Etrel | INCH Duo Cable module
A new variant of a well-received product comes with expectations
A successful product creates expectations. Creating a new variant means living up to them. This project shows how industrial design can extend an established product without diluting its identity, carrying the same standards of quality, usability and brand expression into a new configuration.
Services:
- Product concepting
- Industrial design
- Design refinement
- Industrialization support
In collaboration with:
Etrel in-house design team
At a glance
Opportunity
Develop a tethered variant of an established charger while preserving its perceived quality and product experience. The opportunity was to turn the cable assembly into a fully integrated module that improves usability, protects sensitive components and remains consistent across multiple Etrel products.
Solution
An integrated cable module combining the necessary components into one compact, resolved system. The design extends the familiar Etrel experience while reinforcing the brand’s focus on reliability, durability and quality.
Impact
The module was developed as a repeatable solution for multiple Etrel chargers, creating a consistent cable experience while allowing new variants to remain recognizably part of the same product family.
Adding functionality into existing experience
The existing charger was already well received, so adding a permanently attached cable could not feel like an accessory bolted onto a finished product.
The new configuration introduced a new element into the user experience, but still had to match the clarity, quality and character of the original product.
One of the main physical touchpoints
Apart from the interface, the cable is where users interact most directly with the charger. How it is handled becomes an immediate indicator of product quality, as do the tactile, visual and even acoustic cues experienced during use.
Etrel’s signature magnetic cable holder principle was retained to keep the interaction simple, intuitive and distinctive. The new module had to bring that user-facing experience together with the technical components in one compact, fully integrated solution.
Making the upgrade feel native to Etrel
The cable entry contains parts that are mechanically important but visually undesirable and safer if not exposed. By enclosing and protecting the cable connection area, the module gives the charger a cleaner and more complete appearance while improving robustness around a vulnerable part of the assembly.
Material choice, construction and proportions were developed to match Etrel’s established emphasis on durability, reliability and long service life. The result is not simply a charger with a cable added to it, but a cable-equipped version that still feels like the same product.
Design: Žan Brezec, Matic Vihtelič
Video and photography: Žan Brezec
