Huddly wins DOGA Award for design excellence

Huddly IQ is a winner of the 2018 Norwegian Award for Design and Architecture, the DOGA-merket. The Huddly design team accepted the award at a ceremony that took place at Design and Architecture Norway in Oslo last night. Huddly IQ is the result of a deep design process that included an update of our brand, and we are proud to see our work recognized.

To celebrate, we chatted with Chief Design Officer Knut Teppan about the award and Huddly’s design philosophy.

Congratulations to you and the team, Knut! What does this award mean for Huddly?

It’s a great acknowledgment of the great work the team has done. We have a very clear process, and it always starts with the user. By understanding how people collaborate and communicate, we can design experiences and products that improve their workflow. The team then works together across all design disciplines, including industrial design, user experience, and visual design. This ensures that all aspects of our products are cared for and that every detail is crafted to a high standard.

Huddly IQ is a result of this way of working. With IQ, we focused on smaller teams working in smaller and more flexible spaces. The camera’s large field of view ensures that everyone is seen, and the microphone array picks up clear audio of what everyone is saying. IQ also has built-in intelligence, allowing it to understand what is happening in the room and to improve the experience. For instance, the camera can automatically zoom in and adjust the framing depending on how many people there are in the room and where they are.

Huddly IQ looks very different from conventional meeting room cameras. Can you tell us more about the design philosophy behind it?

We wanted IQ to have a clean, functional aesthetic based on Scandinavian design principles. The goal was to make a technically advanced product approachable, friendly, and easy to use. Additionally, we wanted the materials and feel of the product to match the image and audio quality. In short – a complete high-quality video experience in a compact, friendly, and playful design. To complete the experience, you can buy it with a travel pouch or a mounting bracket, depending on whether you need a portable or fixed solution. Huddly operates in a formal and traditional collaboration space usually filled with black, rectangular, and technical devices. We wanted our product to bring a sense of inspiration to the workspace. Teamwork should be fun and positive, and we wanted this to be reflected in the product. That’s why in the future, IQ will be available in Dark Rose, Steel Blue, or Titanium Gray in addition to a more traditional Matte Black aluminum finish.

Along with the camera, Huddly also launched a whole new brand identity. Why was this important?

Huddly has evolved from a startup to a company to be reckoned with. We have launched our second-generation product, and our products and experiences are now sold on a global basis to industry-leading companies. We wanted our new identity to be more grown-up, focused, and simplistic – without playing it too safe. We adopted a new, recognizable logo, updated our color palette, and revamped how our profile is implemented across both digital and physical surfaces. We have redesigned our app, packaging, and all other printed and digital surfaces based on our new brand guidelines to have a consistent and clear identity.

So, what’s next from the Huddly design team?

The new design profile also leads the way for the next steps on the Huddly journey. Design is very much a collaborative effort. We have a strong internal design team but often bring external designers in to add new thoughts, ideas, and flavor to our work. For Huddly IQ, we collaborated with two agencies: the industrial designers at Frost Produkt and the designers at Heydays. To create great products, working closely with our software and hardware engineers is key – from sketching ideas to launching. Our team’s skills span everything from design to engineering, and we are well-positioned to bring new, exciting experiences and products to the world. We have only just started and are on a mission to redefine how work is done and to help teams do great work.