Case Study — Hello! I'm Tao

Segway

Story - Segway

Iconic self-balancing transport is seen at airports and tourist spots across the globe

Man max/ Machine min, the guiding design principle of Segway

I was fortunate to join Segway in the early days, working alongside Scott Waters. Together we crafted the look and feel of Segway as the world knows it today.

Modular architecture was designed to maximize the scalability of the platform. The chassis support multiple model configurations

Both off-road and urban models support a series of accessories options for additional carrying capacity and lighting.

The expression of dynamic motion was the inspiration for my handlebar design exploration.

I was a frequent visitor of the machine shop for rapid concept prototyping. “Fail faster, succeed sooner” is the motto.

Component-level design interactions with ergonomic and mechanical performance improvements.

Lean-steer control addressed many technical challenges on Gen1 model. The riding experience and safety are greatly improved.

A design attempt to allow forms to follow functions.

The great thing about working lean was getting to contribute a little bit toward everything. User’s manual, UI diagram, and safety labels.

Joyful to see Segway made it to pop culture in various forms

The intuitive ‘lean-steer’ architecture was inspired by my napkin sketch from a ‘Frog Kissing Day’, the proudest achievement I have on Segway.

I learned a great deal about the metal forming process from the experience designing a watertight AL unibody chassis.

Astro A30 Headset

Story - Astro A30

As a gamer, I was well-calibrated to the user needs. It was a natural fit to lead the A30 project at Astro Studios.

A30 headset is versatile and powerful without the techy look of conventional gaming gears.

The customizable “gamer tags” go well with his and her styles.

The headset also needed to pass the drop test by the frustrated gamers after the epic falls.

The testing prototypes for evaluation of comfort fit and location of the CG.

Quick visualization on top of the proven design construction.

Snapshots of design integration processes collaborating with ME partners and manufacture.

CFM concept studies inspired by the mood board themes.

CFM concept studies inspired by the mood board themes

“Gamer tags” also answer the demand for player’s unique identity in the gaming community.

The throne of A30 gaming headset, the AL extruded headset holder.

Logitech HD Webcam

Story - Logitech

Logitech approached Smart design for the opportunity to re-imagine the iconic webcam series.

Three targeting user groups were identified following with the design research to inform the key attributes.

“Hold My Hand” user group had limited experience with technology and appreciated the clear affordance.

A small lens and simple form factor encourage trust and friend interaction.

“Social connector” user group was comfortable with the connected gadget and desired access of direct controls.

Privacy was identified as the important control element. My pivoting concept selected as the final design direction.

“Family connector” user group valued the build quality of the webcam and was willing to pay more for the performance.

The perceived HD quality was inspired by pro-grade cameras with an over-side lens bezel and a wide aspect ratio design.

Classic QuickCam series was the most recognizable webcam for over a decade but the competitors eventually caught up.

Logitech HD Webcam series was launched with significant leaps in performance. They remain to be the leading choices in the market today.

Amgen Insulin Injector

AutoTouch was designed to improve the well-being of millions of RA patients and was commercially available since 2017.

Average RA patients rely on weekly injections for their pain relief. The process can be physically and emotionally painful.

Being a part of the research team participating in home-visit interviews, I was able to relate the user pains.

Most of the existing injector solutions focus on the delivery performance of the medicine.

Collection of inspirations from common hand tools was the logical first step in my design investigation.

Through pages of form studies, the “bottleneck” stood out with a balance between reliable grip and efficient component stacks.

2D concept exploration for user research flashcards.

Design integration was done between my team and the external engineering team from Flextronics.

Rapid prototyping for evaluation of quick start guide.

Working with engineering partners to refine design details such as part breaks and internal structural truss.

Final design for production release.

Amazon Fire HD

As the lead designer for Fire HD, I was responsible for the designs of Amazon tablet line between 2012 - 2016. The design language remains influential to the current model release.

Amazon tablets delivered a durable performance at cost-effective price points in the top-tier segment.

Fire HD has been one of the key online point of purchase for Amazon customers

The CMF executions distinctively separate the three model tiers (7”/8”/10”) for the market demands

I also made design contribution in other projects during my time at Amazon

Following the success of the Fire tablet, Amazon launched the ambitious phone project codenamed “tyto”.

I also led a proof-of-concept project effort for AWS, codenamed “Snowball”

Snowball was a solution by AWS that offers data transfer locally up to 100TB, enabling businesses to backup data in places without internet access.

Concept “Safety Box” gave customer total security control before transporting to AWS data centers

Years of production releases and manufactory visits built up my DMF knowledgebase

The advanced material searches were part of the design process to support the best design outcomes

Quality inpsection was a necessary skill to ensure the business success for releasing billions in production volume

Working closely with engineering specialists, I gained experience in design I/O features for optimal optical and audio performances

Concept “Kryptonite” was designed in mind for easy transport and maximum reliability against external impacts

Similarly, I am very mindful of the manufacturing process limitation by learning from the skillful vendors in the projects

The later model design focused on value while making no compromises on the build quality and overall UX

Samsung ARTIK IOT

Tune is a fully operational reference design of a smart speaker, demonstrating the power and flexibility of the ARTIK 7 module and the interoperability of the ARTIK Cloud.

The brushed metal dial was placed outside the edge of the touch screen to preserve the tactile experience for UI scrolling.

Harman Kardon was the acoustic development partner for speaker chamber design and the noise-canceling performance.

CFM concept studies inspired by the mood board themes.

Concept studies for a range of studies in volume, shape, CFM, and branding details.

Spark is an industrial IoT gateway helping traditional factories to connect with cloud services and converting real-time data into meaningful content for predictive maintenance.

An alternative color scheme for office and cosumer-facing applications.

Competitive audit of IoT gateway in commerical applications.

Spark gateway is a fully packaged headless computer designed to bridge the old equipment to the modern cloud infrastructure.

Full-size prototype mockup for programming simulation of a factory workstation.

Concept exploration

Samsung ARTIK ecosystem for a range of performance and security levels.

The debut of Samsung ARTIK at IoT World Conference in San Francisco, 2017.