My name is Ivan Paramonov. I’m 37 years old. I'm an industrial designer, living and working in Ekaterinburg, Russia. I know what manufacturing is. I appreciate the opportunity to work in a great team on a project that makes the world a better place. I know how to solve problems and to be useful. And with the help of experience, intuition and knowledge I try to complete my tasks beautifully.
I help clients to create more valuable products
I participate in setting the meaningful tasks and requirements. I help them find optimal structure, layout scheme, product design and construction. I work through ergonomics, explore user behavior and experience. As a result, I can make the product more valuable to users.
Good product is the result of teamwork, which includes design, engineering, economics, psychology, and marketing. Therefore it is crucial to set up and maintain communication with people from the development team. If you only have an idea of the product and a budget, I will help you to assemble a team.
Communications
With the project manager
Project manager participates in the statement of the problem, the presentation of ideas and chooses the eventual solution. Options "Send it to my assistant, and he will show it to me", "I'm on a business trip, discuss it without me", "This is Tony, he’s like a brother to me" do not work, because:
1. What happens if someone makes a decision which the manager disagrees with? It is not clear who’s responsible for what in this case.
2. Employees may be afraid to make bold decisions, even apparently optimal. The project turns dull and compromised.
3. The exact meaning of communication can be lost in the assistant’s interpretation.
4. It is important to be able to answer questions directly, to clarify, to uncover an idea.
With the development team
It is good for a project when the work is done by weekly iterations with regular meetings (in person or via Skype). This practice works well because:
1. It allows you to keep the timing of the project under control and gives you flexibility in setting targets.
2. To solve small problems every week is a good motivation.
3. It allows you to receive frequent feedback from the stakeholders, and keeps the whole team aware of the current situation.
4. During regular meetings you can get expert help from other team members: engineers, constructors, subject-matter experts.
5. It gives team members an opportunity to speak directly to the project manager and to obtain solutions with which everyone agrees.
With the constructors, technologists and engineers
Strong project is a result of direct communication with the constructors and engineers. I understand technical requirements well, and what I do not know I can quickly learn. I can hold a conversation with engineers at the right level. Therefore, I am confident that the 3d model, which I give to engineers for finalization is practically feasible. For example, 3d models of body parts for Zircon 4 and Neon projects were made by me almost without the participation of engineers.
Coordination with engineering during design development is important because:
1. It allows the team to select the best production technology for the product (considering accessibility, feasibility, economics, established processes).
2. It gives you an opportunity to find and correct errors early.
3. It allows the team to find good solutions together, even if at first it seemed that there is no good solution.
My job is not done when the 3d models are handed to engineers. My participation continues until the pre-production samples of the product are implemented the way they were designed.
With the users of the product
The user and the situation of use is a source of important information, which a designer does not posses. The value of a product is not in a pretty picture, but rather in benefits it brings to people. Therefore, it is important to establish a dialogue with the users to get to know them and to understand how they think and make decisions.
Stages of the design process
1. Immersion
On the immersion stage we study the opportunities and limitations of the product. We work hard to understand your vision, product values and brand identity. At this stage we explore the space in which the product will live, because people and situations of use are the source of solutions and knowledge that the designer does not have. We observe users, ask them questions and try to understand how they think and make decisions. We investigate their explicit and implicit needs. We explore ergonomic and anthropometric restrictions. We study the economics of the product, competition, and positioning of your product in the market. We explore the production capabilities, we get acquainted with the development team and try to understand the decision-making processes of your company.
2. Search for ideas and solutions
We visualize a variety of ideas through sketches and quick mock-ups made of soft materials: paper, cardboard, clay, sheet plastic, textile. Sketches and mock-ups are needed to refine product requirements, to test the reaction of customers and to specify interaction scenarios. Then we select materials and technologies which have the potential for meeting our objectives. Together with the engineers we draw and analyze variants of the layout scheme of the product, based on the basic elements, materials and technologies. We analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the concepts and choose the option which best expresses the value of the product and is consistent with your brand.
3. Realisation
We transfer design from the sketches and layout drawings to 3D and work through the details. Together with the engineers, we develop and analyze the structure of the product with the help of computer-aided design systems. We coordinate our work with the manufacturers so that the product is technologically and economically feasible. We make realistic visualization, for you to see how the product will look like and to use the image for marketing and advertising. We create color texture maps. We make functional prototypes using 3D printing technology (SLS, MJM) at an early stage of implementation to test the design and assembling of body parts, to evaluate the ergonomics. If needed we can make full size models by casting in silicon, CNC milling, followed by painting and drawing of logos and labels so that the users and customers can evaluate the product in near-real conditions. This practice helps to correct errors before ordering expensive production tooling.
4. Support
We support the project until a commercially-available product is released to ensure that the result matches expectations. We check the quality of pre-production samples, evaluate colors, textures, labeling quality. We conduct product photo session for marketing and advertising materials. As a result, we create a product that has value for you and your customers.