Within the tech industry, it is becoming increasingly important to broaden our skills and embrace new ones that are paving the way of our future.
Product design is described as a whole process with many different factors that go into the design. From concept to completion, an idea evolves through a life cycle of UX/UI designers, graphic/visual designers, user researchers, data analysts, and prototypers to name a few. As we see day to day, current trends of messaging, virtual reality, all things “smart”, and data storage are consistently changing.
Tech in Motion: Silicon Valley recently held a Product Design Demo at The California Art Institute in Sunnyvale. With roughly 200 tech enthusiasts in attendance for the night, the event showcased companies such as:
- Zackees- the World’s first turn signal glove
- FlameStower- designs/manufactures energy products and services for global markets
- PocketLab- a wireless multi-sensor and software platform that enables anyone to engage in open ended science experiments
- VivaLnk- developing integrated solutions with its ultra-thin and flexible eSkin™ wearable technology platform
- Nixie- the first wearable camera that is also flyable
- The Wearhaus Arc- Bluetooth headphones that let you wirelessly sync music with multiple people around you
- Orion- creates communication accessories and services that connect people
- Ministry of Supply- research-based design used to create purposeful products for a life spent in motion
- Flashtag Photo- an interactive photo booth that automatically prints photos taken at your event when they’re tagged on Instagram or Twitter.
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Throughout the night,Tech in Motion organizers interviewed the guests and demo companies on what some of their favorite products are, what the future holds for product design, and the hottest design trends on the market now. Here are some of their responses:
What are some of the trends in product design for 2015?
Richie Zeng, CEO/Founder of Wearhaus
“I’m seeing a lot of connected devices and products built around connectivity with phones as the central hub.”
Sylvia Wu, Design Lead at Orion
“Wearables that add value to people’s lives, or products that are specific for communication. Products utilizing voices are becoming popular as well because you can convey emotions through tone, for example Siri and Amazon Echo.”
Clifton Zoozeboom, CEO/Co-founder of PocketLab
“Simplicity. Everyone is following the ‘Apple Way’.”
What makes your product stand out among competitors?
Alena Laptsinskaya, Director of Customer Relations for Zackees
“We make better quality products. We have sensors that detect ambient light so that the LED will be brighter at night. We have a feature that disconnects the light after a certain amount of time to save battery, and you can change out batteries, unlike our competitors.”
What was the story behind your product and what does the future look like for it?
Adam Kell, Founder at FlameStower
“We’re aiming to impact energy services, and we’re also currently partnering up with the Guatemalan Government as well as doing some work in Ethiopia.”
“In 3 months we will start working on emergency energy solutions. Like for earthquake kits.”
What is your current product you are involved with and how does it play a role in consumer’s lives?
Guy Horgan, Sales consultant for Ministry of Supply
“We do ‘smart’ men’s clothing... We are looking into eyewear as well.”
“We want our customers to feel comfortable in our clothes all day. We want work life integration. Our customers can go from work, to dinner, to a movie, and then out for drinks without the need to change or any discomfort.”
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Audience favorites of the evening were Nixie, PocketLab, and VivaLnk to name a few. Be sure to keep an eye out for these companies and how they will be impacting the product world and possibly our very own lives.
There's an exciting lineup of events coming up for Tech in Motion in Silicon Valley this spring and summer. Join in on the next meetup by becoming a group member and see what's on the docket for April and May.