Shaping product experiences to create new value for users and businesses
Industrial design and product strategy focused on usability, performance and meaningful differentiation.
Jason Alvarez | Senior Industrial Designer | Portland, Oregon
Making the Abstract Real
I attempt to bring clarity to complex user and business problems by translating insights into tangible solutions. My work spans medical and consumer products, with a focus on usability, performance and meaningful differentiation.
I work with teams to:
Identify unmet user needs and opportunity spaces
Define product direction and experience strategy
Design solutions that balance usability, form and viability
Create desirable products through form, material and color
Projects
Much of my work involves confidential or commercially sensitive programs and cannot be publicly shared. Additional projects and process work are available upon request.
IMAGES USED WITH PERMISSION OF A-DEC, INC.
Dental Control System
A-dec's flagship delivery system needed to set a new market standard without a clear answer on which features would get it there. Early prototypes and practitioner testing helped resolve that, resulting in a reconfigured layout that improved ergonomics, reduced footprint and worked equally well for left- and right-handed users.
LED Dental Light
Switching from halogen to LED opened up packaging possibilities that hadn't existed before. The redesign used that freedom to simplify disinfection, improve maneuverability and bring a level of aesthetic simplicity rarely seen in the U.S. dental market. It earned a 2012 IDEA Silver Award and a 2013 Red Dot.
Practitioner Seating
Dental stools are used by multiple practitioners all day, often without adjustment. The goal was comfort that didn't depend on it: a dynamic seat surface that conforms to individual anatomy and posture automatically. The new seating line saw an 18% sales increase in its first few months after launch.
Touchpad UI
Replacing an established UI that practitioners had used for years, the new touchpad had to improve on the existing experience without upsetting familiar workflows. The solution implemented glass touch surface with multi-model hotkeys to expand functionality while preserving a simple aesthetic impression.
Beyond User Needs
Understanding user needs is critical to the creation of new product experiences. But it is not always the starting place for innovation. Successful new products are more often the result of incorporating a variety of product development perspectives. Opportunities for market leading solutions can be found by uncovering insights about the market, capitalizing on organizational capabilities in addition uncovering hidden user needs.
Visualize the Future
Users, segments, markets and organizational constraints create complexity that can overwhelm those in charge of product vision. Visualizing future solutions using mock-ups, prototypes and storyboards helps organizations make better decisions. Typically, there are only a few best answers to what’s next.
Align Around Opportunities
Gaining alignment around key opportunity spaces can help organizations frame the future without limiting concept exploration. Framing the most likely opportunities can help companies prioritize new development and streamline product lines.
Minimize Risk
Many types of product improvements can help a business compete. More satisfying user experiences, new technologies and seemingly insignificant features can create breakthrough success. Composing product experiences into real world artifacts helps organizations evaluate concepts more thoughtfully to help minimize risk.