Gerry sits down with Juan, co-founder of Unit 1, the company behind the sm
Gerry sits down with Juan, co founder of Unit 1, the company behind the smart helmets Gerry's whole family now wears. They cover the pandemic pivot from ski helmets to cycling, why people don't wear helmets (and how design fixes that), what MIPS actually does, teaching drivers to read turn signals on a cyclist's head, and the newly announced Bosch partnership connecting helmet and e bike. Plus the 35 minute customer support call that convinced Gerry this is what human centred business looks like. The conversation digs into what "smart" really means — and why Juan is trying to retire the word. They unpack MIPS and rotational impact protection in plain language, the logic of putting turn signals and brake lights above the roofline of cars so riders speak the driver's language, and the mental model shift required before motorists instinctively read a signal on a cyclist's head. Gerry raises the questions his friends actually asked: do we need a smart helmet? Are they tracking you? (No, they're not.) And what about speakers for music — how does a safety company decide which customer requests to act on? Gerry also tells the story that sparked this episode: a 35 minute Zoom support call
Humana Design — service design and design research consultancy, Dublin, Ireland.