* DESIGN OF
THE YEAR 2013
Dell Inspiron 2340 All-In-One PC
Dell Global BV (Singapore Branch)
Experience Design Group
Dell Inspiron 23: All-In-One (AIO) PC is designed with consideration for the best in class touch experience, ergonomics, with a purposeful and clean design that does not distract the user. It is designed to blend with the interiors of the modern home or office space.
Dell Inspiron 23 is designed for “desk space” and to be “clutter free” as key considerations for the home computing user. It also addresses the advancing touchscreen software that offers users new interaction possibilities with their computer.
The design intent is to keep details minimal, purposeful and clean; that focuses on user needs; reduces visual clutter that distracts the user; and design that blends with the interiors of the modern home or office space. One of the key challenges was to consolidate the processor, audio, hard drive, input/output connectors into a compact base form factor; while being competitive in computing performance.
Different from conventional AIO computer design, the form factor approach for the Dell Inspiron 23 has a slim and light display screen with all the rest of components compactly built into the stand base. The stand has an arm with two hinge points to enable the screen to fold at different angles for comfort and ergonomics during different use scenarios. The stand arm and base are made from aluminum cast to provide robustness during usage. The lightweight display screen enables easy screen adjustability. The screen is able to fold flat parallel to tabletop enabling two-persons to play interactive games.
The foldable stand design helps to reduce packaging box size by half, thus reducing shipping cost significantly. With the electronics at the base, the design also facilitates easy serviceability and upgrade.
Instead of taking the conventional approach of designing a computer, the team has made the decision to re-design the form and the system architecture to address the changing needs of the users.
The Dell Inspiron 23 is the second range of AIO PC designed by the Dell team in Singapore – from front concept to production and shipping.
Packaging material for the Dell Inspiron 23 is significantly reduced, achieving greener packaging.
READ MOREABOUT THE DESIGNER
Chan Wai Lim and Yong Khang Chian are the main players behind the design team for the Dell Inspiron 23 All-In-One (AIO) PC. Wai Lim is senior industrial designer and Khang Chian is user experience designer. Together, they lead the design team from Dell’s Singapore-based Experience Design Group, for this project.
Khang Chian has over 10 years of design experience in consumer and commercial products. By combining his expertise in human factors, ergonomics and interface design for both software and hardware, he has designed and developed the bestin- class human interfaces for products including the Dell XPS AIO PCs, UltraSharp Displays, S-series Touch Displays, Ultra Mobile Projector and Mobile Mouse. His passion for design has translated into numerous international awards, including the International Design Excellence Award, Good Design Award, iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Awards.
Wai Lim was born in Singapore and graduated with a Diploma in Industrial and Product Design from Temasek Polytechnic, in 1999. She has worked with design consultancy Design Exchange and G.E Fitch, before joining the Dell Experience Design Group. Her works have won awards such as Red Dot Design Awards, iF Design Award, Good Design Award, Best of CE S, Innovation Award as well as recognition from the Singapore Furniture Industries Council.
In the Dell collaboration, Wai Lim is the product designer and Khang Chian is the user experience designer. The teamwork is formidable because they bring to the project different perspectives and expertise. Although technology and content are their core businesses, they also have consideration for design such as usability, branding, packaging and product photography. Good user experience is the added value they aim to give to the consumer. A big part of their design process is understanding the user as well as the market. Research becomes an important component of their work. The team works closely with focus groups. They survey and track the usage of products as well as experiences in the workspace. They listen to users’ pain points in the computing environment and pick out the changing needs, usage and behaviour.
The drive for the Dell Inspiron 23: AIO PC was clear from the outset. The team understood what the consumer wanted and expected. They worked on pushing the boundaries of a touchscreen monitor that can be positioned as a standing unit as well as a tablet. A few breakthroughs came from the emphasis on user experience. Moving the brain of the unit to the foot kept the screen slim, adjustable and flexible.
Next, they value-added with design. They aimed for the smallest possible footprint in order to create a clutter-free worktop. They pushed for the connecting arm to fold flat, so that the unit can offer the widest possible adjustable range.
They even made the arm modular and adaptable, so that it is possible to upgrade the components, such as a bigger screen size. The compactness of the folding is so successful, flat-shipping is now savings made possible by design. They overcame constraints and found innovative ways to achieve their goal to offer what the user desires.
READ MOREDESIGNER
Dell Global B.V. (Singapore Branch)
Experience Design Group
Chan Wai Lim
Yong Khang Chian
James Hallar
Dell INSPIRON 23:
All-In-One PC
Front view
Dell INSPIRON 23:
All-In-One PC
Front view
Dell INSPIRON 23:
Dell INSPIRON 23:
All-In-One PC
Lefttilt
Dell INSPIRON 23:
All-In-One PC
Left view
Insights from the Recipient
Citation
Jury Citation
Great companies which invest in, and have a commitment to design consistently win awards. Dell is such a company and its Singaporean design team, which won with an All-In-One PC last year, has again created an exceptionally well crafted design solution to win Design of the Year for the second year running.
The Dell Inspiron 23, unlike last year’s business product, is targeted at home users seeking a minimal footprint for more desk space, and a product which keeps their desk free of clutter and, most critically, at an affordable price.
Its touchscreen interface requires the thinnest possible screen, so the motherboard was moved to the base. And this, combined with a new kinetic movement, allows it to be brought to horizontal; for example, for gaming between two people. The Jury loved the emotional ergonomics of the barely noticeable, but cleverly designed mechanism, which prevents the bottom of the screen clashing with the base. The support arm structure is in aluminium for robustness and is well considered to conceal wiring without compromising assembly. While the base, with its associated electronics and clutter inducing ports, is housed under an aluminium pressing of great quality which, with its micro perforated speaker grille, was extremely challenging to realise, but which yielded significant cost savings to help bring the product in at an affordable price.
The Jury awarded the Dell Inspiron 23 as an exceptional example of the professional industrial designer’s skill and craft for a mass-produced consumer product.
Nominator Citation
JASLYN GOH
FORMER ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST
DELL GLOBAL B.V. (SINGAPORE BRANCH)
Dell Inspiron 23: All-In-One (AIO) PC is designed for the best in class touch experience addressing increasing requirement of touch screen software. It has a slim and light display with electronic built on the stand base, which makes the model stand apart from the conventional AIO.
The stand arm has two hinges to enable the screen to fold at an angle for comfort and ergonomics during different user touch scenarios. The screen is designed to be light and enables easy adjustment. Design details are minimal, purposeful and clean that do not distract the user and is easy to match with the interior of a modern home or office space.
The display consists of a metallic frame that has control keys on the right. The stand arm and base are made from aluminium to provide robustness during usage. Having a foldable stand design also helps to reduce packaging material and shipping cost. With electronics at the base also helps to ease serviceability and upgrading.
The Dell Inspiron 23 is slim and compact with thoughtful design elements such as ease of connector access. Adjustment of the display screen is designed to fit children or adult posture during different usage scenarios. The screen can fold flat and remain stable for two-person interactive games. The use of colour and design details makes the product look slim.
OTHER RECIPIENTS
Patrick Chia
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2013
Director, Squeeze Design
Founding Director, Design Incubation Centre
Founding Creative Director, D.Lab
