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Read about the latest news and updates from the experts at Delve
Ai medical device webinar news 2
May 9, 2023
Delve Webinar: AI & Medical Device Development | May 23, 2023
Join us for an insightful discussion about the ways AI will impact the medical device industry! From automating routine tasks to predicting device failures, we'll explore how companies are using AI today (and how they have been for years), where we can expect to see AI go next, and how to ensure we're implementing AI responsibly. The webinar will begin at 2:00 pm CST on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Register now. Presenters: Ken Soliva, Senior Director of Interaction Design, Delve Rahul Kamath, Senior Design Researcher, Delve Tom Yen, Senior R&D Manager of User Experience Design, BD Moderator: Andrew Averill, Director of Marketing Communications, Delve Don't miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and explore the possibilities of AI in the medical device space! Reserve your spot.
Philly tech week
May 5, 2023
Delve to Present at Philly Tech Week/Innovation Day
This year, Innovation Day in Philadelphia is aligned with Philly Tech Week and will showcase Real World Applications of AI. The event is designed to be an immersive and interactive experience that will explore the power of ChatGPT and other cutting-edge AI tools to revolutionize the way we work. Delve's presentation at the event will start at 9:35 am ET on May 8, 2003, and will focus on AI Tools for Product Design and Development. Presenting for Delve will be Tom Murray, Senior Industrial Designer, Aaron Pavkov, Senior Director of Mechanical Engineering, and Daniel Brotman, Senior Embedded Software Engineer. For event details or to register, visit the event page.
DMI DLC news item 01
September 26, 2022
Mathieu Turpault to Speak at DMI: Design Leadership
DELVE Leader Mathieu Turpault Speaking at DMI Conference Vice President of Design Mathieu Turpault will be sharing the strategic product planning fundamentals all successful brands seem to share as part of his talk, "Recalibrate: How to Get Strategic Product Planning Right," at DMI's Design Leadership Conference in Boston on Sep. 27. From connected home appliances to groundbreaking medical devices, Mathieu has counseled many brands on visionary strategic product planning. He'll also suggest a system for identifying the gaps in your brand's strategy and will offer actionable steps to help progress from being a brand that reacts to one that anticipates or leads. “I am really excited to share our product strategy experience and approach with the DMI audience," Mathieu said. “Every time I am either speaking or participating at these events, I always come away with ideas I can share with my team so we can serve our clients better."
News gener8tor stefanie norvaisas
March 18, 2022
Stefanie Norvaisas to speak at innovation summit
Delve Vice President of Strategy Stefanie Norvaisas will share expert advice about innovation, why it fails, and how to move through failure at the Gener8tor Corporate Venture and Innovation Summit on March 24. The presentation, “Innovation Decision Making and Failure Modes,” is rooted in Stefanie’s two decades of experience developing research and design strategies that inform new brand, retail, and product strategies for clients in the US and worldwide. "Innovating is hard, but we make it harder than it needs to be," Stefanie said. "It's impossible to prevent failure—it's part of the process. It is possible to move through failure toward success if you know how to spot failure when it's happening." Attendees will learn to identity and move through five failure modes from impacting their project: People problems. When people are not set up to empower, include, and execute.Unsystematic thinking. When we think in touchpoints and department silos, but miss the holistic ecosystem.Theatrics over impact. When we focus more on visuals, words, and the perceptions of innovation than the impact and execution.Frozen in time. When we get stuck in the present and distracted by the past and the future.In-decisions. When we don’t know how to make and stick with good decisions. For more on how to prevent failure in innovation—and when to encourage it!—read: Healthcare service design: Five failure modes to avoid by VP of Insights and Strategy Amy LeeThe Power of Failure by VP of Engineering Kent KallsenEveryone Fails by co-Chief Operating Officer Dave Franchino If you want to tap into the same innovation practices used by the world’s most forward-thinking companies, Delve offers innovation workshops in-person or virtual. Read more about our innovation workshops on Delve.com.
Delve CEO announcement square
March 14, 2022
Delve + Bresslergroup names new CEO
Delve + Bresslergroup today announced the appointment of George Demou as the combined company's Chief Executive Officer. Full-service innovation consulting firms Delve and Bresslergroup merged in May 2021 to form a new combined company within the Trinity Hunt Partners portfolio. The move expanded the firms’ collective capabilities to deliver increasingly innovative solutions for clients and to create a magnetic culture for staff to explore and grow as professionals. "We wanted a leader with deep experience in people-based, consultative experiences. Beyond that, we wanted someone outside our core physical product 'centroid,'" said Dave Franchino, co-COO of the combined company. "George's human-centered design experience is rooted in the digital side of innovation—a valuable perspective for us. Beyond his passion for innovation, George brings the demonstrated ability to grow companies in a way that preserves, protects, and celebrates culture and people along the way."Demou is a proven leader in building strategy, driving growth, advancing technology, and integrating culture. He most recently served as CEO of Avtex, a national company with a client-focused model, that ultimately employed 600+ in an entrepreneurial culture. He led Avtex's growth from $23 million to nearly $200 million in revenue, overseeing brisk growth while integrating four companies.“I wasn’t looking for a change, but when I was approached about this opportunity, I couldn’t stop thinking about how fascinating the work is that Delve does,” Demou said. “Physical products are converging with digital experiences, and Delve is positioned brilliantly to innovate during this convergence and give our clients a competitive edge as a result.” “Recent news about home gym equipment and fitness wearables makers shows how damaging poor product innovation, design and testing can be to a brand,” he said. “The goal of this company is to not just give clients speed to market with cutting-edge innovation and creativity, but to build brand affinity as a result.” Demou will work with team members to develop a brand, vision and complete strategic plan that enlightens, positions, and executes the extraordinary value the company brings to its clients. Andrew Weiman and Dave Franchino will remain co-COOs of the combined company. Together with Demou and Michael Madden, CFO, they will lead an executive team consisting of Amy Lee, VP of Insights & Strategy; Mathieu Turpault, VP of Design; Kent Kallsen, VP of Engineering; Ami Verhalen, VP of People; and Rainer Schnabel, VP of Sales.
