The S3 and S4 global studies activated and tested many of our sofi’s go-to-market capabilities for the first time. With the help of hundreds of Pioneers and thousands of app instals, we were able to generate millions of interactions between sofi and our Pioneers all resulting in the final corrections, tweaks and adjustments that are being rolled into our first go-to-market sofi product.
Pre-orders are going to be promoted from the 1st of September (internal link here for advanced pre-orders), and first customer shipment of the first 1k new generation sofi pods are scheduled for the 1st of November.
Here’s a preview of what’s to come:
For the curious in the community on what’s involved to prepare our third-generation sofi pods, electronics and plant capsules for first customer shipment, we hope you enjoy the additional visibility below. 
sofi pod
on colour, material and finish
We finalised on two go-live colours - brushed carbon and soft white. We also decided to go with a matt plastic tip to match the aluminium body and introduce a gorgeous sofi moon emblem brushed into our top cap. We explored texture changes through 24 prototype parts finished to create ‘mix and match’ units for assessment of different CMF specifications. And here is where we landed:
We dismissed the idea of moving to plastics on the body. It would reduce the cost and bill of material but we felt it also cheapened our gorgeous sofi pods. We just love the brush aluminium body feel in our hands and didn’t want to compromise here one bit.
The sofi pods will also go through extensive certification for sale in the UK (UKCA), US (FCC) and Europe (CE). This certification work on battery and electronics is a major element of work between the prototype version of sofi and the final for sale version. We contracted an independent British testing lab for certifications for our sofi pod and sourced a new battery and sent it for UN38.3 and 62133 testing to ensure safety.
And the sofi pod will carry some new markings to demonstrate this certification work:
So we have began working on delivering these markings on the go-to-market sofi pods, and here are some work in progress as our partners navigate our desire to keep the sofi pod beautiful and minimal:
on mechanics
Moon-shaped, curved finger grip for sofi capsule stopper
To make it easier to grip and twist the capsule stopper during insertion and removal of formulation capsules.
We explored:
- 6 prototypes made
- Tested internally for maximum usability
- Final design detailed to fit the sofi style concept
Modification to sofi capsule stopper to avoid rattle and coming loose
To stop an accidental release of the bottle by moving the device around.
We explored:
- 2 different concepts explored
- 7 prototypes made using 2 manufacturing techniques and materials
- Extensive testing for several months to assess its effectiveness in the sofi device
- Final design detailed to fit the Sofi style concept
Improved retention of the top cap when the pod is accidentally knocked over while charging
We explored:
- 3 different concepts explored
- 17 prototypes made
- Drop testing undertaken of the 2 most robust options from a height of 1.5m on to a concrete floor
- Finalised design detailed to fit the sofi style concept
Drop forces
Before the mechanical redesign on the top cap we noticed that the top could come apart - you can see that in this very dynamic testing by our incredible mechanical engineer Barry -a drop from a laptop USB charge position on a table could result in the sofi pod coming apart:
We also redesigned and retooled the sofi pod top plastics to reduce the rattle and hum, which was also having unintended effects on the performance of the electronics. This has now been solved in the go-to-market fourth generation sofi pod.
on electronics + firmware
The immediate perceivable improvements here are to battery life and the ability to see battery level in the app. Something we have all been patiently waiting for!
On noticeable changes:
- reduced power consumption (improving battery lifetime up to a week)
- improved button count (reducing chance of double counting or missing a press)
- battery level indicator (main screen on sofi app)
- battery level low alert (slow flashing green light)
- battery charging indicator (the red light should now switch off once battery has charged)
- smaller reset pulse on charging (so low the pod should be useable whilst charging)
On functional upgrades:
- transport mode for the sofi pod to allow shipping by air
- MAC address added to the Bluetooth characteristics
- Test mode for production (preparation for first customer production)
With over 374 million tonnes of electronic waste on Earth, and USB-C chargers as the dominant format in charging your smartphone, we didn’t see the need to add yet one more cable. If you don’t have one, please write to us and we will dispatch one to you
on app | result screens
The next major feature enhancement coming live on the sofi app is the connection of the sofi results directly into the sofi app for each Pioneer. The dev team are prioritising this over the next two development sprints and our plan is to have this activated a good month ahead of first customer shipment so all Pioneer Program results will be available for each Pioneer within the sofi app. Here’s a link to the full overview of these features coming live! Sofi app | introducing in-app results!
