Little do we realize that the table and study lamps we use today are still based on the original Anglepoise lamp, also known as the Type 75 prototype or four-spring lamp, which was patented in 1932. At that time, constant state consistency and functionality for read use cases defined engineering logic. Screen reading and computing devices, two important elements of our working days, are not covered at all by these common lamp form factors. Technology company BenQ has been trying to solve this puzzle for years, a quest that began in 2015 with WiT lamps launched in several countries. At this time, for the corporate workforce, which probably includes you, the company’s screenbar line-up These products attempt to reduce screen glare, reflections, and inconsistent lighting that can cause eye strain or worse. The latest addition to that series, the Screenbar Halo 2, is priced at The 17,490, is designed to mount to any PC display or Apple iMac and provide accurate downward illumination that does not reflect off the screen and is evenly spread across the entire workstation.
In conversation with HT, JC Pan, Chief Product Designer, BenQ Smart Lighting, and Rajeev Singh, Managing Director, BenQ (India and South Asia) talk about how they envision smart lighting as more than just lighting but with a distinct wellness and lifestyle element, how user preferences are changing, and developing products in India for the world. It’s a technological step up, highlighted by the full-spectrum LEDs that underpin the BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2, which also have increased backlight coverage for the area behind your computer display to soften contrast edges, with two distinct advantages – they don’t have the same harmful blue light as traditional LEDs, and can follow the tones of sunlight during the day. Not surprising, as eye care is a standard feature across BenQ’s wide range of computing performance and home too entertainment projector Product lines too. Edited excerpts.
Smart lighting is no longer just about lights – it is becoming an experience. How do you define this new era of smart lighting, and how will BenQ balance intelligent design with utility and well-being?
Jesse Pan: I have to say that’s a very good question, because I talk to a lot of people about similar things, including users, because sometimes they expect technology to do more. One can imagine intelligent lighting in any possible way. But we believe experience is more important than technology, and usability is more important than technology. Technology is just for our service. For example, many smart lighting brands talk about connectivity, meaning they connect lamps to an ecosystem. This is good, but the most important thing is not the connectivity. It’s about emotion and whether it can be transferred to very precise engineering.
For example, uniformity of light throw. The light meter can detect how much light will give off, but the whole experience is not just about determination. I’ll give you an example of auto-dimming which itself is not that complicated – you just need a sensor to detect the environment. But the hard part is the algorithm. Your lamp knows the brightness of the room, but how should it compensate for the illumination for the user? You can’t always provide the same lighting. Generally, 500 lumens is standard. Our light can detect that it is 200 lumens at the moment and the room is brighter, and will provide an additional 300 to make it 500 lumens. So it is a good experience. But if you are in such an environment, it is less than 300 lumens and if you deliver too much, people feel conflicted. In a dark room, we deliver not 500 lumens but about 300 lumens. It is not based on any theory but on our testing and research. What I want to explain is that technology is used to serve people, but you have to know the real need of people.
How would you define the wellness aspect for potential consumers? And in that sense, would you say that smart lighting needs to go through a similar challenge before people really understand the benefits?
Rajeev Singh: When we started this journey 7-8 years ago with conversations about vision and eye care, the struggle was quite high because people were trying to understand, but were not able to relate or trust. Today it has become easier to convey the same message because people are facing these problems. When we talk about dryness in eyes, high fatigue and problems caused by regular screen use, many of us are actually facing one of those problems. And so, they will add it up, and wonder if it is possible to minimize it. It cannot be eliminated completely, but it can be reduced to a great extent.
Therefore this conversation is now becoming much easier. And it is being appreciated by many people. Our data shows us that people have started paying attention to eye care features when they need to buy a monitor, and actively check whether these features are there. For many years, we have included these capabilities in our monitors as default.
Certainly, from the Indian market perspective, widespread awareness will take some time. Till now, we were limiting the availability of this product to online sales only, that is Amazon and our own website. But now we have decided to expand into premium retail with the new Screenbar Halo 2 in over 50 stores across India. This is where the product will be available for live demo as well as in stock. When a user actually sees this product in action, the entire concept and understanding of the beauty of this technology evolves to a different level. We believe that this will further increase people’s interest.
It is believed that BenQ is making its mark not only as a product brand but also as a lifestyle advocate. What does that change mean internally for product design and therefore user experience?
Jesse Pan: The product, the Screenbar Halo 2 that we launched today, is very special within the BenQ product line as it connects directly to the lifestyle aspect. Monitors and projectors have their own elements because you need a larger panel, and except for a larger panel, there are very few things designers can do. But for them, designers have a lot of things that can be done and can be called lifestyle, and can easily fit into your home decor. Products must not only perform, but also look beautiful.
We have the best engineers, and we use advanced technology like light tracing in the projector. In fact, it’s much more for them to design because it’s a very high-tech, very accurate simulation. We know that if we only take advantage of our engineering ability, we will not be able to create a good ScreenBar or any product, because everything must be present in your home environment, whether it is a screen, a light bar or a children’s lamp. We work with the best designers in the world, and not only do we not stick to any specific design house, but try to find a design that best suits a particular product in our line.
For example, for the kind of tech product that is Screenbar Halo 2, we found a design company in Chicago (the company name is Minimal), because we think American design companies are more capable in terms of tech product. But for our Pianolight which is a more aesthetic product, we went with a design company in Warsaw, Poland. That’s how we try to strike a balance, how we try to create our products. It may be a technology product, but it’s also a lifestyle trigger.
Rajeev Singh: It is important to emphasize that it is always about defining the usability first, then defining the design, and not the other way around. A design will always be a very integral part of the overall package, but so must the utility. This is something that cannot be compromised, and then we focus on the best possible design. Form largely follows function.
As the lines between lifestyle and productivity devices continue to blur, what is your long-term view of BenQ’s portfolio growth over the next few years?
Rajeev Singh: We have just started India specific product development. Till now, all the products we were selling are from our international portfolio. Recently we have started product development, which is specifically for India. We have started taking a lot of feedback while developing our products specific to the Indian market. Our new line of coding and programming monitors is an example of this. We have launched a new series called RD Series. Although it has been developed for markets around the world, it has been developed entirely with feedback from Indian coders and programmers. We had the GW series coding and programming monitors which were monetarily the entry level product.
We took very specific input from those users in terms of what else you wanted, and what features they felt were missing. Based on those inputs, we developed the new RD series, which adds new technology and features that customers want, but still, always with function first. Another thing that we are working on right now and the product is yet to finally come out is a portable presenter phone. Here too, we have taken feedback from our existing portable projector users in India and collected relevant inputs about what they want next. This product is currently under development.
