Now in its 15th year, IBO’s Industrial Design Awards recognizes the best in industrial design of analytical and life science instruments, portable instruments (page 7) and laboratory equipment (page 6). The winners are chosen based on their aesthetic appeal and how the product’s physical form contributes to its functionality and usability. A good-looking product not only stands out in the marketplace, but enhances the end-user’s experience of operating that product, aiding brand awareness and value. Aspects of functionality encompassed by successful industrial design include ease of use, ergonomics, serviceability and more efficient usage.

This year’s winners, as usual, encompass a broad range of technologies, applications and markets, each with their own design needs and challenges. In each case, the product presents an innovative, distinctive and practical solution. To be eligible, the product must have started shipping between August 2008 and July 2009. Winners are chosen from products seen by IBO at major trade shows and in press releases and magazines. Technical performance is not considered in choosing entries or winners. Last year’s Gold Award winner for Lab Equipment, Hamilton’s Microlab Nimbus automated pipettor, was recently recognized with a Silver 2009 International Design Excellence Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America.

Gold Award

IBO’s 2009 Gold Award for analytical instrument design goes to Waters’s XEVO TQ MS system. The triple quadropole MS boasts an elegant design that highlights innovative features, increases accessibility and presents an appealing interface to the end-user. The balanced placement of the instrument’s front panels, as well as subtle styling gives the XEVO TQ a professional appearance that communicates technical sophistication and usability. The system’s visual appearance and features are also evident in the industrial design of Waters’s XEVO QTOF MS, the other member of the XEVO product family.

Waters collaborated with 257 Limited in the design of the system, which took 14 months to develop from the end of detailed planning to the final product release. The XEVO TQ MS measures 61 x 71 x 90 cm (24 x 28 x 35 in) and weighs 130 kg (286 lb). It is priced at $350,000.

As David Little, senior product manager for Quadruopole MS at Waters, told IBO, aesthetics was a consideration from the start. “We decided, particularly with this instrument, to focus in on the ion source technology, and developing a new ion source for the future of our products as we went forward. I think, at that point, we decided there was a definite opportunity to have a look at more than just the functionality of the hardware [and] to actually look at the aesthetics for once,” he said.

This change included working with 257 on product design, as well as off-site visits by the mechanical design staff to observe customers at work. “Because of our changed customer base that’s out there, we really had to go and have a look at what customers were doing on a regular basis in order to learn what mistakes they were making and what things were awkward for them to handle, so we could apply design based on that,” said Mr. Little.

Design was integral in making the XEVO TQ’s high-end MS technology accessible to a wider range of end-users, including scientists who are not MS experts. Thus, the XEVO’s set up, operation and maintenance had to be simple and more intuitive. As an example of how design enabled this, Mr. Little cited the XEVO’s ability to automate the introduction of a reference into the sample flow from the ACQUITY LC without the end-user having to manually decouple and reconnect the systems.

Quick, easy and error-free access to the ion source was also necessary. One turn of a handle opens the ion source assembly and turns off the gases. A lever removes the ion source sampling cone. As Mr. Little explained, “The action of turning that lever: we designed [it] such that the lever would also isolate the vacuum so you couldn’t take it out without isolating the vacuum, therefore, you’re not going to cause any damage.”

Another example of designing for ease of use was eliminating the use of a syringe to inject a reference sample for MS calibration or method development. “We decided to put into the instrument some stations to allow us to take the sample bottle that the standard came in and actually introduce that directly into the mass spec.” Lighting behind the port indicates which bottle is in use.

The design also emphasizes the integration of Waters’s product line. “When we looked at designing this mass spectrometer, we obviously looked to our current designs on our ACQUITY UPLC system. The system has to look like an intact unit rather than discreet items . . . they had to share the same design features,” said Mr. Little. The systems share much of the same form, styling and color, allowing for a cohesive appearance and integrated features.

Silver Award

The 2009 IBO Silver Design Award for analytical instrument design goes to Invitrogen’s Countess Automated Cell Counter. Invitrogen is a Life Technologies’ business. The eye-catching system incorporates a clean, modern, streamlined appearance, which is not often seen in the lab, to highlight the system’s user friendliness and approachability.

