rks backgrounder

Copyright RKS Design 2007

25+ years legacy of world-class

Product design

Client range from start-ups to

The Fortune 15

RKS Design Mission

Statement:

To produce designs which

create deep, meaningful

connections with consumers

and market successes for our

clients.

COMPANY BACKGROUND

RAVI K. SAWHNEY, Ph. D.

Named as chairperson for the 2004 IDEA awards by IDSA/ BusinessWeek

-Founder and President of RKS Design, Inc.

-Involved in virtually every facet of design for 25+ years

-Professor of industrial design at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA) and

Cal -State University at Northridge

-Design award program juror for:

I.D. Magazine Design Review

IDSA/BusinessWeek IDEA awards

CES Innovations awards

California Design Bienniel (head juror)

-Innovator of the IDSA/BusinessWeek Catalyst award

-Featured lecturer and speaker

-Center for Business and Design advisory group member

-Named on over 100 domestic and worldwide patents

-Founding trustee – Pasadena Museum of California Art

-Recipient of an honorary Ph.D. from Academy of Art University for the development

and evolution of the Psycho-Aesthetics methodology and reinventing the electric

guitar

SELECTED CLIENT LIST

Allsteel Amana/MaytagApple Computer

AT&TBAE Systems Canon, Inc.

CanonDiscus Dental

FossilGensler

Gibson LabsHarman/JBL ProHewlett-Packard

IntelInterbath

LG ElectronicsMedTronic MiniMed

NissanNokia

PanavisionProcter and Gamble

SeikoWham-O

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

2007 Red Dot Award – Zyliss USA Measuring Cups2006 Bronze IDEA– RKS Design, Bumpbrella Concept2005 Good Design Award– RKS Guitars, "Pop" series2005 Silver IDEA– RKS Guitars, "Pop" series2005 Silver IDEA– RKS Guitars, Open Architecture Guitar2003 Gold IDEA– Neurosmith Musini2003 Silver IDEA– SRAM Smartbar2003 Bronze IDEA– Thane, Inc. Q Grill2003 Bronze IDEA– Meso Scale Discovery Sector HTS2003 Bronze IDEA– Discus Dental Zoom! Lamp

Hundreds of design and utility patents

What we do. How we do it.

PSYCHO-AESTHETICS 2.0Keys as Other s See Them

Is it like me?

Does it like me?

Can it make me more?

-Dr. Bob Deutsch DDB

Does it attract me ?

Does it engage me?

Does it affirm me?

-Ravi K. Sawhney

Who am I?

What am I?

What can I do for you?

-Procter & Gamble

PSYCHO-AESTHETICS 2.0The Hero s Journey

How does the mind react to new stimuli?

Is it like me ? Does it like me? Can it make me more?

-Dr. Bob Deutsch

Using those three litmus tests as a starting point, how do we as designers interpret the

responses and place them into the context of a branding “event” which ultimately turns the

consumer 9nto the “Hero”?

RKS design has worked extensively with Dr. Bob Deutsch, renowned cognitive anthropologist

and author of PRIMlysis: Discovering How People Bond with Products.

The result of this work, which includes consumer profiling and the mapping of the competitive

landscape, has come to be known as Psycho-Aesthetics, the proprietary RKS Design mantra,

which has now been in practice since 1992 and has been responsible for myriad market

successes for our clients.

PSYCHO-AESTHETICS 2.0Process

Psycho-Aesthetics is the underlying

foundation of the RKS Design

philosophy – the physical

expression of a products' intention

through its design. It is the allure of

what beckons the user to interact,

touch, enjoy, share, and feel like a

"hero."

RKS: THE PROCESS

The Psycho-Aesthetics

methodology is currently being

taught at the Harvard School of

Business as a regular

component of their curriculum.

The following slides

demonstrate application of the

Psycho-Aesthetics strategy,

innovation and design process

to product development at

RKS, and the results it

generates.

STRATEGY

The work generated for Averatec

included branding assessment in

conjunction with personas

development, after which,

benchmarking for different product lines

was conducted.

The Challenge

• Amana s Washer/Dryer line was achieving lackluster market acceptance and was losing market share although they had built a quality product.

• Through our Psycho-Aesthetic maps, we revealed that at all stages of the consumers interaction, Amana was by far the worst in it s class.

• RKS Design interviewed users and reviewed the environments in which these products resided. “Day in the life” scenarios were established to create storyboards for specific consumer segments.

• Key findings exposed that purchase decisions were primarily a female decision with a male validation of the mechanical fitness and durability within the traditional family setting.

STRATEGY

The Result• A raised consumer perception, and increase perceived value so high that we could raise the retail price point by 25% while increasing the cost of goods by only 30 cents!

Direct impact to Amana:• $20 million in now realized profits• Increased market penetration• New channels opened up• New points of sales• Increased brand presence and perception

STRATEGY

INNOVATION

Amana approached RKS Design to

help design its next generation of

refrigerators. The RKS team worked

with social scientists to conduct

extensive research over a three-year

period to determine the ways

individuals and families utilize their

appliances.

This research revealed that a large

portion of Amana s target audience

were young, trend-conscious

consumers buying their first major

appliance as well as families with

children.

INNOVATION

The RKS team proposed design innovations including an interactive user interface,

“FrontFill” water dispenser, easy change water filter, tilt-out door buckets, beverage

chiller, mini chiller, and optional Kid Zone.

Amana was rewarded for their commitment to design in the fourth quarter of 2000,

when the new side-by-side refrigerator was presented to buyers from

Sears/Kenmore. Following this meeting, Sears placed their largest order ever from

Amana for 40,000 units to be delivered in the first quarter of production. During the

course of the following year, Maytag purchased Amana appliances. Maytag has

subsequently experienced a 16% increase in consolidated sales.

INNOVATION

IR SECURITY CAMERA

The HHC100 is a hand-held Infrared security camera design for applications that cover a broad spectrum of end-users involved in security andgeneral surveillance such as: law enforcement, paramilitary, civil - search/rescue, industrial/commercial, public works departments and other smallbusinesses.

Additional features include external USB and power connectivity, commercial rechargeable battery(s) with charging capability while loaded in thecamera and, an optional "lock-in" pistol grip or plate for static mounting.

INNOVATION

OUTPATIENT III LAMP

The Outpatient III is the perfect solution for diagnostic and procedure lights.More physicians choose the Outpatient III than any other diagnostic light forfocusable flood-type light, maximum intensity and shadow-free operation.With minimal heat output and high color temperature, the Outpatient III is theperfect low-maintenance, top performing light for nearly every application inthe hospital, surgical suite or physician's office.

INNOVATION

How do you challenge an icon that has

remained virtually unchanged for the

better part of a century?

Innovation!

The advent of interchangeable

guitar bodies.

Placing the tone and volume controls

conveniently for easy access and quick

adjustment.

Shaping the guitar to conform to the

guitar player s body, in contrast to more

traditional flat guitars.

INNOVATION

RKS Guitars has enjoyed incredible press coverage, including the cover

of BusinessWeek s annual design issue in 2005, and multiple features in

news, music, and design publications.

INNOVATION

Thank you.

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