About Empoise

Empoise is an industrial design studio started in 2010 by highly passionate industrial designers and engineers with extensive global experience in creating successful products and brands. We are committed to delivering irresistible design solutions.

At Empoise we help our clients make conscious decisions to realize innovation in their business. We love to work under constraints to deliver unique and effective solutions. We have worked with many Fortune 500 companies globally to create effective design solutions and convey their brands.

Our experience includes working for companies like Nokia, American Power Conversion (APC) by Schneider Electric, Cisco, ABB, Kyocera Wireless Corporation, Kone, Konecrane, Huawei, LG Electronics, Nokia Siemens Networks, Indian Railways, Skinit, Tata Teleservices, VIP Luggage, IFB, D-link and more.

Our thorough understanding of both the user and market enables us to identify opportunities for new products and services. We involve and engage our clients throughout the design process which results in well-rounded design solutions.

We offer a complete range of services, including design strategy and research, industrial design, user experience design, user interface design, branding, mechanical engineering, sourcing, tooling and prototyping liaison and support during production.

Our network of experts is spread across the globe and work with us on a consultation basis to achieve the best results. Our manufacturing and prototyping partners in China, Taiwan, Japan and the USA deliver cost-effective solutions to our clients based on their volume requirements. We are known for delivering well-resolved solutions to all of our clients within their constraints.

How We Engage

We develop each new project with an intuitive design process entirely customized for each client. Our results-oriented attitude, combined with an agile and dynamic team allows us the freedom to adapt to projects with an open mind.

We avoid imposing unnecessary steps in the design process. Our focus on product design and strategy is very clear and always uncompromised.

Our typical engagement models are :

• No Surprises: We often work on a fixed cost project basis or retainer basis, for fixed time and deliverable
• Risk and Reward: In special cases where we find ideas for new products interesting we work on royalty or equity basis
• Time Based: Occasionally we work on Daily or Hourly basis, to start a new relationship or troubleshoot a specific design issue

Most importantly, we are in continuous communication with our clients whether developing a new product or its change in direction or simply a transitory design issue.

Our Capabilities

Industrial Design

Empoise has worked on industrial design projects ranging from small handheld devices to transportation design. We have successfully translated strategy and consumer insights into compelling concepts. We challenge ourselves to deliver out the box design ideas to our clients.
We help our clients to make conscious decisions to select feasible ideas which are apt for the projected market space. All our concepts are validated at multiple stages which help our clients to understand the design direction at the early stages of the product development cycle.

Strategic Product Design

We think rapidly changing technology is giving us enormous potential to identify areas where it could address the needs of the user. We can facilitate our clients to find opportunities and introduce new products to create new niche markets. We also help in identifying the needs for improvement of the existing product. Our team has worked extensively for the US, European and Asian markets and has a fair understanding of the different cultures.

Brand Development

We help our clients to deploy their brands and products with pride. We ensure that their products reflect the same language as that of the vision of the company through form, color, material and finish. Empoise has experienced people who have developed and implemented design guidelines for a range of products under the same brand. We have also developed the design language for existing product lines for clients who are in the mode of expansion. We guide and train the internal teams to implement these guidelines in products, graphics, packaging and accessories.

Product Packaging and Graphics Design

We treat the graphics used for the products and packaging as an integral part of the product. That is the first impression the buyer gets from a product. At Empoise we feel it’s the first skin of any product as the user experiences the packaging and graphic of the product even before they touch the actual product. We make sure that the packaging and graphic designed for a product reflect and enhance the quality of the product.

Product User Experience

Creating a simple and straightforward interface is the crux of producing the best products. We decide on the exact sequence functions that a user has to traverse to complete the desired task by creating flowcharting and storyboarding. We also create different types of prototypes for various usability tests. We conduct the contextual inquiry that involves spending time with the users and watching how they live and work. The idea is to study and observe people in their own environment in order to better understand how the product can fit into their daily life.

Mechanical Engineering

Our engineering team has in-depth experience with different materials, modeling techniques and production methodologies. We are able to create virtual models quickly to check the feasibility of the products. These quick models can be used as proof of concept by building low-cost rapid prototypes. Empoise has a network of prototype makers, ODM and other design houses to support manufacturing and prototyping needs. Our mechanical engineers work closely with the manufacturers and industrial designers until production to see that the design intent is translated into the final product.

Prototyping

We have collaborated with prototype makers worldwide to deliver cost effective, timely and world-class prototypes. Empoise recommends going with appearance or visual mock-ups at the concept selection stage. They will be the true representation of the product in terms of form, color, material and finishes. These models can be used for marketing, user studies and for sales to demonstrate their product. We also help our clients to make working prototypes to validate the mechanical design and proof of concept of their hardware design. This will help to reduce changes that need to be done to an expensive tooling process at a later stage.

Production Support

Our industrial design team and mechanical team work in close collaboration through to the production stage to deliver high-quality products to the end user. The extensive experience that we carry in terms of color, material and finish allows us to choose appropriate finishes based on the need and application. We work closely with the manufacturers and help them to achieve the exact finishes as specified for each part. Our designer will be available at the production site to approve each component to ensure that it is free of manufacturing and cosmetic defects. We have the know-how of full production and batch production processes.