Appliance Design - June 2008 - (Page 5)

EDIToRIAL ® www.applianceDESIGN.com publishing staff Fern Sheinman Publisher Richard J. Babyak Editor Larry Adams Managing Editor Daryl Delano Economics Editor Amy Alef Production Manager MaTT Britcher Art Director (858) 259-4585 sheinmanf@bnpmedia.com (440) 886-1210 babyakr@bnpmedia.com (773) 467-8590 adamsl@bnpmedia.com (508) 746-7986 dhdelano@comcast.net (248) 244-6409 alefa@bnpmedia.com (248) 486-7800 britcherm@bnpmedia.com I Well-Balanced Designs Win the boredom of exercising. These features enhance the device without interfering with its function or detracting from its style. After decisions on content are nailed down, the next challenge is determining the presentation, creating a design language that seamlessly merges form and function. Nowhere is this task more difficult than the design of a new medical device that interacts with a patient. The product must combine state-of-the-art technology with two crucial human factors considerations: reliable, safe, error-free operation by the user; and a form that minimizes anxiety in the patient. These objectives were masterfully achieved by the Gendex expert DC intraoral X-Ray system on page 16 and the Reichert Tono-Pen AVIA tonometer on page 17. Both products are literally put into a patient’s face, but both are friendly and non-intimidating. The most common design challenge, however, is to infuse freshness into products that have been around a long time. A famous movie producer once instructed a frustrated screenwriter: “Give me more of the same, only different.” Certainly, designers of clothes washers and ovens can relate to that dilemma, but they continue to discover novel solutions nonetheless, as evidenced by the number of such products recognized in this year’s contest. Take a look at Indesit’s Moon washer on page 14. Achieving all of these contrary objectives demands a fine sense of balance, and this year’s winners decidedly reflect that. But, as with any balancing act, constant adjustments are required. The ongoing advances in design have created an expectation of continuous improvement. The best will figure out how to deliver it. < circulation Christine A. Baloga (248) 244-8262 Corporate Audience Development Director balogac@bnpmedia.com Amy Schuler (920) 231-4932 Group Audience schulera@bnpmedia.com Development Manager Alison Illes (248) 244-1730 Corporate Fulfillment Manager Illesa@bnpmedia.com Catherine M. Ronan (248) 244-8259 Corporate Audience ronanc@bnpmedia.com Audit Manager Robert Liska 800-223-2194 List Manager robert.liska@edithroman.com marketing Amanda Podina Marketing Director Paul Dykstra Trade Show Coordinator (248) 244-8257 podinaa@bnpmedia.com (248) 786-1609 dykstrap@bnpmedia.com editorial advisory board Mark Skaer, Senior Editor, The News Susan Sutton, Editor, Ceramic Industry Roy Sakelson, Editor-in-Chief, Circuitree Tom Williams, Publisher/Editor, Quality Magazine Darlene Brezinski, Ph.D., Editor, Paint and Coatings Industry Don Hegland, Editor, Assembly BNP Media Helps People Succeed in Business with Superior Information BNP Media 2401 West Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084, (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317; www.bnpmedia.com For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: call (847) 763-9534 • Fax: (847) 763-9538 or email: AD@halldata.com APPLIANCE DESIGN (ISSN 1552-5937) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media, 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $128.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $159.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $172.00 (airmail) payable in U.S. funds. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2008, by BNP Media. GST account: 131263923. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Send returns: (Canada) to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. For single copies or back issues, contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or KalbA@ bnpmedia.com. can’t tell you how much good stuff I left out of this piece. I don’t have the space. Like a dishwasher, this monthly ramble must fit neatly into a prescribed cutout. Which is why I can empathize with designers facing a new project. They must balance their creative aspirations against a list of constraints. They must establish priorities, which leads to that familiar struggle: what to leave in, what to leave out. The right decisions lead to right design. The winners of this year’s Excellence in Design competition have accomplished exactly that, creating designs that seem just right. The Tatung VOIP phone seen on the cover, for example, was praised by the judges for possessing just what it needs to get the job done. By not overloading it with features, the designers maintained a simplicity that makes it easy to use. A minimalist, back-to-basics approach can also be observed on the RIZO rice cooker on page 25. The product avoids adventures into multi-functional cooking, while retaining versatile options for cooking rice. Strategic deletion is a critical tool in both prose and design, and even music. In the realm of jazz and blues, the old timers often advise the young on the art of improvisation: “It’s not the notes you play. It’s the notes you don’t play.” That concept is superbly executed in CookTek’s Incogneeto under-granite, induction buffet system on page 26, where the beauty lies in what you don’t see. Hidden induction-heating elements permit the granite surface to function as a countertop when the elements aren’t being used. A unique RFID temperature measurement technology in the cookware permits closedloop temperature control. The product was developed for commercial use, but CookTek should consider designing a version for the upscale residential market. On the other hand, it’s also important to recognize when something benefits from addition. Sometimes more is better. Take the Life Fitness 95T Elevation Series Treadmill on page 24, where iPod integration and a built-in television help to banish Richard Babyak, Editor E-mail: babyakr@bnpmedia.com | HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | | Vending | Medical | Lab | Test & Measurement | Lawn & Garden | Electronics | | Computers | Communications | Business Equipment | applianceDESIGN June 2008 5 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com http://www.bnpmedia.com http://www.bnpmedia.com http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - June 2008

Appliance Design - June 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch 21st Annual Excellence in Design Winning Designs Combine State-of-the-art Technology with . . . Meet the Judges Design Marts Fans & Blowers Mother Nature Has Her Own Ideas About Designing for Fluid Flow . . . Using CFD Simulation Software Early in the Product Development . . . Electronics Digital Signal Controllers Enable Digital Motor Control . . . Classifieds Meetings Advertiser’s Index Association Report: AHRI

Appliance Design - June 2008

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