Interview with Hsieh Jung-Ya

Hsieh Jung-Ya is the name of the design director of the company Duck Image Co. Ltd, which received the “red dot: best of the best” for its innovative design of the air-cushioned “AS-001” infant scale. For several years, the company has created internationally successful design solutions. In an interview with red dot, Hsieh Jung-Ya spoke about the ingenious implementation of a good idea.

What inspired you to create this special infant scale?
Hsieh Jung-Ya: The concept was born out of necessity. One of our clients reflected that once a visiting nurse asked if there was an infant scale that she could roll up and expand effortlessly to make her check-up trip more efficient. The demand has triggered our design process.

What advantages does it offer in comparison to conventional infant scales?
Hsieh Jung-Ya: Most infant scales in today’s market are based on a mechanical principle. Our design uses a totally different concept, which is based on air pressure. When laying a baby on the scale, the change in weight results in a change of inside air pressure. Carefully tuned sensors measure the variation and show the weight information on the display.

What is the design philosophy behind the products designed by you?
Hsieh Jung-Ya: There are several important factors to be taken into consideration when designing products for the medical sector: safety, hygiene and ergonomics in combination with intelligent technology are the basis of good design. With the “AS-001” infant scale, we managed to combine all these factors in an ingenious and highquality design.

What are in your opinion the characteristics of good design and what functions does design have to fulfil?
Hsieh Jung-Ya: Design has to fulfil people’s needs and offer simple but
functional solutions which have in this form not been available before.

The design director of the Taiwanese company Duck Image Co. Ltd, Hsieh Jung-Ya, is also responsible for the design of the “BS-002” mini scale, which received the “red dot: best of the best” in this year’s “red dot award: product design”. Hsieh Jung-Ya says about the products of the internationally successful company: “In combining unique techniques and innovative materials, the works create complexity out of simplicity, and have stretched from the fields of crafts and fashion to areas of technology.”

The “BS-002” mini infant scale consists of a large number of air bubbles. What advantages does this unconventional concept offer?

Hsieh Jung-Ya: The greatest advantage is portability. Imagine an infant scale that can be inflated, deflated, and rolled up. It has the same functions most scales offer but has an entirely different innovative concept as well as outside shape.

What is the mechanism used to measure weight with this scale?

Hsieh Jung-Ya: Inside every bubble there are carefully tuned pressure sensors. When fully inflated, the sensors detect the pressure and the scale is switched on. When a baby (or a weight) is put on the weighing surface, the pressure inside the bubble will change. The electronics simply calculate the deviation and show the weight on the display.

What aspects were particularly important when designing the scale?

Hsieh Jung-Ya: Thickness and user comfort.

How do you approach a new project and where do you take your inspiration from?

Hsieh Jung-Ya: I listen and observe. Inspirations also come from other specialized fields.

What role does design play in the field of “life science” in your opinion?

Hsieh Jung-Ya: In addition to ergonomic shape, a design should make a patient or user feel safe and respected. We expect that respect towards a patient or user will play a crucial role in the “life science” sector in future.