Metabo MP3 Player features
Conclusion:
I believe the final design of the MP3 player meets the brief by sucessfully incorporating relevant aspects of the Metabo visual langauge into the MP3 players form, and by including the Metabo corporate values of quality, performance and reliability into the final design.
Metabo visual features, including 'indents', the repeating 3 pattern, wedge shape, and colour scheme (green as the main body colour, black for affordances and secondary interaction points, red for primary and critical interaction points) were all included in the design, identified from an analysis of current Metabo products.
Not all Metabo visual features were included however (for example the paralellogram motif). In some areas my design would have been more resolved if these were incorporated, specifically the speaker grill and the large flat area at the rear of the MP3 player. Both these areas would benefit from being 'broken up' with some visual interest added.
Metabo's corporate values also emphasis practicality, and their engineering and performance focus have precedence determining product design over comforming to a style guide. For example most products have an air grill consisting of 3 air intakes, but products that require more air flow have 5 air intakes. Smaller drills have green plastic bodies, whereas larger drills with more torque have cast aluminium bodies. In this light I would work further on the the handle design. I feel the transition from a round profile to a hexagonal profile does not fit the Metabo visual language nor is a practical solution.
I am happy with the assembly construction technique, of an injection moulded upper and lower half that clips together, and then is reinforced with side panels that screw in, and all technical package components mount directly onto this frame. there may be some room for a size reduction if the technical package is rearranged in the space provided, but overall I'm happy with the MP3 players size.
I particularly like the injection moulded rubber bumper, but I would have liked to have spent more time on fitting it to the injection moulded frame, especially using it to cover part lines and screw access points. I like my concept of a recessed flexible iPhone/ iPod connector dock, but more work would be required to test how it would actually work in practice in a workshop environment. It may require a protective cover, and then a solution to allow navigation via the touchscreen while in a protective cover.
Graphics were missing from my dial and button, also use with gloved hands in a workshop environment may require a rethink of button size and shape. Ideally I would like to redesign the control assembly altogether, incorporating more of the "Built for iPhone" features (such as controlling the iPhone functions via the dial) but that was not part of this brief.
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SolidWorks CAD model available here
