We live in an age of complexity, fuelled by technology stuffed every which way ino as small a space as possible. But in the race to compress, the human element, its cognitive processes, its cultural context and the environmental impact, have been ignored. The result is a mess of buttons with seemingly conflicting messages, confusingly arranged with no regard for the environment.

The 966 is a high-quality inkjet multi-function printer which was placed into distribution in November of 2006. It was designed by Dell’s Singapore design studio to bring compelling design and All-In-One (AIO) inkjet printing to the small office and home office customers. These customers don’t have time to become printing/faxing/scanning experts, but they do have the luxury of a crowded market segment to select from, so Dell turned to design for its point of differentiation.

The 966 printer has a clean, crisp aesthetic. One surface flows smoothly and purposefully to the next, with each transition carefully designed to communicate function to the user, whether lifting the top for scanning or adjusting the view angle of the LCD screen found on the control panel. The control panel itself moves from the side of the printer to the front with a smooth, fluid-like three-dimensional wrap around the corner, appearing to offer itself to the user, always friendly and ready.

The design of the 966 embodies a customer experience strategy that considers all the attributes of design excellence. The result is delivering global value for the company, which enhances Singapore’s status as a world leader in innovation, creativity and best business practices.

In the 966 All-in-One Photo Printer, the Dell Singapore Studio has embodied innovation in use, in aesthetic treatment and in the management of materials, demonstrating the city’s global leadership as a design and business centre. The inspiration for these innovations lies in a corporate commitment to enhancing the user’s experience, including the environmental impact of the products it sells.

Dell invested significantly to understand in-depth the usability issues of small office/home office printers and the logic paths people can follow with ease. One of the primary findings of the research was to disprove the assumption that people like lots of buttons on their hardware. Instead, research demonstrated that too many buttons are intimidating and confusing rather than desirable.

The 966 makes its use easier with unique five-way navigation control buttons coupled with an LCD screen so the user can logically move through the options. The outcome provides users with an intuitive interaction that enhances their satisfaction with the product’s output while minimising the environmental impact of their purchase.

Environmentally, the designers have left a remarkably light footprint: By using international graphics and icons for the basic controls and locating the other user feedback and controls on the LCD, the designers eliminated the need to manufacture multiple snap-in control panel face plates with regionalised graphics for as many as 19 different languages, thus reducing the plastic pieces needed. Moreover, Dell developed and maintains a product-life ownership responsibility position with over-arching standards for the entire project team, including a free recycling program where Dell takes back a trade-in printer. A similar policy for this product has been adopted for the consumable ink cartridges.

Dell, founded in 1984 by Michael Dell, listens to customers worldwide and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Dell’s tremendous growth over 20 years is the result of a persistent focus on delivering the best possible customer experience by developing and selling innovative, standards-based computing products and services.

Since its beginning, Dell has revolutionised information technology and made computing accessible to more customers around the globe, including businesses, institutions and individual consumers. Because of Dell’s direct model – and the industry’s response to it – information technology is more powerful, easier to use and more affordable, giving customers the opportunity to take advantage of tools that improve their businesses and lives. Dell has demonstrated this effect time and again as it enters new product categories, such as those for network servers, workstations, mobility products, printers and other electronic accessories. Nearly one out of every five standards-based computer system sold in the world today is a Dell. This global reach indicates the company’s approach is relevant across product lines, regions and customer segments.

In April 2005, Dell opened its Singapore Design Centre (SDC) to support global development efforts for its Displays, Imaging, Software and Peripherals lines of business. SDC is one of five company design centres, comprising more than 4,000 engineers and design-related professionals who together bring greater innovation and value to customers around the world. They share knowledge about customer needs, technology trends and process efficiencies to create leading products and services.