Design Keywords: Professional Tool Attribute Quality Intuitive Interaction

Project background: (In early 2017, the first generation of HKUST Xunfei translation machine opened for pre-sale in Jingdong, with a product price of 2999 yuan. It marks the increasing layout of HKUST Xunfei on the C side. In addition to the Xunfei input method, independent brand products also include Xunfei Hearing Platform, Xunfei Vehicle Assistant Little Feiyu, Xunfei Translation Machine, Alpha Egg Robot, etc.

In this context, HKUST Xunfei commissioned us to make an upgraded product. Compared with the previous generation, the most intuitive change in function of the upgraded product is to add a screen so that text can be seen synchronously in real-time translation.
With the screen, we must consider the interaction problem. How to transition the products in the form of pure physical keys to the current form is my first consideration. The screen itself has its own touch screen function. If you want to be extremely simple, you can actually directly integrate some key functions into the interactive interface. But this will lack a sense of ritual of operation or a visual language that belongs to the iFLYTEK translator.
I thought of using the scroll wheel to do key interaction. The scroll wheel rotates up and down to make a selection. Press it directly to confirm. Intuitive and effective, and very visually concise.

The appropriate damping feeling is matched with the specially designed small lines on the roller, and the subtle clicking sound is listened to in actual operation, giving people a very precise feeling, just like a carefully debugged tool instrument, which strengthens its professionalism and quality in consumer psychology.

The operation mode of the roller is determined, and the overall shape naturally uses cylindrical elements. Next, only the proportion allocation and details of each functional area are created.

All the details are done for the purpose of function. The flat keys deliberately leave a gap of 0.8mm on both sides, that is, the enrichment of details is also for the consideration of the stroke of the keys. The diameter and convex height of the roller are also the result of repeated deliberation.

In order to achieve high-definition noise reduction in a noisy environment, the translator uses a four-wheat array with two MIC holes on the top and bottom. When dealing with this, a slow concave curved surface was designed, and a low-key but textured metal decorative piece was dotted in the center of the curved surface, which played a certain decorative role and highlighted its function.

The arrangement of horn holes has been changed in a restrained way as much as possible, so as not to be too monotonous, and the light sensor is also hidden in it.

The LOGO and two screws exposed for assembly requirements are combined to form a visual center on the back.

In order to emphasize its tool properties, the color scheme is still neutral.

For other commercial reasons, this plan has not been finally mass-produced. The following pictures are all hand-made photos.

Key details show.

In order to obtain a suitable overall ratio, different sizes of grass molds were done to verify.

Bottom MIC hole effect.

Top MIC hole effect.

Bottom appearance effect.

Overall effect on the back.

Positive overall effect.