Enso: From Concept to 10K Units Shipped in 4 Months
- Enso is a groundbreaking pain therapy device, FDA cleared and clinically proven to solve pain 2x better than opioids.
- As the lead designer and software developer, I spearheaded the development and release of the app for the connected device.
- Following its acquisition by Hinge Health, I successfully integrated the software into the new business in less than four months.
Challenges
Joining Enso, I expected a smooth ride, but soon faced the opposite. The company faced a failed fundraising round, necessitating a major pivot and layoffs. To keep the company afloat, I took on multiple roles, spanning product design to hardware manufacturing.
Design and Manufacturing
Redesigning Enso's packaging was one of our first challenges. The original box, designed by a high-end Bay Area agency, looked expensive but lacked empathy towards the user's pain experience. It was also costly and difficult to produce.
Unable to find an affordable manufacturer, I took matters into my own hands. Using Rhino/Illustrator, I redesigned Enso's packaging with humor and encouraging messages. Not only did this reduce the form factor by 2x without sacrificing the overall aesthetic, but it also reduced manufacturing costs from $8 to less than $2 and decreased overall shipping costs.
I also created a new brochure to enhance people's understanding of our device, ensuring that our innovative solution would reach more people in need.
Simultaneously with the work above, we redesigned the electrical test fixtures at the manufacturing facility, reducing testing time from 12 minutes to under 2 minutes. This drastically lowered manufacturing costs.
Coding and Acquisition
After the acquisition, integrating Enso software into Hinge Health was challenging due to years of technical debt and lack of documentation. The existing code was difficult to understand, akin to reading a book of run-on sentences without punctuation. Furthermore, Hinge Health's tech stack was completely different, necessitating a major rewrite. Despite these obstacles, I managed the mobile app design and development, single-handedly coding the project to completion. Most managers believed this to be impossible for one person to accomplish alone.