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Interview with Medical Electronic Systems / Rimoni IND |
Home > Designer Interviews > Medical Electronic Systems / Rimoni IND |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Medical Electronic Systems / Rimoni IND (MESRI) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Medical Electronic Systems / Rimoni IND by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
MESRI: Medical Electronic Systems design engineers work hand in hand with Rimoni IND product designers to obtain both a usable, functional and aesthetically pleasing product design. The team combines biomedical engineers, design engineers and product designers.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MESRI: Medical Electronic Systems develops, manufactures, sells and services automated sperm analyzers from the YO Home Sperm Test all the way through industrial analyzers that sit in hospital labs, IVF and research centers globally.
FS: What is "design" for you?
MESRI: Design for us is based on high tech functionality encased in a 'look' that is aesthetically pleasing, balances a medical (for confidence in the product) and high tech 'look' (for branding and for our age demographic). So much goes into this - both the handling of the device and the interaction with the user's hands and eyes. The software is also part of the 'experience' of using our products so we spend a LOT of time and effort on the design and flow of the user interface - that has to work with the design as well.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MESRI: Bio-medical is our forte.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MESRI: We LOVE the YO Home Sperm Test design. Both from the immense challenge of interfacing all of the requirements for the consumer, the target group: millennials and then the incredible technology required to make an affordable and high tech medical product that is EASY to use to test your sperm and instills confidence in the medical value to the consumer. We heard in the beginning that people were not throwing away the YO Clip - they were using it as a Smartphone holder on their desks!
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MESRI: Our first design was the SQA Sperm Quality Analyzer (about 15 years ago). This has gone through a couple of updates.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MESRI: We LOVE working with the Smartphone platform and technology to 'marry' our skills in algorithm development (to report moving sperm test results with greater than 97 percent accuracy which is not an easy thing to do) and user interface with design to 'become one' with the Smartphone - using all of those advantages in design.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
MESRI: When we are developing the YO Clip that fits over the Smartphone. It's SUCH a challenge and you get to DREAM anew for every Smartphone version. It's a BLAST!!!
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MESRI: For our medical product - we have to insure that the components and alignment of the YO Clip are perfectly placed. The actually outward design is incredibly important for product branding and advertising BUT the device, first and foremost has to WORK perfectly and be robust. Both are very important, but our real focus is on the functional design first.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MESRI: Exhilaration, adrenaline surge, happiness when it works from all perspectives. Frustration, concern when it isn't perfect. A drop in the pit of our stomach when we make a mistake and have to remedy it.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MESRI: Nervana... we are incredibly satisfied and excited about the next step - getting it to market.
FS: What makes a design successful?
MESRI: I think a successful design incorporates emotions in your consumer. The first look has be be engaging, interesting, 'cool' in our case, and innovative. The next emotion has to be the excitement that leads to questions about owning the product and the last has to be a feeling of 'this is incredible' that leads to satisfaction and consumer confidence that the product worked as expected and exceeded their first impression that it was 'cool'.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MESRI: If you are asking me, as CEO of the company, I would say the application of the product in the framework of doing something positive for people beyond just consumption. I am a person in the medical field so I would look at what benefit a design/product brings to helping a person, a community or a country...the world even. What global pain point does your product answer? Then I would evaluate from this context if the design, the technology and the performance of the product go hand in hand to MEET or SOLVE this pain point. I don't just look at aesthetics because I come from an industry that must blend it all.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MESRI: To meet the pain point of the people with an innovative approach that is global. I think when you are a product designer you have a responsibility to do more than create a statement of your own in the design. It is more important to encompass your skills as a designer to work with others to develop an answer to human pain or conditions. I would be SO PLEASED to see our design in the hands of a man in some remote part of the world who benefited from testing himself so that he could get help and have children. That is the ultimate success, in my opinion, for me.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MESRI: I see INCREDIBLE designs. It used to be so 'standard' and now I see colors, interface with eco systems, innovations that are mind-blowing. I LOVE to see multi-functional designs in furniture and appliances that really give value and are also pieces of art.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MESRI: We don't exhibit per se based on our design. We attend conferences and set up partnerships worldwide to demonstrate our product. We were just in ISAR in India, we will be at the CES conference next January in Vegas and we are currently looking to participate with a fertility initiative with the World Health Organization.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MESRI: Our technology and experience coupled with a medical need is our inspiration. We try very hard to ANSWER the problem with our technology. It's very creative and takes sometimes years - sometimes technology has to advance before we can realize our dreams because they are impossible or too expensive today. But, there is ALWAYS tomorrow so we have to constantly be on the alert for new technologies and how we can use them to advance our product scope.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
MESRI: I would describe our design style as MEDICAL-TECH. We have to blend a look of a solid, reliable and functional product with a high tech look. We can't be too trendy because of the inherent expectation that it should instill CONFIDENCE in the user - we are reporting medical information.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
MESRI: I grew up in the U.S. (Los Angeles, CA) and move to Israel about 15 years ago. I feel there are only PROS to my background as, in business and in product design and development I live where our R&D offices are in the key START-UP NATION in a world where technological advancement is routine, innovation is in the blood. And, i grew up and my culture is one of listening to the customer, organization, planning and implementation. It's a great blend and highly motivating.
FS: How do you work with companies?
MESRI: We work with MANY companies who supply us with goods and help us with our technology and design. Our philosophy is to have the CORE expertise inside our global organization, along with our regional sales/service offices. We then contract out for specific services that we need - we manage them though.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MESRI: Select designers that have the same product values as you and who are familiar with your customer and target price. You can design ANYTHING but if our home sperm test cost $500 a test, it would NEVER benefit the intended consumer. So you have to be in alignment. Also, hire the designer for his EXPERTISE and, while listening to 'him', also use your own judgement as you know your market better than anyone.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MESRI: Our design process is to bring in the mold and manufacturing designers EARLY ON in the project and work together to make the medical device WORK from the overall perspective outlined earlier.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MESRI: My flat-screen TV; my AMAZON Fire Stick; my zester; my bedroom set; a stool set for sitting (amazing look and comfort; my electric toothbrush
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
MESRI: My GOD - my day doesn't ever end. It starts in Israel at 0700AM and continues until 11PM at least with our US offices. Having launched the YO Home Sperm Test this last year to the consumer market - the online presence means you have to be on alert all the time. I also like to hear from our consumers and address their medical questions and hear what they are saying so I'm working a lot of hours and a lot of days each week. I LOVE it!!
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MESRI: Use your senses - all of them and then use your brain to understand your customer's needs and to understand the eventual user's needs. A product cannot just have a beautiful face, it needs to have a beautiful function. If you can blend these two things, you are on your way.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MESRI: Positives: Making the right product - hitting it correctlyNegatives: No meeting deadlines and the gnawing pain of watching the money go out before the product is ready
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MESRI: Addressed earlier
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
MESRI: Addressed earlier but i would also add: TALENT
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MESRI: Depends on the product. It can take years or it can take months. It also depends on if it is a new product breakthrough or just an upgrade to a current design to refresh it.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MESRI: The next application on the YO Home Sperm Test platform (essentially a mini Smartphone based microscope).
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MESRI: TEAM!!!
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MESRI: A new YO design is coming out in a few months. It's a WINNER - we will be applying for an award for NEXT year!!! ha ha
FS: How can people contact you?
MESRI: marcia@mes-ltd.com or go to our website www.yospermtest.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
MESRI: You did a great job of asking everything!
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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