WIDDD2022 Emcee Miranda Degg S
February 22, 2022
Delve's Miranda Degg to co-host 2022 Women in Design Deep Dive
Delve industrial designer Miranda Degg will co-host the Industrial Designers Society of America Women in Design Deep Dive from March 31–April 1. The Women in Design Deep Dive showcases the very best female-identified and non-binary designers in the industrial design industry. This year's event, virtual and in-person in Columbus, Ohio, will celebrate inspiring leaders who have forged their own paths in a male-dominated industry. "I am so excited to co-host the Women in Design Deep Dive and give a platform to these talented, intelligent, and successful women," Degg said. "Everybody who is in industrial design or who works with designers will find something to be inspired by." Degg has been an industrial designer at Delve since 2019. Her project experience spans from exhibitions to apparel to medical design. Her goal as a designer and design advocate is to challenge what design means to companies and to people. She is an advocate for life-centered design, pushing beyond the human element to consider all impacts a product has on people, society, and the planet. Degg is an active contributor to the greater design industry. She collaborates with Women in Design Chicago and Advanced Design, and has hosted events for industry groups like IDSA in the past. Degg is co-hosting this year's Women in Design Deep Dive with Caterina Rizzoni of Kaleidoscope Innovation. To learn more about the Women in Design Deep Dive and to register, visit IDSA.org.
ISO 13485 2016
October 15, 2021
Delve receives ISO 13485 certification
We are now an ISO 13485:2016-certified organization. This key medical device development certification means our quality management system—which oversees its facilities, staff, and processes—complies with FDA guidelines. We meet all the requirements for designing medical devices for our industry-leading clients. The certification is a testament to the quality procedures we’ve put in place for our clients, who trust our multidisciplinary strategy, design, and engineering teams with some of the most innovative and complex medical device design projects in healthcare. While we’re insanely proud of our team, we’re even more excited for what the certification means for our clients going forward. The certification will enable clients to: streamline their supplier certification process, laying the groundwork for a successful FDA submission;utilize our design control process while theirs is still under development. We have been and continue to be committed to working in accordance with FDA regulatory requirements, and now with ISO 13485:2016, as well. Our focus on quality over the years has resulted in high client-satisfaction ratings, as well as significant innovations in strategy, design, and engineering that have revolutionized businesses and enriched lives.
IDEA 2021 Gold web
September 21, 2021
Badger Shield Open-Source PPE Wins IDSA IDEA Gold
The Industrial Designers Society of America gave a 2021 IDEA Award Gold for Social Impact Design to Badger Shield, an open-source PPE project started during the pandemic by Delve, the University of Wisconsin, and Midwest Prototyping. The Social Impact Design category recognizes products or services designed for the majority, public spaces, government, the environment, or humanitarian and non-governmental organizations. The Badger Shield project grew out of a user need for personal protection equipment. In March 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic straining hospital capacity and shutting down global supply chains, healthcare facilities faced a desperate shortage of PPE. Delve and our partners designed the Badger Shield platform to enable rapid distribution to smaller medical facilities and essential workers. The design was shared freely online, and an online portal was created to help match organizations who needed face shields with manufacturers able to assemble and distribute them. Healthcare systems requested 5.5 million units within weeks of launch. More than 400 manufacturers, including giants like Apple and Ford Motor Company, combined forces for an output of 2 million face shields per day. Not only did the Badger Shield platform get face shields to those who sorely needed them, it also provided local and regional manufacturers with a reason to keep their plants running and their staffs employed during a time when other producers were shutting down. "Delve and the Badger Shield team is grateful and honored by the recognition," said Jesse Darley, principal and director of mechanical engineering at Delve. "It has been incredible to watch this project transform from a local grassroots effort of three core contributors into a global network of 400 manufacturers and makers. Without their help, Badger Shield would not have had such a positive impact on so many.” This is Delve’s sixth IDEA Award and its second Gold.
Wisconsin innovation awards delve badger shield
July 29, 2021
Delve PPE Project a Finalist for Wisconsin Innovation Award
Badger Shield, an open source PPE project started by the UW Makerspace, Midwest Prototyping, and Delve, was one of 29 companies and nonprofit organizations selected as finalists for the 2021 Wisconsin Innovation Award. "The Badger Shield team is honored to receive this recognition," said Jesse Darley, principal and director of mechanical engineering at Delve. "Together with partners across the state and country, we were able to rapidly produce and distribute millions of face shields to essential workers and provide small and regional manufacturers with a reason to keep their plants running and their staffs employed during the height of the pandemic, when resources were scarce and businesses were shutting down." A total of 331 businesses, products, and services were nominated for the award, representing startups, companies, and established businesses of all sizes and industries spanning the state of Wisconsin. Winners will be announced at the annual awards ceremony on October 5, 2021. The full list of 2021 Wisconsin Innovation Awards Finalists includes: AyrFlo, Inc. Badger Shield Black Oxygen (in partnership with Madison365) Blexx Technology Curate Curbside Bicycles LLC DataChat Drexel Building Supply EnsoData Field to Freezer, LLC Fox World Travel Impact Sports, LLC Mercury Marine Nelson and Pade, Inc. Novir Octane Coffee Our MAP, LLC Rapid Radicals Technology, LLC RoddyMedical Inc. Ruby Coffee Roasters Safepro Technologies SMARTcare Software, Inc. StableBody Technologies LLC Steady Shot LLC Understory Vivid Microscopy LLC Voximetry Incorporated Washbnb Wisconsin Telelift Inc. About the Wisconsin Innovation Awards The Wisconsin Innovation Awards (WIA) connects and showcases innovators throughout the state of Wisconsin, across industries and organizations of all shapes and sizes. By producing and providing educational media content, organizing a statewide network of experts willing to mentor and support each other, and hosting events that highlight groundbreaking work, WIA is building a lasting legacy of instruction inspired by Wisconsin’s thinkers, makers, creators, and designers. WIA fosters innovation in this state and helps shine a light on companies throughout Wisconsin that have transformational ideas.
