Smart Design joins forces with Design+Industry creating healthy competition in the medical device industry with a consumer-focused approach

  • The 'chooser' is shifting from the healthcare provider to the patient themselves
  • Partnership will provide intuitive and user-friendly medical devices for the end-user – regardless of age or physical ability
  • For a high resolution image please click here
New York, US – 25 November, 2008 – Smart Design, a top-tier consultancy known for creating category changing consumer products is excited to announce expanded service offerings to the healthcare industry through a joint venture with Design+Industry (D+I), an industry-leading consultancy with extensive experience in the design, development, and manufacture of medical devices worldwide.

For decades, good design has been recognised as the hallmark of effective, competitive medical products. But just as all industries mature over time, healthcare companies are recognising the need for a new, consumer-driven approach as they strive to satisfy a market that has expanded beyond healthcare institutions and into people's homes.

Each firm has over 20 years experience in the creation of commercially successful products and has earned the trust of leading companies competing globally. Working together to deliver turnkey solutions to the healthcare market, Smart Design's consumer-oriented approach combined with D+I's technical sophistication will help healthcare and medical device companies compete on a new level.

According to Smart Design's CEO, Davin Stowell: "Healthcare product companies are beginning to realise how much opportunity is left on the table by not recognising that the 'chooser' is shifting from the healthcare provider to end user or patient themselves. We've helped a long list of Fortune 100 consumer product companies become more competitive through the power of design that responds to people's latent needs. With this joint venture we're now poised to offer that same opportunity to the healthcare industry."

With a shared philosophy based on these simple tenets, the joint venture was founded to design products that:
  • humanise technology through intuitive device operation and interface
  • can be used by people with different physical abilities and are respectful of the needs of the aging
  • work for people with various levels of training, from healthcare providers to caretakers to patients
  • encourage people to get well and stay healthy through a rewarding product experience
  • help people make the transition between various healthcare settings (in-patient, out-patient, home)
  • help companies build more powerful brands through products that garner customer devotion

"By forming a joint venture between two industry leaders such as D+I and Smart Design, we are creating a design powerhouse capable of leveraging our clients' technology solutions to develop the world's most innovative and user-friendly medical devices," says Murray Hunter, founder of D+I. "Together, we have the consumer savvy, the design intelligence and experience to get it done and a proven track record of success to change the basis of competition for our clients."

Please click here to view further Smart Design news related to the Healthcare Industry.

About Smart Design and Design+Industry:
With offices in New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne, and Barcelona, the joint venture offers over 125 highly skilled designers and engineers. On-board expertise includes specialists in front-end opportunity development, user experience design, ergonomics, interaction design, and biomechanical engineering, supported by a vast network of proven suppliers and Asian manufacturers. With FDA compliance and ISO document control processes firmly established, the team is well equipped to deliver end-to-end strategic design services for clients with advanced technologies seeking successful product development solutions for the evolving consumer market.

Please visit www.smartdesignworldwide.com for more information or contact:

Tom Keegan
Business Development
Smart Design, San Francisco
T: +1 (415) 385 5766
E: tom.keegan@smartdesignworldwide.com

Patrick Flanagan
Business Development
Design+Industry, Sydney
T: +61 (2) 9555 1166
E: patrick.flanagan@design-industry.com.au

Manuela Whittaker
The PressOffice – PR for Smart Design
T: +44 (0 )1780 721433
E: mwhittaker@pressoffice.targetwire.com

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