FABA+

An interactive, screen-free audio player for kids aged 3 and above

Growing together with FABA+

FABA+ is an interactive, screen-free audio player for kids aged 3 and above. A thoughtfully connected speaker that allows children to control what they listen to independently, picking from a rich catalogue of audio experiences, ranging from classic stories, music, educational activities

We built and designed the next iteration of the FABA speaker. Exploring the future of bedtime story telling and experience through a kids-first interface at FINH. Accompanying children on their growth path, making listening to audio content a widespread practice and becoming an ally of parents in keeping children away from screens. Winner of an iF Design and European Product Design award 2024. Italy's best-selling toy for ages 0 to 6 in 2024 and 2025, in over 480,000 families across Italy, France and Spain.

An end-to-end, two-year project spanning strategy, ideation, industrial design, engineering, packaging, app UX/UI and brand. A testament to playful, tactile interaction meeting new technology, and an antidote to the screen-dominated digital childhoods of children growing up today.

Mother and child pressing the FABA+ speaker's buttons together

FABA+ speaker control layout: play, pause, forward, backward and volume

FABA+ speaker colour range in red, yellow, pink and teal

FABA app screens: My FABA, store, parameters and story pages

FABA+ speaker design process: sketches, prototypes and internal layout

FABA+ speaker with story figurines on a woven mat

Child lying on cushions with headphones on, listening to the FABA+ speaker while reading a FABA book

FABA+ speaker glowing as a night light on a bedside table while a child sleeps

FABA billboard in Milan reading 'Ora, è tutto ok', the FABA+ speaker held up on a yellow wall above the traffic

Ash AI Pokedex open, showing bee recognition on screen

The Creator Candy headphones assembled, pink and mint against a plain ground

Noones app wallet screen in pixel-art green, Bitcoin super app by Alexis Bardini

FABA+

An interactive, screen-free audio player for kids aged 3 and above

A thoughtfully connected speaker that allows children to control what they listen to independently, picking from a rich catalogue of audio experiences, ranging from classic stories, music, educational activities We built and designed the next iteration of the FABA speaker. Exploring the future of bedtime story telling and experience through a kids-first interface at FINH. Accompanying children on their growth path, making listening to audio content a widespread practice and becoming an ally of parents in keeping children away from screens. Winner of an iF Design and European Product Design award 2024. Italy's best-selling toy for ages 0 to 6 in 2024 and 2025, in over 480,000 families across Italy, France and Spain.

THE CHALLENGE

FABA came to us with a successful first speaker and an ambition: redesign it into an industry-leading product for the Italian, Latin American and Central European markets, and take the interaction to the next level. Screen-free and character-led, and something a three-year-old could run alone. I was the industrial and interaction designer, from the form and the tactile controls through to how the characters and audio behave in a child's hands. The opportunity grew into the whole product world at FINH over two years: strategy, brand revamp, packaging, accessories, web and the app for the products that followed.

THE OUTCOME

FABA+ won an iF Design Award and a European Product Design Award in 2024, and was Italy's best-selling toy for ages 0 to 6 in 2024 and 2025, in over 480,000 families across Italy, France and Spain.

Client: FABA
Year: 2024
Sector: Hardware, IoT, App, Interaction
Agency: FINH
Type: Phygital
Role: Industrial & Interaction Designer
Outcome: Strategy, Ideation, Product design, Brand revamp, Web design, App design, Packaging, Accessories