Product design case study | Design engineering for Seton
EasyExtend product barrier designed by designers Simple Design Works
Seton brand logo in blue. Seton manufacture and supply industrial products

Seton creates signs, labels, and solutions for a safer, more productive workplace. They’ve been a leading health, safety, and compliance equipment supplier for more than 60 years.

They approached us with an existing product – a single component retractable barrier – which they wanted refining into something spectacular that better reflected their user-centred principles.

The existing one-piece barrier was fully functional. But Seton saw an opportunity to differentiate their product from their competitors by exploring how the existing product was carried, stored, and transported.

Seton knew they needed user experience and design engineering expertise to refine their concept into something innovative with human factors front and centre.

That’s what we do best.

Industrial product design with a human-centred touch

Applying conceptual design engineering principles, we transformed the EasyExtend into a lightweight, modular, stackable kit.

The base became an integral piece of the design engineering puzzle. Weighted for use indoors and outdoors (and fillable with sand or water for extra strength), it acts like the base of a parasol and provides secure, safe storage for all the components – even when stacked, stored, and transported between sites.

We added functionality to the original design giving customers the benefit of multiple configurations. This ensured that the EasyExtend was customisable for its environment.

The placement of the security tape is now fully adaptable with the option of a single or double tape, clip-on signage, and a multi-size sanitiser bracket. We extensively safety tested the security tape retraction mechanism to guarantee an optimal tape speed with every release. Too fast would result in hand injuries and damage, while too slow would cause user frustration.

With any modular product, quality testing is crucial. Intricate CAD work and high-fidelity prototypes of every component ensured consistent high quality and seamless functionality.

Seton EasyExtend barrier system shown in a packable design that is easy to carry
Seton EasyExtend barrier system shown in a packable design

Design innovation makes a leading industrial product

Thanks to truly innovative design, Seton’s EasyExtend is growing into a market-leading industrial product. Moving to a unique, modular kit makes it instantly more usable and recognisable in a crowded marketplace.

The new EasyExtend has empowered Seton to differentiate itself from competitors thanks to its strong USPs on easy transport, storage and customisation. Seton’s EasyExtend is now the ultimate retractable barrier system. It sets the bar for future industrial equipment in its niche.

Alex Hinton

Seton blue logo - Seton is a safety brand owned by Brady Corporation

“We have now worked with Simple Design Works on numerous projects with varying degrees of complexity. The professional, proactive and creative approach they take to each task has led to many excellent solutions, which has led us to develop and introduce successful products into the market. Always accommodating and a delight to work with, we look forward to working with Simple Design Works again in the future.”

Alex Hinton
Innovations Manager, Brady Corporation – Seton

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