We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Aleksander Magi about their original and creative Wireless Dock design work. Aleksander Magi is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original wireless dock works.
Aleksander Magi ("AM") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Intel WiDock Wireless Dock. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
AM : Our inspiration for the design was simplicity and magic. We started by asking: how can we evangelize the capabilities of Intel Wireless Docking, a new and unfamiliar Intel technology, into a seamless and magical user experience. Through research and technical analysis, we transformed the product into a user-centered solution with intuitive, unobtrusive and seamless experience. We faced a number of challenges: footprint, antenna, thermal, UI, weight distribution, and cable management.
AM : Our main focus for this design was to deliver a simple, modern and abstract product that combined a seamless and compact form factor with a delightful user interface. We wanted the user to enjoy the wireless docking experience, and allow them to work freely in their work environment, at the office and at home.
AM : We are deeply honored to have won the Silver A'Design Award for Intel and for the Wireless Docking team this year. A lot of hard work was put into this project, and without a doubt, we will be celebrating this achievement as a team here in Oregon!
AM : The design time for this project was over a year and a half, including concept development, research, packaging design (OOBE) and manufacturing,
AM : This project came to us from a technology team at Intel, and we were able to take it from start to finish!
AM : Due to legality, we cannot answer this question.
AM : We wanted to design a modern, space-efficient and magical product, and take the complexities out of a highly-technical product for users. The goal of creating a beautiful, avant-garde design paired with such a powerful technology gave our entire team a clear target to rally forward.
AM : Our Intel WiDock SDS team collaborated with a number of design, research and engineering experts internally at Intel.
AM : Our target user is the modern-day worker who wants to have an untethered work experience. Although a broad target, the capabilities and advantages for this product are relevant for many of us in today's work environment.
AM : The modern, clean design paired with a back-lit user interface that only appears when the user needs to interact with the product.
AM : The Intel WiDock name came from the key value and usage that we wanted to deliver to our customers: Wireless Docking.
AM : We used a variety of design tools for this program, including, but not limited to: concept sketching, prototype building, surfacing CAD, Thermal Analysis, Electrical Engineering Layout, DFM CAD and many more.
AM : The most unique aspect of our design is the touch capacitive back-lit User Interface, allowing users to have a tactile and direct user experience with their product, only when needed.
AM : Our Intel WiDock SDS team collaborated with a number of designers, researchers and engineering experts internally at Intel.
AM : Technology played a critical role in this design. The Intel WiGig technology gave the team a number of constraints that we were able to innovate and challenge including thermal design, electrical design, antenna configuration, user interaction/interface and chassis design.
AM : We tested the technology and experience with a broad range of technical and strategy experts both unfamiliar and familiar with Intel WiGig. Our research included Usability Testing, Participatory, Ethnographic and Heuristic to better understand opportunities in refining the flow of technology, specifically in work environments and in the home. This research was a critical driver for our design process, and contributed directly to optimizing the product footprint, product height to live comfortably at your desk and beneath display monitors, cable management to be at the back of the system, solid weight distribution, designing a singular orientation antenna, a back-lit User Interface, and a hybrid cooling solution that directs any hot air away from the user.
AM : Intel Wireless Docking was a new and unfamiliar Intel technology. We faced a number of challenges including: optimizing the product footprint, simplifying the antenna configuration, driving thermal management away from the user, architecting an on-demand back-lit touch capacitive user interface, far-view docking status, stabilizing weight distribution, cable management, and manufacturing a seamless, polycarbonate uni-body chassis.
AM : We felt it critical to have an external expert like A'Design Award & Competition review our work and give us feedback, at the same time strive for representation of Intel Design externally.
AM : We learned how to challenge the capabilities of our technologies and grow a seamless user experience both through a simplified and modern product design, paired with a user interface that can be used as an educational tool for new users and as a continuous joyful interface for familiar users.
AM : We would like to thank the A'Design Award & Competition for fostering such a fantastic event centered around design and innovation, and for the great honor of a A'Design Award for our Intel WiDock design!
