Medical Device Design

WhiteBoard participates in the MD&M show

The WhiteBoard booth featured industrial designer Nicole Parks sketching concepts on the Wakum tablet.

WhiteBoard is a valuable resource for the scientists and engineers who develop new products at medical technology companies. The WhiteBoard team brings many years of experience in end-user research, form factor development, ergonomics, and user interface design in multiple product categories. Plus, our designers know how to make things look really cool. These skills nicely compliment the cutting edge technology that these companies develop into life saving products.

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Product Design Workshop

WhiteBoard inspires students to succeed one sketch at a time.

A team of industrial designers at WhiteBoard recently hosted 14 industrial design students from the University of Wisconsin-Stout for a 3-hour sketching workshop and tour of the WhiteBoard studios and model shop.

The focus of the workshop was to help students develop their skills in visual communication and form development. Matt Goulet led the hands-on workshop through a series of sketching exercises to help increase sketching speed and create brainstorming sketches that communicate clearly and efficiently.

Students had the chance to practice these sketching techniques while developing concepts for a headset and new forms for a medical product. After each exercise, the designers held a brief critique, sharing best practices and giving the students individual feedback.

As a result of the workshop, students gained a better understanding of some of the key skills needed to become successful product designers. They learned about WhiteBoard’s approach to brainstorming and how to generate ideas, quickly communicate them through sketches, and get them vertical for collaboration. These are skills that will help them become better designers wherever they go. 






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Soft Water...Refreshing Style

Asking the Right Questions Leads to Value-Added Solutions

A fundamental part of the WhiteBoard product development process is the “discovery & definition” phase. During this time, the WhiteBoard team partners with the client to identify and understand all the realities that need to be considered in order for the product to be successful (see "Form Follows Reality" below). When Ecowater, a leading OEM of water softeners, needed a new design for a key customer, the WhiteBoard team started by asking a lot of questions.

Ecowater’s priority was a design that would be stylish and modern in appearance. This was accomplished by looking for inspiration outside of the product’s otherwise utilitarian category. Additionally, through the discovery & definition process, the team saw further opportunities to make improvements to the function of the product.

First, the opening was lowered to make it easier to load the salt. Next, the brine tank was tapered so that the product could nest, saving storage space during shipping and storage. Finally, the design was streamlined to reduce the number of parts and simplify assembly.



The result is a modern looking water softener that is easier for the consumer to use and more efficient for Ecowater to manufacture, successfully sold through a leading national retailer. Consumer feedback has been very positive and the new design has resulted in a significant increase in sales.

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