Adaptable Efficiency
Product: Matcher
Company: IMT
IMT International, an IVF management company, approached Design Reality to create a bespoke housing for an electronic witnessing camera, Matcher. Matcher is used in IVF clinics and donor banks for traceability, recording and monitoring the journey of gametes and embryos through every transfer step.
IMT required an adaptable product, capable of being used on a variety of surfaces and in a range of environments.
Services
– Research & Development
– Industrial Design
– Prototyping
– Supply Chain Management
– Regulatory Requirements
Ethnographic study
The process of designing the housing began with an ethnographic study to identify the environment and user needs.
This process influenced the design of the product by forming an understanding of what problems the clinicians were experiencing. Ease of assembly, disassembly, one-handed adjustment and cleanability were some of the many requirements gleaned from these initial studies.
The brief
The range of surfaces within the clinic led the design team to create a product with a silicone base and an integrated magnet, providing the product with adequate grip on all surfaces, including vertical metal surfaces on the side of laboratory equipment.
The high grip nature of the camera housing enabled the required one-handed adjustment. A spring-loaded mechanism was engineered to provide optimal feedback for the user during adjustment. To optimise durability, we utilised FEA simulation as part of the product development phase.
In order to launch at a prominent medical event, the IMT Matcher project went from initial brief to launch in six months.
Clinical environment
Ease of cleaning and anti-microbial properties were also of paramount importance to IMT. Therefore, tailored manufacturing processes were put in place, including surface finishing and material additives.
Suitability
Respecting the visual brand guidelines of IMT International, the team explored various material colour batches and pad printing of the logo, so the final design worked perfectly with the client’s branding.
Design Features
- Ease of assembly and disassembly
- User-centred design
- Universal camera thread attachment
- Designed for use with a variety of surfaces
- Optimised range of adjustment
- Colour, Material and Finish
