Design Firm Wins Gold Award

Originally Published MPMN September 2005

INDUSTRY NEWS

Design Firm Wins Gold Award

Susan Shepard

A strategy design firm won a gold award at the BusinessWeek Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) for its work on the Embrace heart stabilizer. "We’re thrilled to be recognized for our achievements in innovation and design, and for this product in particular, for our ability to capture the human sensibility of the products we help bring to market," says Bill Clem, founder of Strategix Vision (Bozeman, MT; www. strategixvision.com).

The Embrace heart stabilizer allows surgeons to conduct coronary bypass surgery without stopping the heart. This results in lower risk to the patient. Additionally, the unit is less invasive than traditional methods and reduces the clutter and crowding in the chest cavity during surgery.

To develop this and other advanced technology products, the firm uses a strategic, in-depth design approach. With the stabilizer, the team spends hours watching surgeons in action, interviewing doctors, and overseeing more than 25 operating room procedures.

The IDEAs are judged on the product’s innovation, aesthetics, end-user benefit, ecological responsibility, and ability to improve its client’s business. Of the 1380 entries submitted in 2005, only 148 products were awarded: 38 gold, 59 silver, and 51 bronze prizes.

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