The Bitlock MINI is the successor to the consumer-focused Bitlock LITE, the first product Bitkey ever created during its initial crowdfunding stage. Ultimately, the LITE failed to live up to its expectations and received multiple negative reviews, especially from those initial backers of the campaign. The goal of Bitlock MINI was to regain the supporters' trust and proof to shareholders, potential investors, and competitors that Bitkey Inc. can indeed create qualitative products.

The bitlock MINI's design pays tribute to its predecessor, retaining the cute pill-shaped smart lock with a big knob looks, given its focus on consumers. With size reductions of more than 20% compared to the previous generation, our focus was the device's size, utilizing visual cues such as soft tapers and fillets to suggest smallness. With Japanese homes being on the smaller side, we wanted to create a device that blends seamlessly into the environment of our customers' homes.

To achieve an aesthetically even more minimalist appearance, we removed the industry-standard backplate most smart locks (and Bitlock LITE) rely on to hold the turnpiece and let it float above the faceplate with a 0.5mm gap. The turnpiece houses a speckled, highly diffused plastic component to create a visual contrast for the user to know which part to interact with.

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‍The design of the bitlock MINI represents the development of Bitkey as a whole. What started as a cute and somewhat dysfunctional device grew into a mature, innovative, simple, and sophisticated product that understands the market it is serving. Designed to be simple, discreet, and minimalist, the bitlock MINI is as little design as possible.