Having been with Ericsson for some time back in 1998 directly after he graduated, Design Manager Mårten Skoger re-joined the design team around 2015, having experienced two vastly different times in Ericsson’s journey.
Naturally, it’s not just Ericsson that’s changed, it’s the entire digital world. Looking back to 1998 seems like a world away, but now that 5G rollout is so tangible and international, the last six years have been significant too. Senior Industrial Designer Nan Shen joined Ericsson in 2015 after graduating from university in 2013.
Nan explains: “I think I’m quite lucky that 5G was launched soon after I joined Ericsson, because I’ve been part of every step of the 5G journey. I clearly remember when we built the first mechanical prototype for the 5G portfolio and presented it - everybody felt surprised by its large size. Now, after a lot of work, we’ve released it at a substantially smaller, seven litre size. We are realizing our quest to make 5G deployment easy.”
From the cabinet to the rooftop
“The second big change comes with 5G, where we need to move our equipment down to street-level, and in much greater numbers. We suddenly have totally new stakeholders, like municipal building committees, landlords, and regular people on the street. We need to blend into the environment. The design needs to be small, unobtrusive and clean or we may not even have permission to deploy.”
Designers must look at customers’ needs. Site rental is a big obstacle and cost for operators, so a sleek, small portfolio shows an understanding of cost and environment, and builds a strong relationship with customers.
“Our scope of design isn’t just product appearance, but to optimize use and a productive deployment process,” explains Nan, who led on the AIR 4435 design process. “The big challenge is identifying pain points for our customers and finding solutions. When we designed the AIR 4435, we spent a lot of time on the handle because the product is seven kilograms, but we needed to find space on this extremely compact item. After a lot of research, we went with a hoisting feature on the corner of the product, which is better for performance and a good indication for the installation direction”
Going one step further than the practical design needs, Ericsson radio equipment has actually won the prestigious design award the Red Dot three years in a row, including in 2021 for the AIR 4435. The technology isn’t just functional, it’s beautiful.
“As an industrial designer the main objective is not to be seen, it’s kind of a paradox. This recognition from Red Dot is really nice to get from people in the industry who know what we do. Truly, this is a group effort. There are many of us involved, paving the way, working in the background, it’s really a collective effort, from Kista to Bejing” says Mårten.
Building brand into design
The AIR 4435 is part of a stream of products that are moving from the macro, remote deployment areas, to street – and eye – level. The kit must be dense and small, ready to fit into the wider system. That means if a customer wants to hide or integrate the radio, they can. The same form language carries over from the air to the micro, explains Mårten – “when you look at it, you should know, this is an Ericsson product”.
Ericsson used to have to design phones for consumers. Now it is in the public gaze again with 5G equipment as part of the urban surroundings, and this Designing the portfolio has a strong element of marketing to it, there’s a long-term customer partnership there, so designs must show technology leadership and a premium quality.
Nan explains: “Industrial design is a quite specific competence, that differs from engineering in the sense that it focusses more on the human factors field that ties technology and business together; form, function, physical ergonomics, marketing, brand development, sustainability, and sales.”
The next step of the journey is looking into innovative ways to integrate the design solution with new technology, continuously improving the usability of Ericsson products and helping customers build 5G more easily and efficiently.
“We are still on the move to improve the performance of products and gain customer value, which is a fantastic journey, I think” says Mårten.