The $4,850 system measures 27 x 20 x 19 cm (10.6 x 7.9 x 7.5 in) and weighs 2.1 kg (4.6 lb). The system provides cell count and viability, as well as information about cell size in 30 seconds using the trypan blue assay. The system is designed to replace manual cell counting. The Countess took a year and a half to develop.

“We wanted to make something completely different,” said Jill Hendrickson, senior product manager for the Cell Systems Division of Life Technologies. “We wanted the instrument to be something that was not only really easy to use­—so it had to be designed from that point of view—but also would give the customer the data that they wanted and something they would feel happy about using,” she told IBO.

The Countess’s red and silver color scheme, balance of round and angular shapes, and compact size create a playful look and feel by utilizing design elements associated with consumer product design. The appearance also announces the product’s innovations and break with the past. As Ms. Hendrickson explained, “We really wanted to communicate [that] not only is this a scientific instrument, but it’s a new kind of scientific instrument.” The Countess’s novel appearance also attracts attention, whether on the website or from end-users, who continue to comment on its appearance even after purchase, according to Ms. Hendrickson.

The Countess’s clean aesthetic also provides a visual cue that it requires no set up or maintenance. “We wanted it to be kind of what the iMAC was originally trying to do—the only set up is to plug it in. We didn’t want anything more than that. Plug it in and you’re ready to go,” said Ms. Hendrickson. The touch screen succinctly communicates the system’s options, providing a screen for cell viewing and control, a screen for additional information and a screen with a virtual keyboard. “The way the user interface had to be—you had to be able to learn it without a manual,” she added.

The Countess not only facilitates the end-user’s interaction with it, but his or her overall experience. “We wanted a completely different bench experience,” stated Ms. Hendrickson. As she explained, the system’s industrial design emphasizes how the Countess’s automation of cell counting eliminates the tedium associated with some laboratory work, making the end-user’s lab experience more enjoyable overall.

Consequently, the Countess’s design also reinforces one of the messages of the Invitrogen brand. “Part of the Invitrogen brand is being cutting edge, having the best things and having things that make science a lot easier,” said Ms. Henrickson. “We want to be an every day partner, whether they use instruments or other types of Invitrogen products,” added Wenlan Hu, Marketing Development manger for the Cells Systems Division, who noted the system’s accessibility communicates exactly that.

Bronze Award

Grace Davison Discovery Sciences’ Reveleris flash chromatograph system is the recipient of the 2009 Bronze Award for instrument design. The Reveleris updates flash chromatography instrumentation with a compact, ergonomic and flexible system. It measures 41.9 x 54.6 x 45.7 cm (16.5 x 21.5 x 18 in) and weighs 34 kg (75 lb). It took over 18 months to develop.

In fact, the Reveleris’s industrial design was conceived as one of the systems’ biggest selling points. The company learned from customer research that the market was sorely in need of a better-designed instrument. “With our continuing mission to better service the chromatography industry, customer feedback indicated a strong dissatisfaction with competing flash systems in areas including performance, aesthetics, ergonomics, maintenance and user friendliness,” stated Michael F. Early, director of Marketing at Grace Davison Discovery Services. The design team spent many hours in the field watching medicinal chemists at work, one time even observing a researcher standing on a stool in order to operate his system.

The Reveleris incorporates Grace Davison’s RevealX technology for sample analysis using two detectors. “Because of the significant performance advantages of evaporative light scattering (ELS) detection to flash purifications, it was a significant challenge to not only design a smaller footprint overall, but to incorporate the hardware for a second full detection method into that smaller space,” explained Mr. Early. “In addition, the challenge of adapting ELS technology to work without a nitrogen source, and ultimately achieve the overall reduced footprint goals and fume hood requirements. This involved significant challenges in fluidics, software and industrial design.”

The Reveleris’s distinctive design also improves functionality. The touch-screen monitor is mounted on an adjustable arm and can be moved to the side for easier access to the solvents, which can be stored on top of the system. The small size allows the system to be used in a fume hood.

For marketing and product awareness, the design differentiates the system. “I think as a result of Reveleris people will look at flash purification systems differently from this point on. Technology wise, it adds innovation, but in terms of performance and packaging, I think we’ve stretched the market space.” The design further also communicates the system’s uniqueness. “The enhanced performance and industrial design allows us to clearly articulate our value proposition from the marketing standpoint.”