Haruka Shimazu

After completing her design studies, Haruka Shimazu gained invaluable experience during her years at a tableware and kitchen appliance manufacturer. Her experience designing various types of domestic appliances encouraged her to take on challenges with increasing levels of complexity. She has been designing products at Leister since October 2013.

Her work combines creativity and technology. She is a person who is able to reconcile the different requirements for a device, which might seem contradictory at first. For example, ensuring compactness despite robust components, or producing great ergonomic properties in contrast to the weight. Her extensive experience and her creative streak help her develop balanced solutions in a timely fashion.

To ensure that developmental process does not lose touch with the needs of the market, the user is always our main focus. They are always involved at each step of the process. Examples of questions that she might ask include: How do users hold the machine in their hand? How do they transport it? The answers to these questions, determine how the components are configured or how the handle should be designed. She places particular importance on ergonomics.

The digital transformation process is bringing new, exciting challenges for Haruka: She has become increasingly involved in user-experience design, developing intuitive navigation and control concepts, and designing clearly arranged user interfaces.

"It requires an extensive understanding of design," says Haruka Shimazu. "As a product designer, I don’t just make products look more attractive. I optimize the welding process. In short: I design the complete welding experience."

In her free time, Haruka enjoys travelling and is interested in photography, architecture and art. At home, she can usually be found working with her hands, whether it be sewing and making jewelry or working with wood.