sofi capsules
on glass
We are shifting from stock 10ml glass capsules to our own tooled glass capsules which we can manufacture on a significant scale. Manufacturing our own glass bottles to the right tolerance and specification has been an undertaking which has taken a good part of the first half of 2023. This has involved:
- 1,000 Measurements undertaken across 100 pre-production sample units.
- 3 graphs produced to show dispersion of the measurements – showing that 2 cavities had been used to produce the sample bottles
- 110 Measurements across a further 10 sample units
- Drop tests undertaken with full bottles achieving results from 1.5m to 2.15m. Final production units will incorporate additional glass to further strengthen the bottles
And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a few drop tests on concrete floors - usual elevation is a desk to a pocket, but we have been testing the sofi glass at 1.5 and 2.0 metre elevation drops on concrete … We wouldn’t recommend it as it would be a shame to lose that plant goodness but when our glass capsules survived a 2.0 metre drop on concrete we were sufficiently impressed - here is our lovely @Luv - one of the sofi team members on product - doing some adhoc independent testing!
Along with shifting from stock parts to our own sofi glass bottles we have also introduced a new go-to-market design language for our capsules which we love! 
capsule cap
Most of the time we are super busy rationalising away components and simplifying materials. However, on balance, having carried capsules around in our bags we came to the conclusion that our sofi capsules really need a cap to stop an accidental release of the liquid either during transit to the customer, or if customers are travelling with replacement capsules.
We explored:
- 5 different concepts explored
- 36 prototypes made using 2 manufacturing techniques and materials
- Final design detailed to fit the sofi style concept
sofi packaging
You will notice a big change here! Of course, the packaging looks beautiful, but importantly it is a functional redesign to reduce all the folds and labour time that went into folding and finishing a Starter and Refill Pack.
So we are still honouring our value of “preservation of planet” by sticking to cardboard and recyclable material. But functionally we have reduced the folding time from about two minutes to just under 30 seconds!
We also noticed that our Pioneer Packs sometimes arrived a little worse for their travels!
So we have redesigned the internal compartmentalisation, particularly the area housing the plant capsules, to withstand maximum “love” from our logistics partners during shipment and processing.
Reserve your starter pack now!
We will have limited production in our first two cycles and have worked to activate a link for our community and friends to get in ahead of the general activation of pre-orders on the 1st of September. We have also introduced early-bird pricing (primarily at cost), and will hold this pricing for all early-bird subscribers for life.
20 days to general activation of pre-orders and counting!
You’ve really made Sofi so appealing to the consumer, very tactile and fresh looking. Great job!!
) There were times when perhaps i thought the sprays were making things worse. Maybe again because of the huge need for sofi to work, my brain would go into overdrive?! But then i would notice small changes, sleeping an hour longer, deeper. Handling situations much better, being happier. I had a lightbulb moment last October after starting passiflower. Where i could deal with driving on the motorway without having to crush my anxiety filled thoughts. That was when i sat back and evaluated how I have reacted to Sofi. Then my favourite ashwagandha came around. I already took this in a supplement form but within 2 lots of sprays my husband couldnt believe that i just passed out and went to sleep and stayed asleep.
For that i am eternally grateful 
Seeing how you progressed differently and subtly with each of the different plants is such a cool thing - so thank you for thinking to share!!
Could it be that you are completing your journal after the morning cut-off at 5:59pm?