America by design logo web
July 12, 2021
Delve’s Design Work to get National TV Spotlight July 17
Delve’s design work on the TIKI Brand Fire Pit and Wood Pack will be featured on America by Design, a nationally televised show about innovation, ingenuity, and design excellence, on July 17. The TIKI Brand Fire Pit and Wood Pack, the recipient of a 2021 Edison Best New Product Award, reinvents the wood fire pit experience. It combines low-smoke, instant-light wood packs with a fire pit designed with an internal airflow system and removable ash tray for hassle-free fires. The product is the result of months of collaborative work between Delve and Lamplight Farms Inc., the owners of TIKI Brand. To design a better fire pit experience, we set up a campground in our Madison office. We brainstormed the entire customer journey, from purchasing the fire pit through setting it up, lighting the fire, and storing it away. The final product is assembled fast—only three screws. It uses easy-light wood pellet packs, while also allowing for wood logs. Its modern design was inspired by outdoor furniture trends and it is cooler to the touch because of its shape and materials. All flame, no fuss. To find what time Delve’s America by Design segment will air in your part of the country, visit their website. It will also be streamed on America by Design’s YouTube channel. Read more about our work on the TIKI Fire Pit and Wood Pack. America by Design previously featured another one of Delve’s design projects, the Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor. Watch the segment on YouTube. The G6 was awarded an International Design Excellence Award in 2019. Read more about our work on the G6.
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May 18, 2021
Delve, Bresslergroup to Merge
Leading Innovation Consulting Firms Join Forces to Accelerate Growth through World-Class Talent, Capabilities, and Scale, Fueled by an Investment from Trinity Hunt Partners Delve and Bresslergroup today announced plans to merge their highly complementary innovation consulting firms to form a new partner company within the Trinity Hunt Partners portfolio. The move expands the firms’ collective capabilities to deliver increasingly innovative solutions for clients and to create a world-class place for staff to explore and grow as professionals. As full-service innovation consulting firms, Bresslergroup and Delve are experts in new product definition, design and development, from initial strategy through the transition to implementation. Both companies partner with start-ups to Fortune 500 clients in the healthcare, consumer, commercial, and transportation industries to deliver innovation through research, strategy, design, and engineering services. The merger is expected to accelerate the companies’ ongoing expansion of capabilities, keeping the firms on the leading edge of innovation consulting to support forward-thinking clients and their end users. “Bresslergroup and Delve bring similar backgrounds, philosophies, and approaches to the way we run our businesses currently,” said Bresslergroup Managing Partner Andrew Weiman. “We both have roots in design, engineering, and development, and have similarly transformed over time to meet the evolving needs of our clients, including digital experience and software design and development. Our common ground and shared growth objective positions us well as we further expand our capabilities to benefit our clients. A merger of this scope is an exciting opportunity to further establish both Bresslergroup and Delve as forerunners in our field.” Delve President Dave Franchino said, “Delve and Bresslergroup have established longstanding client relationships based on trust and service excellence. Our clients will continue to work with the same creative and talented designers, strategists, and engineers as in the past.” “Merging our highly compatible teams doubles our capacity and resources and increases the breadth and depth of our capabilities across all areas of specialization,” Franchino said. “We’ll be able to take on projects of increasing complexity, scale, and scope with uncompromising focus, attention to detail, creativity, and innovation.” Weiman and Franchino have been appointed to the combined company’s board of directors and will continue as shareholders of the new company. Bresslergroup Managing Partners Mathieu Turpault and Mike Flanagan, as well as Delve shareholders Craig Conner, Jesse Darley, Justen England, Kent Kallsen, Stefanie Norvaisas, Rainer Schnabel and Ami Verhalen continue to lead their respective businesses and will continue as shareholders in the combined company as well. About Delve Delve is a full-service design and innovation firm that believes a better world is possible through human-centered design. We provide strategy, design, and engineering to clients from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, in industries that include medical devices, consumer and commercial products, transportation, and more. Our collective expertise helps clients succeed by designing the future, one experience at a time. For more information, visit www.delve.com. About Bresslergroup Bresslergroup is an insight-driven innovation lab. Our strategists, researchers, designers, and engineers are trusted by forward-thinking leaders to solve inspiring design challenges in a constantly evolving product landscape. We drive innovation that fuels growth in categories ranging from consumer products to medical devices. Based in the heart of downtown Philly, we partner with U.S. and international clients who range from startups to global brands. For more information, visit www.bresslergroup.com. About Trinity Hunt Partners Trinity Hunt Partners (“THP”) is a growth-oriented private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas focused on partnering with people-based, culture-oriented business/healthcare services companies to build them into industry leaders.  Over the past decade, THP has invested in dozens of founder-owned or owner-operated businesses, with a focus towards companies and management teams that promote trust, transparency, and a servant leadership mentality in their businesses. THP was recognized in Inc.’s 2020 Private Equity 50 List as one of the most founder-friendly private equity firms in the US. For more information, visit www.trinityhunt.com. Media Contacts: For Bresslergroup, Caroline Tiger, ctiger@bresslergroup.com For Delve, Andrew Averill, andrew.averill@delve.com
MDEA Award Logo bgc3
May 14, 2021
REAL Immersive System Wins Medical Design Excellence Gold
Delve and Penumbra received the Medical Design Excellence Gold Award for work on the REAL Immersive System, a virtual rehabilitation tool designed for people recovering from strokes. (Read our case study about the REAL Immersive System.) This is the fourth major design award for the REAL Immersive System, which also received recognition by IDEA, Core 77, and the San Francisco Design Week Awards. MDEA is the premier awards program for the medtech industry. Since its inception in 1998, the mission of the MDEAs has been to recognize significant achievements in medical product design and engineering that improve the quality of healthcare delivery and accessibility. Read more from MDEA.
