Seaboard RISE

Pressure-sensitive MIDI keyboard

Seaboard RISE was the first project I was in charge of from concept proposal, industrial design, CMF to design QA in production. This project evolved from the revolutionary Seaboard GRAND and was the first Seaboard designed for mass-production at a fraction of the original's size and cost. The design of the Seaboard Rise celebrates minimalism and honest aesthetics. The great precision and refinement of every detail on the hardware in balance with its playability, affordability, and portability, led this multi-award-winning product to its huge success in both the design and music industries.

Released in 2015
ID Lead: Tien S. Huang and John Tree* (Design Mentor)
DFM: Hong-Yeul Eom and Gaetano Ling
Recognitions: iF Design Award 2016: Gold Award; Good Design Award 2016: Gold Award; CES 2016: Best of Innovation; Future Music 2015: Product of the Year

PROBLEM

ROLI’s first product - The Seaboard Grand enjoyed a successful reputation for its revolutionary approach to piano design. However, the complexity of producing this handcrafted instrument ultimately led to questions on how to make the Seaboard more affordable, manufacturable, and more accessible.

ITERATIVE DESIGN PROCESS

Following the first ideation, variations were explored in the chosen direction. The selected one would then be further developed and narrowed down and this process repeated to evolve every design feature and detail.

SIDE CAP REVISION

After decisions were made on the manufacturing process for the Chassis ( extrusion ), the design for the side caps became the focus of this project. Extensive revisions were made before the transition issue between the aluminum casting and plastic enclosure was resolved to result in a seamlessly elegant and discreet design.

One distinctive improvement for side cap design was to hide the plastic cap underneath the aluminum chassis to get rid of the unpleasant split line on the top surface and also reduce the complexity of molding the plastic part.

USER INTERFACE REVISION

Similarly with the interface design, various revisions were made on the basis of musicians' feedbacks to refine the user experience. Collaboration with engineers during this process helped to resolve any technical challenges encountered.

DESIGN & CMF QA

Workflow & Functionality