The Brief

Flip It is a smart phone cover that is low cost and high function, bringing back what is missing from smart phones - buttons. Important for tactile learning in young users and providing tactile feedback for gamers, Flip It is a clever tool that allows users to receive this feedback as they depress the case's capacitive rubber touch buttons. When we use our hands to explore the world around us, we receive tactile feedback conveying rich and detailed information about the object at hand. Research shows that auditory and visual learners benefit greatly from activities that involve the sense of touch which creates a positive attitude toward the task at hand. Combined with other senses, especially sight, touch dramatically increases the amount of information sent to the brain for processing. This increase in information reduces user error as well as the time it takes to complete a task. In children aged 5 and under, tactile feedback is vital. In a gaming world this heightens the sense of reality of the game and as a result, the user's satisfaction. Flip It is currently at the production stage - ready to be licensed out to game developers, case manufacturers and brands.

A completely new innovation that can continue to be modified makes Flip It a flexible and cost-effective innovation for advertisers wanting to reach a large audience. The tech was created with the view of licensing it out to brands wanting the massive coverage a smart phone cover can give. It can re-skinned and custom designed depending on the brand and app being used. We began by 3D printing the case in two parts. Then we used silicon and eurothane to make our own moulds. We took the proof of design to Asia to find the right buttons and capacitive touch rubber. Design modification continued until we had a prototype showing the exact functionality we wanted. Pre-existing powered consoles that attach to the device tend to drain the battery quicker and are cumbersome. The lightweight, sleek design of Flip It provides a reduces energy consumption. The design then evolved into Kiddie Flip It, inspired by the importance of tactile response in young learning - an important phase when children develop individual visual coordination and their sense of perception. In particular the strength of effort needed to be employed to achieve certain movements and tasks. Kiddie Flip It is a great solution for parents who don't want their kids to have free reign over their smart phones and tablets. Parents can open the app, flip the case and the home and lock buttons are physically closed off with silicon rubber, preventing harmful action on the phone. This also provides protective housing against dropping and breaking. We controls the technology stack, the next stage is to work with agencies and brands on how Flip It can best inform their marketing strategies. We have invested $50,000 in developing and manufacturing the Flip It prototype.

Flip It is yet to be launched and is currently being presented to interested advertising agencies, marketers and brands. We were granted a patent for capacitive touch buttons in a smart phone and tablet case. Because of this, we can be flexible with case design depending on device. Further scaling will come in developing games that have a Flip It option in the game settings. By entering a Flip It case number the game would move the controls into the right spot.