15-Leadership Bio-Kopenski Marlisa-667x667
May 4, 2021
Delve Director Named to Design and Innovation Master's Program Advisory Board
Delve Director of Business Design Marlisa Kopenski was named to the Industry Advisory Board for the University of Wisconsin's Master of Science in Design + Innovation program. The interdisciplinary degree program seeks to provide students with a grounding in human-centered design and a holistic understanding of principles in business, engineering, human ecology, information, and visual art. It is a collaboration between the College of Engineering, School of Human Ecology, School of Business, the Art Department within the School of Education, and the Information School in the College of Letters and Science. Kopenski joins six others on the board, including John Zeratsky, Google Ventures; Lesley-Ann Noel, Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking at Tulane University; and Eilmus Niels, Kohler. She and the other advisors will guide the program's direction, helping to secure its relevance in the marketplace while continuing to provide high-quality educational experiences. "I am over the moon to be able to help innovation leaders launch this program at the University of Wisconsin, guide its broader agenda, and provide global context," Kopenski said. "I am passionate about the design of business and the business of design, excited to learn my colleagues on the board, and eager to roll up my sleeves to contribute what I can." Kopenski has worked in a variety of strategy roles for companies including Kraft Foods and E&J Gallo Winery. Prior to earning her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, she worked in marketing for Gourmet and Fast Company magazines and as a publicist for Viking Penguin Books. At Delve, she and her team help clients ground their innovation projects with sound business strategies.
MDEA Award Logo
April 29, 2021
Delve named Medical Design Excellence Award finalist
Delve and Penumbra were recognized as a Medical Design Excellence Award finalist for our work on the REAL Immersive System, a virtual rehabilitation tool designed for people recovering from strokes. This is the fourth major design award for the REAL Immersive System, which also received recognition by IDEA, Core 77, and the San Francisco Design Week Awards. The MDEA Award winners will be announced at a May 3 event. Delve's Matt Bettman, Senior Industrial Designer and San Francisco Studio Lead, will speak at the event about how to design an elegantly simple medical tech product. MDEA is the premier awards program for the medtech industry. Since its inception in 1998, the mission of the MDEAs has been to recognize significant achievements in medical product design and engineering that improve the quality of healthcare delivery and accessibility.
16 Staff Bio Mason Katie
December 11, 2020
Expanding our safety and quality services
For the past two years, Delve has been working assiduously to put Quality Management Systems (QMS) processes in place that will ultimately lead to our ISO 13485 certification. We’re are excited to take the next big step in that journey with the addition of Katie Mason as a Senior Quality Engineer. Katie has spent more than 13 years working at Intertek Testing Services in various safety and quality engineering roles. Her experience includes International Compliance with a focus on Medical Devices (60601) and Laboratory Equipment (61010) including Risk Management (ISO 14971), Usability (62366), Software (62304), and QMS used for FDA, and EU MDD/MDR, and GMP. Katie also has over 10 years of experience managing the Quality System of an ISO 17025, OSHA NRTL, and CB Scheme accredited safety testing laboratory and as Lead Auditor of other such laboratories. She has found that Compliance, Quality requirements, and Risk should be considered (when possible) at the earliest conception during product design to ensure a seamless transition to market. “Katie is client-focused and has exceptional knowledge of conformity assessment, quality assurance, and project management,” said Kent Kallsen, Vice President of Engineering and Principal, who leads Delve’s ISO certification process. “The addition of her skills and experience will help our teams provide the highest level of service to our medical device clients.” Katie has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering from Ohio State University. Learn more about Katie.
16 Staff Bio Schepp Jacob
October 26, 2020
Schepp achieves CID+ certification
Jacob Schepp, Senior Engineering Technician and IPC Designer at Delve’s Madison office, recently achieved Certified Interconnect Designer – Advanced (CID+) status from the IPC Designer Certification Program. CID is the industry’s premier professional development program, focused on printed circuit board (PCB) design philosophy and requirements. To achieve certification, applicants must complete several weeks of independent study, two full days of instruction by an IPC-certified instructor, and pass a day-long, 120-question exam. Learn more about Delve’s electrical engineering services.
