At D2M, we were asked to take a raw working prototype that used a new solid state vaporizing technology and productize it for the home health market. Sounds easy right?

The head marketer from Vapore told us to , "Just make it look cool". I interpreted that into creating a look and feel for the product that was right for the user. In addition, the product also had to be safe, reliable and easy to use. Another important fact was 50% of purchases were to be by mothers who were to use them for their children with asthma and other breathing disorders.

This was a plug-in device that contained water that was held by children so there were a ton of technical risks to be considered when changing the design.

I worked closely with the engineering team to make sure the new industrial design did not fight the technical constraints, but rather helped solve or improve some of them. For example, by changing the positioning of the fan and water reservoir, we were able to increase air flow.

As far as creating a more appropriate look, the design team was stuck in somewhat of a loop as we went round and round trying to tackle the form and mechanical issues simultaneously. Management even brought in an outside industrial design "expert" from Germany who was to save the day. That effort bombed with the client.

I sketched my head off and built quite a few prototypes during this stage.

What I think broke the cycle logjam was my adherence to more simple and iconic forms that were reminiscent of other household containers while keeping components in the new improved position.

The vase/glass look won out but I had to make sure the form was thin enough to hold while pointing the front at the correct angle for usage with, and without a mask.

This project was done before I knew SolidWorks so I created all the external and internal forms using Alias and worked with the staff mechanical engineer to finish it off in SolidWorks for injection molded tooling.

I knew the form and mechanicals were sound, but there was still some doubt from the sponsor and users. Knowing that, I recommended photo realistic appearance models be made (shown left) to accurately demonstrate form, materials and finishes, which were essential to the experience of this product. These were tested with a marketing field test with very high acceptance.

After that, it was pretty clear sailing but there were still ton's of technical issues to be worked out for manufacture. I continued to work with the client and engineering to assure that ease of use and design intent was maintained.

I feel really good about the choices I made for this design. The resulting product is helping a lot of people. The reviews have been great. This product is available with major retailers nationwide now.