Fin: The Making of a Vibrator
Culture

Fin: The Making of a Vibrator

Created on 11/05/2017
Updated on 14/10/2022

 


 

Our whiteboard is overflowing.

We’re in this business because we have big ideas. A lot of them. Unfortunately for the world’s vaginas, we can’t make them all at once. So how do we choose what’s next?

We start with you. When it came time to think about our next product, we went back to early surveys of Eva users, containing feedback from 1446 vulva-havers and 499 penis-havers. Their reasons for loving Eva frequently cited “closeness,” “togetherness,” and that they could use their hands naturally. Could we make another vibrator that kept people engaged with their partner, and preserved their sense of touch, or even added to it?

A potential finger vibe stood out as one of the juicier hunches to explore. We surveyed our beta tester pool to learn what people like about using a vibrator for the hand or fingers.

In response to the question “What do you like about finger vibrators?”, over 50% of respondents included some mention of ease, small size, and power. The little lightbulbs floating over our heads started going nuts. We had already gained a ton of experience putting power into a small package during Eva’s development. We might be able to use those same lessons to make an easy-to-use toy that enhances the intimate touch people already enjoy.

It was time to dust off our glue guns and warm up the 3D printers for some DIY vibrator fun. We developed twelve physical concepts, each one worn or held on the hand by very different methods. Having real objects to discuss helped organize the conversation. Which qualities seemed most valuable? Which were deal-breakers? It quickly became obvious that awkward concepts weren’t popular. What else could we learn?

In surveys and interviews, we discussed everything from vibration strength to aesthetics, asking people to describe what they want in a final product. We weighted their responses according to what they felt was most important, bringing us to the rough design that would become Fin.

With a single idea in hand (get it?), we sent Fin prototypes to our tester pool to help us perfect the details. Right- and left-handed, solo and coupled, ages 20 to 65 — we tested prototypes with as many different types of people as possible. With these testers’ help, we fine-tuned small details and caught hidden gotchas to ensure we make the best vibrator for women and couples that we could.

And here we are. Even as we grow, we’re committed to keeping people like you in the loop. We don’t want to put anything on your nightstand without your approval!

If you’d like to be considered as a beta tester for our next product, give us your info and we’ll let you know the next time we have a data itch we need to scratch.

 

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