It all begun with a need
It all begun with the need for a great sound in a small container connected wireless to my smart phone where I carry my music. I like to entertain at home, an impromptu BBQ on a Friday or an intimate get together during the week. Therefore, I do not need to carry the speaker, I am content to leave it in the study, bedroom or kitchen and just play music when I am in the vicinity.
After a good search I did not find anything that fit the requirement. As the saying goes, necessity being the mother of invention I acted on the need. I saw the need in the market as it grows and defines itself, the "wireless connectivity in the personal space" market and immediately defined the features and priority levels needed.
After a good search I did not find anything that fit the requirement. As the saying goes, necessity being the mother of invention I acted on the need. I saw the need in the market as it grows and defines itself, the "wireless connectivity in the personal space" market and immediately defined the features and priority levels needed.
Agile Development
A true design child, the SPEAKER came to life in a very short time, underlying the power and importance of design presence during the development and manufacturing cycle. By implementing Agile development in the process of industrial design, we were able to quickly evolve through the prototype phase and on to production.
Eight Months to Production
I'm not really claming to break the "traditional" pattern of design development but I took the following approach, "bending" it a little:
1. List of features
2. Must haves
3. Break down based on importance
4. Break and fix loops - 1-2 weeks everything in as design worked with engineering worked with prototyping worked with production engineer to develop solutions that work well in context of the grander picture
As the designer and project manager and by keeping a constant watch throughout the process I kept a check on the attention to details that separates a runner up from a winning combination. The outcome is understated sophistication free of any "trendy" language.
keeping a constant watch throughout the process I kept a check on the attention to details that separates a runner up from a winning combination. The outcome is understated sophistication free of any "trendy" language. I strive to create a timeless presence in my work. keeping a constant watch throughout the process I kept a check on the attention to details that separates a runner up from a winning combination. The outcome is understated sophistication free of any "trendy" language. I strive to create a timeless presence in my work. keeping a constant watch throughout the process I kept a check on the attention to details that separates a runner up from a winning combination. The outcome is understated sophistication free of any "trendy" language. I strive to create a timeless presence in my work.
Priorities, priorities and more priorities
The sound is very important, the most important. Early in the design process we started to generate working prototypes in an attempt to design the sound. This process of "designing the sound" belongs to the process of design development just the same as picking the correct paint finish or grill pattern. Through countless hours of research, learning about speaker enclosures and drivers implemented in working units I quickly arrived at a satisfactory solution that was both exquisite in sound and pleasant on the eye.
Understated Statement
I pened a deliberate understated visual language to underline the built and sound quality of the speaker, without distracting. It is after all a reproduction device ready to perform at our convenience. The design evolved into a elegantly simple shape, optimized for its function and devoid of any extras such as volume control, displays or unnecessary buttons. What we are left with is the essence of the product, in the spirit of form follows function, mr. Rams or the Bauhaus movement. By controlling the details and insisting on certain production methodologies the outcome looks as if carved out of one solid piece.
Extensive UI/UX immersion
Working hand in hand with the development of the sound and adhering to the "bookshelf speaker" or the "on the side stand" size factor and eliminating any superfluous elements I created a simple yet very intuitive interaction between the product and it's master. It is an extension of existing user experience with really no learning curve after setting up the Bluetooth connection, itself a simple to learn procedure. In the possible scenario where using the speaker inplies first time interaction with Bluetooth setup, I created simple to follow video explanations on how to execute the bluetooth connectivity on various devices. The experience is optimized to be a positive one.
In today's product development world, industrial designers are uniquely qualified to define such opportunities as I described above and will continue to establish themselves as opportunity leaders. In our history, we have a new wave, dare I say even a bigger wave of power swelling up under us that will give us, designers, the power to help shape the world. We follow our intuition and develop our intuitive outcome on solid research and a good anchor in trends and values.
