Nostalx

Speaker for Functional Form Flock Allies

Nostalx is a Bluetooth speaker with a retro design, equipped with both music playback and multi-band radio functionality. Its interface engages multiple senses, including touch, sound, and sight, providing an interactive listening experience. The tactile controls encourage physical interaction, setting it apart from standard digital products. In a digital age, Nostalx offers a sensory rich experience, allowing users to engage with their music in a hands-on and personalized way.

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Nostalx by Menghai Xia

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Speaker by Menghai Xia

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Menghai Xia Nostalx

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Menghai Xia Speaker

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Unique Properties

Nostalx is a retro-style Bluetooth speaker that combines music playback with multi-band radio functionality, offering a sensory-rich experience through its tactile interface. Unlike typical digital devices, NostalX engages touch, sound, and sight, providing a more immersive and interactive listening experience. Its design encourages ritualistic physical interactions, allowing users to express their musical tastes and lifestyle in a world dominated by digital interfaces, making it truly stand out.

Tags

Speaker, Multi-band radio, Sensory interaction, Tactile design, Retro-style, Vintage aesthetics, User experience, Lifestyle product

Production Technology

Nostalx is a retro-style Bluetooth speaker with music playback and multi band radio functions. It features a radio component, audio speaker, rechargeable battery, and main circuit board. The control elements include two knobs, three buttons, and a multi-position push switch. The knobs are mechanically linked to the dashboard for synchronized rotation. Shell materials vary by design style, including colored plastic, wood, or frosted acrylic for a customizable appearance.

Design Challenge

The design of Nostalx faced challenges in integrating an interactive interface into its retro aesthetic, avoiding digital displays to enhance multi-sensory stimulation. Balancing visual appeal with technical feasibility required iterative redesigns, particularly in incorporating existing circuitry. The team worked closely with engineers to refine controls, ensuring both functionality and design cohesion. The result is an immersive, intuitive product that blends form, function, and user engagement seamlessly.

Project Duration

The project commenced in Savannah, Georgia in September 2023, the model was completed in Savannah by November 2023.

Operation Flow

Nostalx features a radio assembly, audio speaker, rechargeable battery, and a main circuit board. Its control system includes two knobs, three buttons, and a multi-position push switch for seamless use. The left knob adjusts radio channels, while the right controls volume, with a power off function at minimum. The buttons handle play/pause, fast forward, and rewind. The multi position switch toggles between Bluetooth, FM, AM, and SW, blending modern technology with a nostalgic user experience.

Research

In recent years, sales of physical music formats like vinyl and cds have surged, valued for their permanence and nostalgic appeal in a digital world. Our research shows over 45% of consumers are dissatisfied with streaming's lack of physical interaction, craving high quality sound and a multi sensory experience. Many now view music as an expression of personal taste, favoring retro designs that blend nostalgia with modernity. This shift highlights a growing demand for music players as lifestyle products, enhancing the music experience.

Inspiration

For music enthusiasts, streaming has diminished music's perceived value. Physical formats like vinyl are resurging due to nostalgia. Consumers now desire tangible experiences, valuing the permanence of physical objects that evoke safety in a digital world. They crave high-quality sound and sensory-rich products that reflect their tastes and lifestyles. This project transforms the music player from a functional tool to a lifestyle product, blending vintage sensory appeal with modern convenience.

Image Credits

Pic 1 Designer Yuqing Xiao, NostalX model rendering, 2023 Pic 2 Designer Yuqing Xiao, NostalX interface introduction and model photography, 2023 Pic 3 Designer Yuqing Xiao, Explode view image of NostalX and model photography, 2023 Pic 4 Designer Yuqing Xiao, NostalX prototype model photography, 2023 Pic 5 Designer Yuqing Xiao, Multiple CMF choices of NostalX, 2023

Project Overview

Nostalx Speaker has been a Bronze winner in the Digital and Electronic Device Design award category in the year 2024 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

Bronze Recognition

Menghai Xia was recognized with the coveted Bronze A' Design Award in 2025, a testament to excellence of their work Nostalx Speaker.

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