TAIPEI, Taiwan — The iF DESIGN ASIA-conducted COMPUTEX d&i awards will be the highlight of the upcoming COMPUTEX TAIPEI, where awards will be given out to the most innovative designs from Taiwan. Before this big event, CTIMES interviewed Sean Lee, Managing Director of iF DESIGN ASIA, to introduce the d&i awards and give us a preview of the event.
Last time, Sean Lee gave us a clear picture of d&i awards, however, this time, he's going to share more about inside the d&i awards and the three d&i awards 2014 winners which impressed him the most.
While R&D, design, quality, marketing, and made in Taiwan are five key indicators for Taiwan Excellence Award winners, there are nine features for d&i award winners.
“As implied in the name, d&i awards encourage outstanding achievement in terms of design and innovation. The following criteria played a particularly important role in product evaluation: Degree of Innovation, Design Quality, Workmanship, Choice of Material, Environmental Compatibility, Functionality, Utility, Safety, Ergonomics, Universal Design and Brand Value or Branding.” stated Sean Lee.
When talking about the three “wow” d&i awards 2014 winners, Sean Lee said that there are fewer and fewer products that give us a “wow” in the ICT industry. Some unique works indeed impressed him, which are:
Firstly. The new HTC One (M8) is nice. Yet, the HTC Dot View case, designed to interact with the phone without flipping the cover open, is even more impressive. This protective cover is a very innovative approach, a clever but simple idea that is very functional also looks elegant.
Secondly. The cylinder cell phone car holder from Taer Innovation Corp. redefines the way that phone car holders fit in cars. It's not easy to create a universal system. The cylinder provides users the most intuitive, simplest usage. The mechanical complexity is well designed into a simple cylindrical form that stands out from the crowd.
Thirdly. The Level 10 M Hybrid Mouse of the Thermaltake Technology Corp.. was designed in collaboration with BMW DesignworksUSA. This functional gaming mouse stands out through good ergonomics, unique appearance and excellent quality. It's a hi-tech design with extra details well integrated and beautifully executed.
Last but not least, There are people who still don't know about d&i awards. Kenji, who is a Japanese ICT worker in Taiwan. He told CTIMES that he's not sure if there is other this kind of awards for IT products or not. For example, good design, ultra low power consumption, and green product, ect. Above elements would be the index for him to buy IT products. “I'm not sure d&i award is for how excellent products.” Kenji added.
In response to propaganda issue, Sean Lee suggested that the d&i award is only 7 years old this year. It always takes time and effort for a “brand” to become more visible. TAITRA, the organizer of d&i awards, and iF will keep making their efforts to offer more benefits to the winners, and to launch international press and PR measures to support the winners in their communications.
COMPUTEX TAIPEI will take place at the Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei International Convention Center, and Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1 and Hall 3 from June 3 to 7.
