![[IMG_20211127_112027.jpg]] - A follow up on [[⭐️ Happier Through Bright Light (Experiment)]] - My original Beurer SAD lamp broke while moving - I'm 100% convinced that light therapy works wonders for me - Winter in Berlin is here ❄️ - I recently bought a new lamp ([Beurer TL 30](https://www.beurer-shop.de/)) with what seemed a better overall form-factor - Hoping that the new design would make it easier to sit still, have the lamp 10cm close by my face for 20 minutes ## The lamp ![[beurer.jpg]] ## The new design disappointed - After only 3 uses it was clear to me that this new device is NOT based on any real user research: - The new form-factor has NOT, at all, addressed the core design-issues that come up **if you actually want to use it for 20 minutes at 10-20cm distance for the advertised 10,000 LUX** - The green kick-stand is utterly useless **if you actually want to use it for 20 minutes at 10-20cm distance for the advertised 10,000 LUX** - The extra buldge on the backside to slide in the kick-stand is utterly annoying **if you actually want to use it for 20 minutes at 10-20cm distance for the advertised 10,000 LUX** - Holding the light with your hands close to your face for 20 minutes is also STILL utterly TEDIOUS **if you actually want to use it for 20 minutes at 10-20cm distance for the advertised 10,000 LUX** - The socket for the power-plug is also on the wrong side (the bottom) **if you actually want to use it for 20 minutes at 10-20cm distance for the advertised 10,000 LUX** - The cable is at least 1m too short **if you actually want to use it for 20 minutes at 10-20cm distance for the advertised 10,000 LUX** ![[imaginary-users-doing-imaginary-things.jpg]] ![[kickstand-madness.jpg]] - In short, the new Beurer design is mostly a face-lift - The kick-stand more of an insult to actual users than an improvement - It's a disappointment because: - I can attest to the underlying method of action - Light therapy WORKS reliably when done early in the morning - So the need for these devices is there - And the technology is finally small enough to pack 10,000 LUX in an A5-sized package - Which makes the resulting device perform even worse: - All the company (and the competitors in the market) can come up with is... - an plastic LED rectangle - with a useless kick-stand - no way to hold it comfortably close to your face to - and the power socket in the wrong place - And let's not get into how you still need to be connected to an electrical outlet, which, in itself seems like the grandest failure, especially since the cable that comes with the device is at least 1m too short to actually be useful - It makes me wonder... - WHO THE FUCK "designs" these things and GETS PAID for it? - It's clear that they have they never used it regulary themselves as recommended in the manual (20 minutes at 10cm distance for 10,000 Lux) - WHO THE FUCK came up with the shitty kick-stand that only works if you have it next to you while working - *which in turn* means you have to have the lamp on for HOURS to get the benefit - *which in turn* is unacceptable and such design flaw and false fucking advertising in itself - Please fir.. ahem, _reassign_ the product owner, the product manager and designer responsible for this to "a nice quiet farm upstate" where they can no longer build things that don't work because they clearly never took the time to talk to actual users or try it themselves for more than A HOT FUCKING MINUTE ## The quest continued - So, as it's become clear to me that the producers of what essentially amounts to a plastic box with an 450-460nm wavelength LED array and a power cable DO NOT do THEIR HOMEWORK - So I have to, again, figure it out myself - What's the best setup and REASON to have this 10,000 LUX lamp 10cm close to your face that is bearable for about 20 minutes? - I really don't want to have to SIT STILL for 20 minutes doing NOTHING in the morning to gain the benefits ## My solution - I came up with combining my Kindle and the light with duct-tape - S that I now can... - Spend the 20 minutes READING, aka acutally doing something USEFUL with some of my most valuable morning time - While, simultaneously having the SAD lamp very close to my face for gaining the actual THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT that I paid money for - And, for the necessary COMFORT of holding the lamp so close I've experimented with POP-SOCKETS and came to their optimal positioning ### The ideal solution - The duct-tape version is 85% of my ideal solution - To make it 100% I would make the following changes: - 1. Make the light the same size as the Kindle - 2. Make the light battery-powered - 3. Have both, light and kindle slide into a simple cover - 4. IMPORTANT: Lastly, keep the POP-SOCKETS on both sides at the exact locations I had them ## Details ![[IMG20211203124607.jpg]] ![[IMG20211203124616.jpg]] ![[IMG20211203124559.jpg]] ## To Beurer - For the inevitable person at Beurer who will see this and think... - "Hey, this is a great idea. We should build a light-therapy lamp that you use while you're reading on your eBook reader. - "This actually makes the lamp usable and useful. Like a cover or something that connects the two devices neatly." - "And he's so right - We need something like the Pop-Sockets so you can actually hold it." - "Oh, and we'll just say 'we listened to our users' and spin it as some 'co-creation' design story. That'll make marketing super happy." - "And anyways, it's sooo obvious of a solution when you look at it... so *instead* of reaching out to the author for their fair 10% of profit-share per unit sold, it should ME who gets paid an extra bonus for it for finding it. I *deserve* that." - Listen up motherfucker - I'm tired of your bullshit - You've had the chance to do your homework and do ACTUAL user research - And I'm not talking about that one time doing one of those tired, old, lip-service "customer-centric innovation" workshops that went no-fucking-where - You arriving here means you didn't do your work - I did your work - I did the leg-work you should have done - ...And I know, building plastic frames with LEDs is work - ...And getting them certified for the German market as well... - Bla bla bla... - I don't care - The short of it is: - If you want to sell this - Then start by calculating in my 10% of profit-share per unit sold - And then contacting me with the right paper-work - A word of advice: Don't fuck this up ## Prior Research and Experiments - [[⭐️ Happier Through Bright Light (Experiment)]] - [[Humancharger Unboxing First Impressions And Use]] - [[My HumanCharger Experiment Week 1]]