News

Strategix Vision (Bozeman, Mont.) Wins Top 2005 International Product Design Award from BusinessWeek

Strategix Vision Among Only Four Companies Worldwide to Receive Gold Award in Medical and Scientific Products Category

Strategix Vision http://www.strategixvision.com , a strategy-design firm, recently won a highly competitive BusinessWeek Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) for its work on the design of an Embrace Heart Stabilizer. This revolutionary product design was lead by a team from Strategix Vision, and was one of only four medical/scientific products around the world to receive this prestigious gold award, given by the Industrial Designers Society of America and sponsored by BusinessWeek.

“This award is a distinction beyond compare,” said Bill Clem, founder and chief visioneer at Strategix Vision. “We’re thrilled to be recognized for our achievements in innovation and design, and for this product in particular, for our ability to capture the human sensibility of the products we help bring to market.”

The Embrace Heart Stabilizer is a revolutionary new product that allows surgeons to conduct coronary bypass surgery without stopping the heart, resulting in lower risk to the patient. Additionally, the stabilizer is less invasive than traditional methods and reduces the clutter and crowding in the chest cavity during surgery.

To develop this and other advanced technology products, Strategix Vision utilizes a strategic, in-depth design approach. With the award-winning heart stabilizer, team members spent hours watching surgeons in action, interviewing doctors, and overseeing more than 25 operating-room procedures. After this extensive observation and research in the modern operating room, the team better understood the problems and the process used for the product. This in-depth analysis of the situation helped in designing a solution that solves the problem in a unique, yet effective, way.

In addition to the heart stabilizer award, a Strategix Vision employee also received a gold IDEA award for his work on a children’s bicycle design. Ryan Lightbody, a designer with Strategix Vision, co-developed the SHIFT Concept Bicycle that helps teach children balance when learning to ride. The design also won a first-place prize in this year’s International Bicycle Design Competition in Taiwan. Lightbody has been working for Strategix Vision for several months and has both anthropology and industrial design degrees from Purdue University.

“Our team’s involvement in these two unique designs—one in the medical instruments field and one in the consumer products industry—is a true representation of the broad design skills we offer to a wide variety of industries,” said Clem. “We are extremely adept at understanding end-user requirements, extensively evaluating existing technologies, and developing products that effectively meet their needs, regardless of industry.”

About the IDEAs

The highly competitive IDEAs are sponsored by BusinessWeek and are run independently by the Industrial Designers Society of America. The 2005 winners represent the best of the best in design from the United States, Asia and Europe. The judging is based on the product’s innovation, aesthetics, end-user benefit, ecological responsibility, and ability to improve its client’s business. Of the 1,380 entries submitted in 2005, 991 came from U.S. companies and design consultancies while 423 were from 29 other countries. Only 148 products were awarded, including 38 gold, 59 silver, and 51 bronze prizes.

About the Embrace Heart Stabilizer

The Embrace Heart Stabilizer is used during beating-heart coronary bypass surgery to assist surgeons in positioning the heart and stabilizing the coronary artery. The stabilization created by the device allows surgeons to bypass the blocked artery without resorting to the traditional method of stopping the heart and employing a heart/lung machine, a new technique that is less invasive and lower in risk. Because of its unobtrusive profile, clutter and crowding is reduced, giving the surgeon unencumbered access to the chest cavity. The stabilizer also serves as a stable frame for mounting other instruments.

About the SHIFT Concept Bicycle

The SHIFT bicycle helps children learn how to ride a bike by gradually teaching them how to balance on their own. With this concept, designers wanted to evolve beyond traditional training wheels, which only serve to prevent a bike from tipping. SHIFT provides more balance at lower speeds when stability is most critical for starting and stopping. As the child builds forward momentum, the bike’s dual rear wheels shift inward, causing the balance to gradually shift from the bicycle to the child. Designers also wanted the bike’s appearance to help build self confidence. The look evokes nothing of the generally perceived childish training wheels.

About Strategix Vision

Strategix Vision is a strategic-design firm that partners with a broad range of clients across multiple industries including medical, industrial, scientific, consumer and energy markets. With a focus on humanizing technology and challenging creativity, Strategix Vision develops technology innovations into commercially successful products. Staffed with 20 talented employees who have more than 250 years of combined experience, Strategix Vision focuses on creating superb user experiences by integrating user research into product design and engineering, and closely interweaving product development and planning with their clients’ business strategy. Strategix Vision is headquartered in Bozeman, Mont. and has offices in Seattle and San Francisco with planned expansion later this year to Minneapolis; Boise, Idaho; and San Diego. Additional information about Strategix Vision is available at http://www.strategixvision.com.

Posted in:

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.