The phrase “form follows function” was coined in 1896 by Louis Sullivan, a renowned American architect and a “father of skyscrapers.” While best known for commercial-building architecture, his form-follows-function design principle evolved over time to also guide designers in many industries, including today’s consumer electronics and professional audiovisual products.
Think of Apple’s iPod, introduced in 2001, which proved to be a major success because the functionality Apple promised—the ability to quickly download a thousand songs to a small, portable device for easy playback—was delivered in a form factor that was so simple and intuitive, it set a new standard for industrial-design excellence.
The same design principle also applies to modern professional AV technologies. But in too many cases, a poorly designed product gets in the way of a device’s ability to deliver the core functionality for which it’s intended.
And in today’s world of connected AV systems, there’s no better case study than the interface tasked with enabling end-users to easily control a system’s functions.
A perfect example is our Impera Uniform control pad. It’s not just a keypad interface for control technology. It’s a compact, wall-mounted, highly customizable AV control pad with integrated controller. The Uniform is a simple and intuitive interface perfect for presentation spaces, learning environments, and conference rooms.
For the Impera family of control products, “form follows function” dictates that the modern simplicity of the design directly enhances the intuitive control of the user interface. Configured via the Project Designer drag-and-drop software from Biamp, the Uniform is the perfect blend of style, ability and simplicity. Uniform was designed to be easily installed, set up and maintained, which may be why it has become immediately popular in K-12 classrooms and school districts.
The Uniform features eight customizable buttons, each with an LED that illuminates in one of seven colors. Its easy-to-read e-ink display gives the Uniform a modern look for wall-mounted control. The Uniform is a highly capable control pad that can quickly adapt when a room’s control needs to change over time.
The Uniform features conventional AV connections, such as GPIO and RS-232, and can even control devices over LAN.
Not only is the Impera Uniform control pad the perfect combination of form and function, it’s also a prime example of attractive industrial design. Plus, it’s in stock and ready to deliver an extraordinary control experience in all types of rooms anywhere in the world.
Learn more about the many groundbreaking control solutions at Biamp.