Phononic Evolve Medical Refrigeration – 2015
Phononic engineers developed a revolutionary solid-state heat pump technology called SilverCore that provides efficient cooling capability in a package that’s dramatically smaller and quieter than traditional compressor technologies. Phononic came to our design team for help bringing this new technology to a product space that would greatly benefit from the technical advances: medical refrigeration. The Evolve 5.5-liter refrigerator is designed to accommodate both under-counter and free-standing use in medical lab and patient care environments. The cooling system operates at under 35 dBA, coming in far below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of a 40 dBA noise level in patient areas.
A large color touch screen shows the temperature at all times and makes it easy to access settings such as user-access control, data logging, and alarms. The interface makes it easy to monitor the unit temperature with a glance. We helped Phononic define the software’s architecture and visual design through a series of wireframes and mockups, eventually delivering UI assets for implementation by Phononic’s team of software developers.
While traditional compressor-based refrigerators undergo temperature fluctuations as the compressor kicks on and off, the solid-state cooling system in the Evolve line can maintain a constant temperature within 0.5 degrees Celsius of a set value. Many medications and vaccines must be kept within a narrow temperature range to remain stable, so clarity of the UI/UX was paramount. The current temperature is always visible on the screen, and colors quickly convey safety and alarm states.