Creo Customer: Arc Touch Mouse a Concept Design Winner

By GEOFF HEDGES | Published: OCTOBER 18, 2011

When designers at Microsoft dreamed up the Arc Touch Mouse, they were thinking about form, ergonomics, and portability. The device lies flat for easy storage in your laptop bag, and then pops into a graceful arch when you’re ready to use it.

Physically, it fits comfortably into your hand and provides haptic (that is, a sense of touch) feedback as you scroll and click.

Modeled with Creo Parametric, this new generation of mouse bears virtually no resemblance to its rodent-like predecessors, which, it turns out, is a good thing. Sure, designers at Microsoft started with something like a familiar mouse body in early concept design, but they also explored profiles that looked like speed boats and beach mats. Everything seemed to be up for discussion.

And that’s been our point; it’s the reason we’re placing so much emphasis on concept design with the release of Creo 1.0. When everything is on the table, developers can explore, and product innovation can thrive.  At least it did for Microsoft. The Arc Touch Mouse has won two major design awards so far:

• The jury at RedDot online awarded it 2011 Best of the Best; they praised its symmetric design and well-balanced proportions.
• IDSA presented it the 2011 IDEA Gold award, saying the mouse was “executed superbly,” with “excellent tactile feedback.”

The Arc Touch has been a hit with consumers, too. In the online reviews they’re calling it “sharp” and “stylish.”  And more importantly, they’re saying its aesthetics and form are key in their decision to purchase the device. Or in the words of one online reviewer:

“I bought it because it looked cool.”