One year ago today, our Kickstarter backers started to receive the doppels they’d pledged for as part of our 2015 crowdfunding campaign. They had followed our journey through its ups and downs and after sending our final fortnightly manufacturing update, we were finally ready to ship!
We shipped most of our Kickstarter rewards from our London studio, but one year on we now work with warehouses in the US and UK - although we still have quite a lot of packing tape left over!
Delivering to our Kickstarter backers was exhilarating. The feedback we received was amazing!
We loved the photos our doppelgängers sent in and the stories they told us. We've shared some of them on our Testimonials page and explored some in more detail on our blog.
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| User interview - how doppel helps users with chronic fatigue syndrome energize | User interview - how doppel helps users with ADHD focus |
But as well as surprising us with new uses for doppel, over the following months together they helped us build a better product.
Like any connected product, we experienced early teething issues. Every comment was helpful and taking everyone’s feedback together meant that we could improve the product for backers straight away, and start work on the next version (which has now just been released).
So what’s changed?
Well, for a start, the design of doppel itself is slightly different.
After feedback on the symmetrical design of the charging base, we changed both the doppel and the charger so that they fit together better. We also added a band to hold doppel firmly in place and an LED to show when doppel was charging.
The app has also changed a lot. In the past year we’ve delivered a number of updates, and tested countless new versions in house. We’ve changed the way we explain rhythms and adjusted our presets based on user comments.
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| The 'My rhythms' page as it was when it was first released, before we received feedback from our community on how to make it better. | The new 'My rhythms page with updated names and a 'Why edit?' button to explain how personalizing rhythms works. | We've added a lot more information about the research behind each rhythm if you click 'Read more' and we also suggest editing tips. |
Company news
We’ve worked so hard over the past year to build a better product and a better company - and it’s amazing to see this work recognized. Not only do we love reading the messages of support from our customers, but we’ve been recognized in the industry too.
In July we won Best Female-Led Angel Investment at this year’s UKBAA Angel Investment Awards. The company was awarded the prize alongside Ros Singleton, doppel’s lead investor from the pro-women and award-winning angel network Angel Academe.
Dr Fotini Markopoulou, doppel's CEO, with our award!
Then, when we launched to new customers in January, we received some amazing write-ups.
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| "When I stuck my wrist out to try it out I had a “maybe my wife will like this” take on it, but within a few moments, I was smiling at how soothing and pleasant the experience was." | "It looks like a small wristwatch, but instead of telling the time or tracking your steps or sending you notifications, its whole purpose is to calm you down." |
One year on
One year after delivering to our Kickstarter backers we feel like we've confirmed something we already knew - that doppel exists because of our crowdfunders and pre-order customers, and that doppel will continue to grow because of these doppelgangers - and all the new ones that find us from now on.
The product will go from strength to strength not just because of the expertise of our team, but also with the guidance and inspiration from our community.
We can’t wait to share another chapter with you next year!