IDEA 2020 Gold 01
September 25, 2020
REAL wins Gold IDEA recognition
Delve and Penumbra were recognized with an IDEA Gold award for our work on the REAL Immersive System, a virtual reality rehabilitation tool designed for people recovering from strokes. This is third major design award for the REAL System, which was also recognized with top honors by Core 77 and the San Francisco Design Week Awards. Delve was also recognized as an IDEA finalist for its work on The Ascender travel guitar.Winners were recognized during a virtual award ceremony on September 16, 2020.2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), one of the longest running and most prestigious design awards programs in existence. Originally founded to recognize exceptional achievement in industrial design, the program has since grown to highlight design in many connected disciplines including design strategy, branding, digital interaction and so much more. Each year, thousands of entries are submitted by design teams across the globe, making IDEA one of the largest and most widely anticipated annual awards programs in the world. The Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) is the sponsor of IDEA.
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September 25, 2020
Norvaisas & Verhalen to speak at IDSA Deep Dive
Ami Verhalen, Vice President of Design, and Stefanie Norvaisas, Vice President of Insights and Strategy will be presenting a workshop called "Decision Making and Bias: Your Role in the Design Process and How to Manage It" during the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) Women in Design Deep Dive. The virtual event will be held October 6-7. Here's a description of their workshop: "Decision making can be treacherous, particularly in design where selecting options can feel subjective, emotional, and risky. As women design leaders, we’ve been in the places where decisions are being made for over 20 years. We’ve realized that as tough as it was to get a seat at the table that’s not enough—as leaders we need to shepherd our teams to decisions they can feel good about. Born out of our experiences and frustration with the lack of process around decision making, we studied its mechanisms and learned how physical, cognitive, social, and cultural biases affect it. We developed a process that helped us find our voice and enable decisions that stick. In this presentation, we will share lessons we’ve learned as well as tools and methods that will help you effectively design the decision-making process. You will receive a copy of our workbook, “Designing Good Decisions,” to help you take the lessons from our presentation and apply them on the job." IDSA is committed to making this event affordable and accessible to everyone. The event has a "choose your rate" ticket that ranges from $25 to $100, so make sure to reserve your spot.
Winner
June 19, 2020
Delve wins awards for REAL System and Ascender
Delve was honored by Core77 and San Francisco Design Week for our work with Penumbra, Inc., on the REAL Immersive System. The groundbreaking system uses immersive virtual reality technology to help survivors of stroke with physical rehabilitation. This is the second year in a row that Delve has won the Health & Wellness category of the Core77 Design Awards. In 2019, we were recognized for our work on the Dexcom G6. Delve also received a Notable designation and a Community Choice Award in the Tools & Work category of the Core77 Design Awards for our work on The Ascender by Ciari Guitars. It is the first professional-grade guitar that can fold in half with minimal re-tuning for easy air travel. “We’re honored to recognized for our work with two very different companies on two very different projects,” said Dave Franchino, President & Principal of Delve. “The REAL system continues our wonderful relationship with Penumbra on a truly groundbreaking virtual reality system for clinical rehabilitation for stroke survivors. And it has been a joy to work on a super-cool travel guitar with the startup, Ciari Guitars. We really believe that working across a wide variety of industries makes our design work and our multidisciplinary team even stronger.” The Core77 Design Awards recognize excellence in all areas of design with 18 categories that range from client work to self-initiated projects and entrepreneurial endeavors, as well as commercial, cultural, social, environmental, and discursive projects. View all the winners. The San Francisco Design Week (SFDW) Awards is an international design competition seeking to encourage thought leadership by supporting designers whose works can contribute towards a positive future for society. It celebrates and recognizes exemplary work in all fields of design, including architecture, interior design, industrial design, communication design, and user experience design. View all the winners.
Face Shield on Jesse
April 14, 2020
Badger Shield featured in Wired magazine
Jesse Darley, Director of Mechanical Engineering, and his collaborators for an open-source face shield and pop-up manufacturing effort dubbed Badger Shield, were the subject of an article in Wired magazine.Read the article here.
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February 17, 2020
Verhalen, Norvaisas to present at Women in Design
Delve's vice presidents of strategy and design will be speaking at IDSA's upcoming Women in Design Deep Dive in Columbus, OH, which will be held October 6-7, 2020 (postponed from its original April date because of coronavirus)..Ami Verhalen, Vice President of Design, and Stefanie Norvaisas, Vice President of Strategy, will present "Decision Making & Bias: Your Role in the Design Process and How to Manage It." They will be sharing their experiences as women leaders, and the processes and tools they've developed to help teams make design decisions that stick. Delve is proud to be a sponsor of this event. To learn more and register, visit IDSA's event page.
IB Davearticle
February 5, 2020
Dave Franchino named Executive of the Year
Madison's In Business magazine recently recognized Delve's president, Dave Franchino, as its Executive of the Year at a ceremony held at the Overture Center on January 29, 2020. Read the interview with Dave. See the gallery from the event.
Dexcom in use cropped touch up
December 20, 2019
Dexcom G6 receives Good Design Award
The Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitoring system was recently named a winner in the international Good Design Awards in the Medical category. In 2019, our work with Dexcom on the G6 also won the Health & Wellness category of the Core 77 Design Awards, a Silver IDEA from the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), and a Silver Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA). "The opportunity to collaborate with Dexcom on the G6 has been a true privilege," said Dave Franchino, President of Design Concepts. "Dexcom’s system is a remarkable resource for helping individuals with diabetes manage their health, and the opportunity to make the G6 more accessible, reliable, usable, and approachable was a great challenge for our team. It has been a great partnership. Seeing this design get some well-deserved recognition has been a proud moment for our company and the talented and dedicated designers we are fortunate enough to have working with us. I could not be more proud."This is the 69th year for the Good Design Awards, one of the oldest and most prestigious global awards for design excellence and innovation. Read our case study about the development of the Dexcom G6.
