Official Portfolio Website of Andrew D. Morgan
RollerMouse Pro3
RollerMouse Free3
RollerMouse Red Wireless
What is a RollerMouse?
RollerMouse is the defining product of Contour Design. All RollerMouse products share the patented "roller bar" technology which acts as a new way of mousing. By rolling the bar forward/backward and sliding it left/right, the user is able to move a mouse cursor from a neutral open palm position. This new way of mousing can help to reduce muscle strain and eventually repair harm from repetitive strain injury and carpal tunnel.
RollerMouse Third Generation
The RollerMouse product line has been a staple in the ergonomic community since 1995. Contours' unique method of mousing coupled with high quality manufacturing and superior design has helped keep the brand a leader in the ergonomic mouse market. This position has also allowed us the freedom to seek out new and innovative mousing solutions that far exceed that of our competition.
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Because of this constant desire to improve, we decided to re-assess and re-vitalize all of our RollerMouse products. Our goals were to "Improve the user experience of our Pro, Free, and Red Models through additional features and tightened design.", and "Revisit our product assembly and manufacturing in order to reduce cost?"
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Refining the Classics
Before we could begin our first round of concepts, we had to define what exactly we needed to change about the current RollerMouse Products.
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The first thing we decided on was that all 3 of our RollerMouse models needed to be wireless. This small change was the clearest way to bring all of our products out of the dark and into the modern tech light. After that, we took a critical look at the design of the Pro and Free.
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The Pro and Free models were the oldest of the RollerMouse designs and lacked many of the more subtle design details and features of the newer RollerMouse Red. It was decided that features like adjustable DPI, additional PG Up and PG down buttons, improved roller bar mechanisms, and a higher quality optical sensor were essential for both models. As well, greater attention would be given to the body construction by adding an aluminum base plate for durability and eliminating the removable wrist rest from the Free design.
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RollerMouse Free2
RollerMouse Pro2
Concepts
Initial concepts considered a variety of shapes, button layouts, and bar constructions. All attempting to improve on the classic look and feel of the original designs. In many ways, these concepts were more focused on creating a lower cost RollerMouse Red as opposed to revitalized versions of the Pro and Free.
However, as development continued, we received more feedback from ergonomists and loyal customers. Their comments reinforced a need to maintain the Pro and Free design. Details like the Red's larger diameter roller bar and flat wrist rests were well liked by newer customers, however a large portion of our customer base were revealed to be die hard advocates of the Pro and Free designs. Some of them even having product that was over a decade old and still in use. This drastically shifted our focus away from re-design and towards updating the classic looks.
Modeling and Refinement
Concepts for the Pro3 and Free3 were modeled and refined over many iterations. Details like the surfacing around the roller bar, the height of the roller bar, the size and shaping of the buttons, the curvature of the wrist rests, and the texturing of the scroll wheel were all extensively discussed and tweaked until they fit the feel we were looking for. As well, the final materials, colors, and textures were chosen only after weeks of observation and testing. All of this was done with the intention of providing the highest quality ergonomic user experience.
Final Products
The result of our efforts was a brand new lineup of wireless legacy products. Each one holding true to the spirit of it's predecessor while bringing an improved user experience, durability, and overall design.
