Ringly Makes Jewelry Smart
News
No one wants to be that person constantly looking at a smartphone to check for important text messages or updates. Or the one whose annoying ringtone interrupts a quiet lecture hall. But who wants to be disconnected? BHCI alumna Christina Mercando (CMU’04) offers the perfect solution through her company Ringly, which created and sells a ring that vibrates and emits a small colored light when its wearer receives a call, text, email or other alert.
In a story posted on Carnegie Mellon's homepage, Mercando says she was inspired by missing calls because her phone was in her purse, while simultaneously realizing that her jewelry wasn't doing anything. She started considering what could happen if she inserted a tiny circuit board into a ring, then met a collaborator and teamed up with a jewelry designer to make Ringly a reality. The idea found its audience quickly — Ringly reached more than $100,000 in sales less than 24 hours after it was rolled out.
Associate Teaching Professor Karen Kornblum Berntsen said Ringly is a perfect example of the kind of design thinking that takes place in her HCII classes.
"It’s up to us as designers to shape technology in a humane way. It’s the ideal goal of the HCII, and I think Christina illustrates this. The ring is modest and meets a very specific need. It is a simple, understated, tasteful product,” Berntsen said.
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