Core77
June 17, 2019
Dexcom G6 honored with three design awards
The Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitoring system was recognized with two design awards during ceremonies in New York City. It received a silver Medical Design Excellence Award in the Testing and Diagnostics category and was named the Winner of the Health & Wellness category of the Core 77 Design Awards. "The opportunity to collaborate with Dexcom on the G6 has been a true privilege," said Dave Franchino, President of Design Concepts. "Dexcom’s system is a remarkable resource for helping individuals with diabetes manage their health, and the opportunity to make the G6 more accessible, reliable, usable, and approachable was a great challenge for our team. It has been a great partnership. Seeing this design get some well-deserved recognition has been a proud moment for our company and the talented and dedicated designers we are fortunate enough to have working with us. I could not be more proud." MDEA is the premier awards program for the medtech industry. Since its inception in 1998, the mission of the MDEAs has been to recognize significant achievements in medical product design and engineering that improve the quality of healthcare delivery and accessibility. The Core77 Design Awards recognizes excellence in all areas of design with 19 categories that range from client work to self-initiatedprojects and entrepreneurial endeavors, as well as commercial, cultural, social, environmental and discursive projects. The jury members were Linda Jiang, Lead Industrial Designer, Google; Kelly Custer, Founder + Creative Director, Knack; Mike Simmons, Director of Product Design, Playground Global: and Bernie Wildner, Director of Design, Amazon. For more information, visit the Dexcom G6 award page and read the case study.In addition, the G6 received a 2019 Silver IDEA award in August in the Medical & Health category.
15-Leadership Bio-Norvaisas Stefanie-667x667 @2x
May 30, 2019
Norvaisas talks design thinking at OnRamp Health Conference
(May 30, 2019) Stefanie Norvaisas, Principal and Vice President of Insights and Strategy at Design Concepts, will be presenter at the OnRamp Healthcare Conference held at Lambeau Field, Green Bay on June 19, 2019. Stefanie;s presentation, "Design Thinking to Design Doing: Actionable Tips for Healthcare Innovation" is part of the one-day conference. The OnRamp Healthcare Conference is for executives, clinicians, startups, corporations and investors who are focused on serving patients by empowering clinicians, reducing costs, and increasing access to care. The conference takes a broad and honest look at the future of healthcare, highlighting innovations and new business models that address cost and inequality in the marketplace.Explore registration options.
Otometrics Otoscan Medical Ear Device - Delve Product Development
May 2, 2019
Otoscan a finalist in MDEA awards
The Otometrics Otoscan® has been named as a finalist in the Radiology, Imaging and Electromechanical Device category of the prestigious Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA). Otoscan is a digital 3D ear scanning solution that makes digital impressions for custom in-the-ear pieces such as earmoulds and hearing aids. The scanner system transforms images of the ear into 3D digital files that are uploaded to the cloud service, Otocloud™, for immediate use in production of custom products. Accuracy is crucial to customize a hearing aid. Otoscan includes two laser types and an integrated tracking system that supports the user’s freedom of movement. An intuitive interface guides the user through the scanning process in three steps, supporting scanning deep in the ear canal and across the full pinna – far exceeding the coverage for silicone or other direct ear scanning systems available. The user and the patient can see the scan building as data points are collected, giving the hearing care professional the opportunity to explain the patient’s ear anatomy in real time with detailed images. The scanner also provides indications of completeness and quality, enabling the user to pause and resume scanning throughout. Design Concepts worked extensively on the headset that holds a fiducial ring around each ear, which is printed with a series of dots and dashes tracked by cameras in the handheld scanner. The series of images are stitched together into a complete scan of the inner ear. Once positioned on the patient’s head, the headset must remain completely fixed. This posed tremendous challenges as every small motion of the head and jaw can alter the rings’ position. In addition, the headset needed to be easily adjustable for different head and ear sizes. The solution floats in space, decoupled from the head. It balances usability with rigidity and makes placement a one-handed operation. Winners will be announced at the 2019 MDEA Ceremony held Tuesday, June 11, 2019 in conjunction with the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. The MDEA is the medtech industry’s premier design competition committed to recognizing significant achievements in medical product design and engineering that improve the quality of healthcare delivery and accessibility.
15-Leadership Bio-Darley Jesse-667x667
March 22, 2019
Darley to speak at OnRamp Insurance Conference
(March 22, 2019) Jesse Darley, Principal and Director of Mechanical Engineering at Design Concepts, will be part of a panel speaking at the OnRamp Insurance Conference on April 11 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Jesse be joining leaders from Jewelers Mutual Group, PAXAFE and gener8tor to discuss "Creating Chemistry: Case Study for Corporate-Startup Collaboration." The OnRamp Insurance Conference brings together the insurance industry’s leading corporations, investors and startups. The conference highlights innovations disrupting the insurance industry, the leaders making such innovations possible, and how new technologies and business models will reinvent the industry.
2019-04-03_Top Work Place
March 5, 2019
Design Concepts named one of Madison's Top Workplaces
(March 3, 2019: Madison, WI) Design Concepts is honored to be named as one of Top Workplaces in Madison in the Wisconsin State Journal's inaugural survey of Madison-area employees. More than 11,000 people completed the online survey. The project is the result of a partnership between the Wisconsin State Journal and Energage, an Exton, Pa.-based employee engagement and workplace improvement research firm. The rankings are based on scientifically sound employee feedback at participating organizations. "We thank our team for their positive feedback, which directly led to this recognition," said Dave Franchino, President & Principal of Design Concepts. "As a consulting firm, our most important asset is our people. We can't exist without their talent and dedication."
