Design Story: The Nexus 9 Tablet and Accessories

Based on materials from blog.htc.com

Once again, welcome to the design world. This time, we will talk about which design directions were involved in order for the Nexus 9 tablet and accessories to go their way from concept to implementation.

Left to right: Jin Nam, Michael Massaco and Jenny Lee

Left to right: Jin Nam, Michael Massaco and Jenny Lee

So first, let's look at what each of you played in the Nexus 9 project. How did you work together to create the final product?

Daniel Hundt: As creative director, I worked with the Google and HTC teams at the same time to create a seamless and beautiful look for the tablet that would be equally well associated with both companies.

Jin Nam: Michael and I were in the accessories business and wanted to make the case, keyboard, and tablet one piece. What was surprising, in my opinion, was Google's desire to work with us on a device and accessories. Therefore, accessories remained our common business.

Jenny Lee: I worked on CMF, which stands for Color-Material-Finishing, for both the device and the accessories. Google placed great emphasis on developing a new tablet for the premium segment Android of the market. It was definitely a collaboration from start to finish, a need to bring our vision together. For me, working with the Google design team was very exciting, they were so open to new ideas.

Jenny, can you tell us more about CMF, how does this differ from industrial design?

Jenny: In general, these are the constituent parts that determine how the product looks and feels in the end. Traditionally, CMF is not paramount, its time comes when the design has already been developed. But now it is being introduced more and more into industrial design. We aim to merge industrial design and CMF at an earlier stage, at the level of intent. Therefore, as designers, we are in the same team from the very beginning.

Color perception is superficial for most people, but you'd be surprised how the slightest change can affect how people react to the design and the product itself. Thus, the color scheme depends on the target audience. Of course, intuition plays an important role here.

Coming back to the topic of collaboration on this project, what were the key decisions considering that this is a Google Nexus device?

Daniel: Our goal was to create an item that would take the Android tablet market up to a premium level and keep you competitive, so we used an anodized aluminum frame to give the tablet a premium feel.

Michael Massaco: When it came to accessories, our goal was to design them to match the design of the tablet to reflect it, so that we created a coherent whole from the very beginning, and all the parts were closely related during the design process.

Jin: The peculiarity of the cover is that it allows absolute freedom. It cannot be misused due to the unique magnet configuration. We worked closely with the Google team on this.

Michael: Thanks to these magnets, we have a very simple, convenient connection between the device and the case or keyboard. Unlike other accessories, there are no plastic snaps, teeth, or other clumsy details that make the entire structure heavy. We focused on a slim profile for portability.

Nexus 9 Colors: Indigo Black, Moon White, Sand

Nexus 9 Colors: Indigo Black, Moon White, Sand

How many prototypes were created for the case?

Jin: I think more than a hundred.

Michael: We've had homemade mockups and I know of over 40 prototypes from a couple of different vendors. We took a number of real materials, 3D printed parts and attached with custom magnets to create our own models. We changed a few millimeters to figure out how to position the device at the right angle.

Jin: The product itself, you know, goes through several cycles of changing internal components, which change the center of gravity. This changes the angles of the cover, which affects how further experiments go.

And how long did the prototyping phase take?

Michael: One prototype takes a couple of hours and the longest wait for the parts to come out of the 3D printer.

Jin: We got two or three cycles a day.

When everything was ready, what was your pride in the final product?

Jenny: The way it all came together. It's great for me to see all three device colors in production. The shades have nuances that you won't see in other devices on the market. Our CMF strategy focuses on a more personal experience of the product for everyday life. As a result, we chose colors like sand, which is more difficult than the usual black and white.

Jin: The keyboard is what we worked on with the Google team. No compromises – this is a complete desktop keyboard. Its thickness is only 5 mm – so small that we decided to move the USB to the hinge area.

Daniel: I'm most proud of the design of the main camera, which was also a top priority for Google. It has a built-in metal rim which gives the camera a more expensive and reliable look. This is in the spirit of Google's efforts to integrate hardware and software.

Daniel Hundt, Associate Vice President of Industrial Design, at the door of Studio HTC in San Francisco

Daniel Hundt, Associate Vice President of Industrial Design, at the door of Studio HTC in San Francisco

Now tell us a little about yourself. How did you become a designer, where do you get inspiration?

Daniel: I wanted to become a designer since the age of seven, when I was still living in Germany. My family rented out a house to a graphic designer, and after school I took lessons from her. Then I studied industrial design in Darmstadt. I worked at Design Studio Audi and Ziba Design in Portland before joining the team HTC.

Michael: I had it later. I started studying design at the University of San Jose at the age of 24. Before that, I was just having fun. I've always enjoyed doing things and watching them work.

Jin: I became a designer too late, industrial design didn't interest me until college, but when I found out about it, it was love at first sight. I liked the idea of ​​creating things for the market. That's cool! How many faces industrial facilities have! I feel that my creations really influence people's lives and maybe a little in the future.

Jenny: Usually people come to CMF from different design areas. I studied graphic design. At my last job, I realized that it is more interesting for me to work in 3D than on a plane. But first, I literally stumbled upon CMF. When I first found out about him, it really inspired me, I didn't even know what it was. Now more is known about CMF, and many people are doing it right after school.

What do you guys do in your free time?

Michael: Gene and I have a lot of hobbies in common, we both work with cars and motorcycles. In my free time, I travel a lot around the country. Well, either I work at home or fiddle with my daughter.

Daniel: And I'm definitely a foodie and love hanging out with friends, and San Francisco is great for both. I also surf whenever possible. There's a cool place an hour and a half north of here, Bolinas. Great for a weekend getaway.

Jenny: And I love spending time outside the house, traveling. I travel a lot for work and try to travel when I'm in Asia. I also love to cook, I try to repeat what I eat in restaurants. Nothing out of the ordinary, just what seems easy to prepare and decorate.

Thanks for taking the time to sit and talk about the Nexus 9. It's always a pleasure to be in the office HTC in San Francisco. We look forward to hearing from your team.

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