are working with clients and some great partners to address the full user experience of products including branding, packaging, on-boarding, hardware, software, UX, IU and sound design.

DB: Now that computer generated visualizations are so commonplace, is there still a place for physical models?

JM: computer visuals are great for looking at colour and material and solving technical issues, but to develop compelling products we believe its vital to make, handle and test models and prototypes in order to refine the design. we’re actually quite obsessed with physical models in the MAP studio, we tend to hoard them so we have boxes and boxes for each project.

image courtesy of MAP projects

DB: How – and to what extent – do other creative fields influence the ‘ily’?

JM: i think the success of Ily is down to the marriage of great industrial design influenced by engineering, electronics and software. this was only possible because Insensi engaged in the design process early and because there was a super tight collaborative process between the MAP and Insensi teams.

DB: What are you currently interested in and how is it feeding into your designs?

JM: we’re lucky in that our studio is in shoreditch, east london, which has become a focal point for technology, maker culture, art and most importantly coffee – all of which feed strongly into our design work.

image courtesy of insensi

DB: Which engineers or designers working today do you most admire?

JM: i was fortunate to be on the IDSA IDEA competition jury earlier this month and met industrial designer, gerontologist and author patricia moore, whom i hugely admire for her approach of designing for the lifespan and needs of consumers of all ages and abilities.

image courtesy of insensi

ilan abehassera, founder and CEO of insensi
image courtesy of insensi