18 News Rams Doc @2X
February 18, 2019
2/28 After Hours Movie & Discussion: Rams
Join us at our Madison studio on Thursday, Feb. 28, for a screening of Gary Hustwit's critcally acclaimed documentary about Dieter Rams, one of the most influential consumer product designers of our time. In Rams, the designer ruminates on consumerism, sustainability and the future of design. Our Industrial Design team will lead a discussion after the film. 5 p.m. Doors open for networking, movie snacks and beverages 5:30 p.m. Showing of Rams 6:45 p.m. Discussion Reserve your free seats here.
15 Leadership Bio Hammond Michael @2X
January 21, 2019
Design Concepts to participate in panel discussion on VR in design
Michael Hammond, Director of Industrial Design, will join a panel of industry experts to discuss the uses of virtual, augmented and mixed reality in the design process. The discussion will be hosted by Autodesk and IDSA Boston on Thursday, Feb. 7. Click here to register for the free event. Learn more about how Design Concepts is using virtual reality to prototype designs.
16-Staff Bio-Bettman Matt-H1 @2x
January 15, 2019
Join us in the Design Dome at MD&M West
Design Concepts will be conducting workshops over the three days of MD&M West, Feb. 5-7, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. MD&M West is North America's largest medical device trade show. We are participating in MD&M's new Design Dome, an all-new hub featuring interactive design activities and prototyping workshops led by world renowned design companies. Matt Bettman, Industrial Design Lead for our San Francisco Studio, will be leading a session called "Prototyping: Show Us What You're Thinking." Click here to see the Design Dome schedule. Are you planning on attending MD&M West? Drop us a line so we can meet up with you!
16 Staff Bio Frost Corin 667X667
November 9, 2018
12/6 After Hours: Learn how to use drawing to make your meetings better
Drawing is a potent communication tool that can help your teams ideate better. And you don't have to be an artist to do it. In our After Hours presentation on Thursday, December 6, learn about Visual Facilitation, what it is, why it works, what it's good for, and when to use it. The session will be held at our headquarters at 1010 E. Washington Avenue, Madison. Corin Frost, Design Concepts' Director of Visual Communications and a Visual Facilitation practitioner, will lead the session. Attendees will be able to practice some of the tips and tricks Corin will demonstrate in a fun and interactive evening. Schedule: 5 p.m. Networking reception with appetizers, beer and wine 6 p.m. Presentation Please RSVP here. We look forward to seeing you at the fun event.
06 Case Study Safetynet Dmiaward H1
October 26, 2018
Design Concepts, SafetyNet win Design Value Award
SafetyNet and Design Concepts, both Madison-based companies, recently received a dmi: Design Value Award for their work creating a user-centered financial insurance solution through research and design. SafetyNet is a simple insurance program that gives its members money if they are laid-off from a job or can't work for at least 30 days due to a disability. Design Concepts, a design and innovation consulting firm, worked closely with the SafetyNet team through multiple rounds of user research and service design to develop a payment security option that is affordable and easy to use. “We’re honored to be one of the recipients of this year’s Design Value Awards. At SafetyNet, we have seen firsthand the value that design thinking brings to product and service model design. We would not be as successful in meeting our consumers’ needs without leveraging those core principles in our everyday work,” said Dan Kaiser, President SafetyNet. The 2018 dmi:Design Value Awards recognize teams that have delivered significant value through excellence in Design or Design Management practices and are awarded by the Design Management Institute (DMI). The 2018 Design Value Award winners are exemplars in their fields; they are a distinguished list of organizations that include non-profit entities, government agencies, large multinationals, and regional enterprises. “Design Concepts is grateful for the amazing opportunity to work side-by-side with the SafetyNet team to create a service rooted in human-centered design,” said Amy Lee, Design Concepts Director of Research and Insights. “It’s an honor to work with a company so committed to protecting people’s financial well-being.” The longest standing global institution of its kind, DMI holds an exclusive position in the Design and Design Management landscape. For 42 years, DMI has been an active advocate for the strategic value of Design. The organization brings together educators, researchers, designers, and leaders from every design discipline, every industry, and every corner of the planet to facilitate transformational organizational change and design-driven innovation.
