To touch a door handle comes always with a feeling of disgust and concern. Studies show that there is a bacterial focus on the door handle and lots of people state that they do not wash their hands regularly or just insufficient.

Due to that knowledge and lots of discussions back and forth we strive for a comfortable and pragmatic solution. The product should fulfill at the beginning the following high requirements:

The product should be…

• intuitive and easy to use
• simple to install at the door or upgrade without removing the door, drill into it or support of an expert
• nice designed and fit well into its environment
• at a fair price for a noticable added value
• summarized: a comfortable way to fight against bacterias and to promote the health of the people

We developed different shapes and designs for the prototype. The shell shape had the most advantages compared to the alternatives. The shell allows you to open the door from different angles. Due to the shape you can also stick the shell on both sides of the door. The nice and homogenous design completes all the advantages.

We create a first model out of wood and do several tests in order to check its usability and the feeling of the door shell.

The idea works. The tests confirm our concept. With some design optimizations to increase its comfort we are creating the first prototype which can be a potential final product.

We hear from a well-known startup challenge in Switzerland. We grab the chance and submit our business plan.

WOW, we are getting invited into the finals and are allowed to present our door shell idea in front of a jury of 12 experts from different branches. We are reaching the second place at the final award event of this challenge. What a great success and confirmation of the business idea. We continue with our concept.

With an elaborated concept and a functional door shell prototype with the official product name hyShell we are invited to an hospital. The employees are aware of the problem of the germs on the door handles. They are excited about the innovative idea and offer us a test phase in one of their restrooms over a few months.

The resonance of the test phase was unexpectedly high and positive. “FINALLY”, “terrific” and “great, that someone had this idea” were just a few of the received feedbacks.

The few cricitcal voices were mainly concerned about the door shell shape. Especially the size of the opening which was not suitable for sturdy shoes.

We consider the feedback from the test phase in the hospital to optimize the hyShell and all its components. The shape receives its final change by getting thinner and the opening bigger.

Thanks to all the valuable feedback we were able to design the hyShell more customer-friendly and comfortable. The door shell is easy to install and comfortable to use. The hyShell can be sticked to almost every surface.

With an optimized hyShell we are now looking for the perfect (production) partner. The shell shape leads to complex production parts. We are proud to have for each part of the hyShell a Swiss small to mid-sized enterprises as a supplier. This ensures high quality and reliability.

In fall 2016 the point is finally reached. We receive our first hyShells from the serial production. A great feeling! We deliver the hyShell to our first customers with joy. The clients are thrilled. As of now the hyShell is available through us directly or our distribution partners.