xky: Hear The World
Brand identity and hero section design for XKY, a concept AI-powered Bluetooth earbud with live neural translation across 50+ languages. The brief called for a premium, cinematic feel that communicated both technical precision and human connection.
Client
Personal
DELIVERABLES
Wireframes Mockups Video Teaser
Year
2026
Role
UI design
Challenge
I wanted to design a hero section for a crowdfunded product, one that needed to work harder than a typical brand site to earn trust from the first scroll. This meant using language and visuals that immediately communicated what the earbuds were, their functionality and purpose, while making the product feel legitimate rather than speculative.
Another important challenge was standing out in a category that's become visually saturated. AI-powered, futuristic tech brands tend to converge on the same aesthetic. Dark backgrounds, glowing accents, sleek renders.
Approach
I challenged myself to create the earbud visual entirely using AI, along with a human model for the intro, to bring a human feel to an otherwise technical product. The first step was building a master prompt that guided the generative image system toward a specific art direction, one I could then carry directly into the UI design. Working this way gave me control over specific technical and visual cues, lighting, angles, texture, color, so the final look stayed consistent, while still giving me the freedom to test and iterate on what worked.
From there, the page's text and content helped define what went where, establishing a clear hierarchy so information was placed exactly where it needed to be, avoiding visual confusion. Paired with the imagery and UI elements, this guided the user through the page almost like a narrative, making the content easy to read and follow rather than overwhelming.
Outcome
The result is a hero section that feels legitimate and premium as soon as users land on it, standing apart from the visually saturated AI-tech category rather than blending into it. The AI-generated earbud visuals, paired with a human model in the intro, strike a balance between cinematic precision and human warmth, giving the product both technical credibility and emotional pull.
The typographic and content hierarchy guides users naturally through the page, communicating what the earbuds are and why they matter without overwhelming them, exactly the kind of clarity a crowdfunded product needs to convert curiosity into trust.