06 Resources Generator Logo
September 12, 2018
Delve proud to be a member of gener8tor's “Project North” Initiative
Design Concepts is proud to announce our membership in the largest consortium of top corporate venture capital, innovation, M&A and strategy executives in the Midwest. Over the past three years, gener8tor, a turnkey platform for the creative economy, has quietly compiled the largest corporate innovation network in the Midwest. Internally referred to as “Project North” since its inception in 2015, the formerly confidential initiative has grown from a small group of forward-thinking companies to a consortium of top corporate venture capital, innovation, M&A and strategy executives from 37 national and multinational corporations across the Midwest. “At this point, three years in, we felt Project North was becoming an open secret,” said gener8tor co-founder Troy Vosseller. “We wanted to formally reveal Project North specifically to highlight the tremendous work being done by our members and the tremendous amount of time, effort and resources they have invested into the startup and corporate ecosystems." In addition to Design Concepts, members include: A.O. Smith Corporation, Allianz Life Insurance Company, American Family Insurance, Ameritas Life Insurance Corp , Assurant, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Charter Manufacturing, Church Mutual Insurance Company, GMR Marketing, Harley-Davidson, Hendricks Commercial Properties, HSA Bank, HUSCO International, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group, Johnsonville Sausage, Kohl’s Corporation, Kohler Co., Lancaster Investments, Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company, N29 Capital Partners, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, Navistar, Inc., Northwestern Mutual, Quarles & Brady, Rite-Hite, Rockwell Automation, Inc., SafetyNet, Sargento Foods Inc, Schneider, Total Administrative Services Corporation, Thrivent Financial, U.S. Cellular, West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, and Wisconsin Medical Society. Project North members extend across Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Project North is an exclusive, members-only network offering an intimate forum to facilitate: access to leading technologists, venture capitalists and startups; early exposure to disruptive, class-leading technologies through not only the gener8torand gBETA accelerators, but gener8tor’s nationwide network as well;exchange of best practices from peer executives across U.S;formation and growth of corporate venture capital funds and innovation departments. Project North is comprised of four components: Quarterly Roundtables Roundtables are held each quarter and include discussions with leading academics, venture capitalists and technologists on new opportunities across member industries. Discussions are followed by a members-only dinner which features presentations from participating members around their corporate venture capital and/or innovation practices. Past guest presenters include current and former leaders from Proctor & Gamble, Microsoft, Touchdown Ventures, Cintrifuse, Caterpillar, Target, Lowe’s, Samsung and Spectrum Health. Executives on a Plane Executives on a Plane is a biannual three-day, two-night trip for member executives to entrepreneurial hubs across the country to meet with leading technologists, venture capitalists, startups and peers. Past trips have included Seattle, Silicon Valley and Boston with visits and presentations by Sequoia Capital, a16z, Accenture, Fidelity Labs, LinkedIn, Charles River Ventures, Bain Capital, GE Ventures, ABB Technology Ventures, Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Maveron, Silicon Valley Bank, Xerox PARC and more. Sourcing and Retreats gener8tor provides curated reports of startups in specific industries from around the country based on the member’s provided themes and interest areas. Each member also receives custom retreats and consulting from Project North’s leadership team. Past custom programming has included new technology briefings, judging internal ideation contests, strategic introductions, deal sourcing, corporate venture consulting and new business model feedback. OnRamp Conference Series The OnRamp Conference Series grew out of a desire to provide entrepreneurs at various stages of growth with access to high level corporate leaders and later stage investors. Started by gener8tor in 2013, OnRamp has evolved into vertical-specific events featuring conference programming and curated one-on-one pitch sessions between startups and corporate venture capital and innovation executives. OnRamp strives to be the premier gathering of corporateventure capital and innovation executives in each industry it serves. Project North members receive complimentary Corporate Group Registration to all OnRamp conferences, which includes a private, box-level suite for taking one-on-one meetings with startups, the full list of startup applicants, VIP dinner and priority speaking slots. To learn more about Project North, please visit www.gener8tor.com/project-north.
06 Resource Boston Talk
September 4, 2018
Join us at Device Talks Boston in October
Design Concepts is excited to be exhibiting at Device Talks Boston, Oct. 8-10, at the Westin Boston Waterfront. DeviceTalks is a leading industry event for the medtech community that fosters the exchange of ideas, insight and technology among the pioneers of the medical technology industry and the engineering behind it. The program takes place annually in the Twin Cities, Boston, and Orange County and features world-class keynote and plenary panels; technology sessions; an expo floor comprised of leading medtech companies and networking lunches, dinners, and receptions with the best of the best in the industry. DeviceTalks is hosted by MassDevice.com. Justen England, Boston Studio Lead, and Rachel Robinson, East Coast Director of New Product Development, will be available at booth 510 on the exhibit floor to share our latest medtech work and explain how our approach to product development has helped both startups and some of the world's medical device companies successfully grow their businesses.
06 Article Ripbvl Square H1
June 5, 2018
June 28 After Hours: VBL is Dead
Now that we’ve got your attention … Visual Brand Language or VBL has been the be-all-end-all in Industrial Design for years. But the visual hallmarks of a brand are only part of the story. Industrial Design Director Michael Hammond and San Francisco General Manager Eva Lutz will discuss the importance of creating a holistic brand language that engages all our senses. During this presentation, they’ll provide examples and approaches for branded experiences that engage and delight and include all of the various interactions we have with the brands we love and love to hate. 5 p.m. Networking reception with beer, wine and appetizers 6 p.m. Presentation Please RSVP here.
06 Article Vr Meetup
April 23, 2018
Design Concepts to host VR/AR event on May 3
Design Concepts is excited to host “A Night of Experiential Business” on May 3 at our headquarters at 1010 E. Washington Ave., Madison, WI. The evening is being presented by Accelerate Madison and Madison XR Meetup. In addition to Design Concepts, the companies who will be showing demos of their work include: Aspect Multimedia GalactaVision Arch Virtual Holos Strang Chamber You can tour our space, enjoy snacks and beverages, and check out the local companies above who are leveraging Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality to showcase products and services. The event is open to the public, but space is limited so please sign up here.
15-Leadership Bio-Norvaisas Stefanie-667x667
February 6, 2018
Design Concepts After Hours on March 8 focuses on measuring for what matters
Design Concepts is hosting another in its series of After Hours events on Thursday, March 8, on a very relevant topic for most businesses and designers. Stefanie Norvaisas, Director of Design Research & Strategy, and Marlisa Kopenski, Director of Business Design, will present a talk about “The Consequences of Measuring What Doesn’t Matter.” When it comes to evaluating the success of a product, design or service, people commonly measure what is easy, not what is meaningful. Often, easy metrics fail to capture WHY something is done in the first place. This can lead to false conclusions and unintended consequences that design cannot overcome. In the talk, Stef and Marlisa will share a critical tool for aligning intention, process and measures and share examples from many industries. A networking reception with appetizers and beverages will start at 5 p.m. with the presentation beginning at 6 p.m. Please click here to reserve your seat.

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