Press Release
Mariana Couto and Tiago Correia Receives the A' Design Award for Caster Remote Control in Digital and Electronic Device Design
The international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Mariana Couto and Tiago Correia of Tech4home for digital and electronic device design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Digital and Electronic Device Design category for Caster Remote Control by Mariana Couto and Tiago Correia of Tech4home, designed for Telefonica. The award was conferred within the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Caster Remote Control
Caster remote control was designed for use with Telefonica’s Movistar and TV service. Important control elements are the centrally arranged navigation area and the carefully placed symbol for the integrated voice command function that lets the user interact with Aura virtual assistant. On the reverse side of the remote control, a soft coating provides additional comfort and an appropriated grip, which enables particularly secure handling. The most frequently used buttons on the remote control light up when the device is picked up in a dimly lit room.
About Mariana Couto and Tiago Correia
Tech4home is a company that constantly pushes the limits of creative intuition, design, innovation, and integration. Having spent 20 years developing and delivering refined and customized integrated wireless remote-control solutions, Tech4home is a major player in the remote-control devices and technologies industry.
About Tech4home
Tech4home pushes the limits of creative intuition, design, innovation, and integration. Having spent 20 years developing and delivering refined and customized integrated wireless remote-control solutions, Tech4home is a major player in the remote-control
Award Record
Mariana Couto and Tiago Correia of Tech4home is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Digital and Electronic Device Design Award
The A' Consumer Electronics Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good consumer electronics designs by leading brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to consumer electronics designers, consumer electronics brands, consumer electronics manufacturers and electronic product manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include smartphones, laptops, televisions, cameras, headphones and smartwatches. Awarded consumer electronics designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/consumer-electronics
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/102595
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/102595
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!102595
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/274126
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://bit.ly/2I55FBp
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Caster Remote Control
- Function
- Remote Control
- Category
- Digital and Electronic Device Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Electronics & Appliances
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray, Black, Gray and Lavender
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Telefonica
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Mariana Couto and Tiago Correia
- Country
- Portugal
- Brand
- Tech4home
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2019 - 2020
- Design ID
- #102595
Credits
- Team
- Mariana Couto and Tiago Correia
- Image Credits
- All images created by João Santos (Chief Design Officer at Tech4home)
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Caster Remote Control was designed to use with Telefonica Movistar TV service. Important control elements are the centrally arranged Directional Pad area and the strikingly Voice Command button that lets the user interact with Aura, their virtual assistant. On the reverse side of the remote a soft coating provides additional comfort and a good grip, which enables particularly secure handling. The most frequently used buttons light up when the device is picked up in a dimly lit room.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for Caster Remote Control came from automotive design, well-known by its fluent and aerodynamic lines. Therefore, Caster unique design language is marked by its flowing curves and organic shapes. This product was carefully designed to respond both to the needs of our customer, the TV operator, and to the needs of the end-user. The first ones focus on brand awareness and outstanding functionalities, whilst the latter is looking for ease-of-use and comfort.
- Research
- Firstly, and together with Telefonica, focus groups were performed with end customers to acknowledge: (1) technological preferences, (2) ergonomic requirements, (3) sense of design, (4) emotional response to brand elements. Additionally, an extensive study has been conducted within the Call Centers' Department in order to understand the main flaws of available TV services and respective devices. Those inputs informed the Design team and served as the initial briefing.
- Challenge
- At ideation phase the main challenge was to keep the end-user at the center of the design language. This would be the first Voice Command device for Telefonica customers, therefore it was crucial to develop a cohesive, high-tech and yet intuitive product.
- Realization and Technology
- ABS and polycarbonate (PC) plastics are put through injection moulding technique to create the casing of the Remote Control - top, bottom, battery lid and lens pieces. The keypad piece is casted in silicone rubber with the exact specified hardness to assure an optimal button click feeling. All the graphics are silkprinted in the specified Pantone colour references using custom-tailored jigs to attest quality parameters.
- Operation and Interaction
- Caster Remote Control has a dual-mode interaction, from the most traditional button click to the sophisticated voice search technology. These interaction modes complement each other and provide a complete and intuitive user experience. For an even higher-end experience, a backlight system with pick-up and light sensors has been added to the device. This allows the end user to perfectly interact with the remote even at low light conditions.
- Project Duration and Location
- Caster Remote Control project was developed in different phases, from requirement research to product release. First brainstorm meetings were held in March 2018, in Madrid. Until mid-2019 main actions were mechanical, electrical and software development, moulding production, and samples validation. First Mass Production run took place in November 2019, in Asia. The product was made available in stores all over Spain during January 2020.
- Specifications
- Width 44.3 mm x Depth 22.1 mm x Height 191.8 mm
- Keywords
- TV, STB, Remote Control, Caster, Electronics, BLE, Voice Search, Wireless, Telefonica, Aura
