Xiaomi's Mi Bluetooth Headset Mini: A Fusion of Minimalism and Personality

Designing for the Young Generation: A Low-Profile Product with a High-Profile Appeal

The Mi Bluetooth Headset Mini is a low-profile product that targets the lower end of the sports headset market. The design is quite minimalistic, with only a circular button on the shell. However, Xiaomi has managed to make the product more interesting by using images of famous musicians in the packaging. This contributes to a personification of the product: the oval shape becomes the head, and the button becomes an open mouth. This creates the image of a composer passionately singing or vigorously conducting an orchestra, giving voice to an otherwise low-profile product, while highlighting its design element.

The design was realized by hiding the wires, leaving only the headset and controller visible. The packaging structure had to consider how to hide the wires and still keep the whole packaging structure solid. By using a PET tray inside and a paper cover outside, the front of the packaging only shows the handset and controller. This clever design was achieved within a limited budget of about 0.6 Euro, making the product stand out on the shelves.

The design team, led by Design Director Lu Chen, Packaging Designer Yan Ni, and Packaging Structure Designer Zhizhuang Song, started the project in April 2018 and finished in April 2019 in Beijing, China. The team faced the challenge of making the product appealing to the target audience of 18 to 29-year-olds, a task they accomplished by closely following the trends of young culture.

The Mi Bluetooth Headset Mini has been recognized for its innovative design, winning the Silver A' Packaging Design Award in 2020. The award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.

With the Mi Bluetooth Headset Mini, Xiaomi has proven that even a low-profile product can make a high-profile impact with the right design strategy. The product's unique design and packaging have not only made it stand out on the shelves but also resonated with the young generation, demonstrating the power of design in connecting with the target audience.