Technology
The 2014 Tech Impact Awards: Design
By Drew Atkins September 15, 2014
This article originally appeared in the October 2014 issue of Seattle magazine.
WINNER
Artefact
Location: Seattle | Employees: 60
On the walls of Artefacts offices in South Lake Union, a bright neon sign poses a simple question: What if? Its the companys ability to answer this question, uniquely and effectively, thats made it a leading light in the world of technology product design and development.
Artefact employs psychologists, industrial designers and software engineers to offer an exceptionally wide-ranging design expertise. Its clients run the gamut from tech giants like Samsung and Microsoft to global problem solvers like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The problems we are trying to solve are becoming more and more complex and require more than just deep technology understanding, says cofounder Gavin Kelly, who touts the companys human-centered approach. Were excited by the sheer diversity of opportunities … and the opportunity to have a positive impact in the world.
SILVER AWARD
Stratos Product Development
Location: Seattle | Employees: 80
In its nearly three decades, Stratos has helped design everything from Apple laptops to Microsofts Xbox controllers. But these days, CEO Allan Stephan says the company is most excited about using high technology for higher purposes. A vaccine storage system it developed is in use in Africa. Other projects are aimed at training surgeons using virtual reality and tracking detailed health data using a skin patch. If a client has a product idea, Stephan says, Stratos job is to make it possible.
Devices that address epilepsy and Third World energy, or simply the taking of better photographs, all fall within Artefacts wheelhouse. With end-to-end design and development services, Kelly says, Artefact aims to take the tech world cliche of being disruptive and add purpose and comprehensiveness to the equation.