Rightware, the leader in user interface (UI) design and implementation software, and RKS, the leading strategic design consultancy based in Southern California, announce that they have formed a partnership in Interaction Design for new and emerging markets including entertainment, tablets, smart TVs and other embedded verticals.

Today is an unprecedented time for technology and user interaction. Touch screens are becoming a more and more predominant way of interacting. And with the vast amount of choices, there remains room and opportunity to create even more engaging and dynamic interfaces: from cars to phones, tablets and computers. What a person sees, feels and touches can be enriched into something he or she has never seen or engaged with before. This is an era where design, technology and understanding of human behavior come together; but a deep understanding and outstanding technical skills are required to realize the potential.

RKS has been focused on design, technology and human behavior for over 30 years. The company has successfully innovated for clients—from Fortune 500 companies to small startups, across a range of competitive industries—from developing innovative new ways to do business, to creating patentable intellectual property (IP) that cements market leadership.

RKS is led by expert designer and strategist, Ravi Sawhney. With more than 35 years of design experience, Ravi is known in the industry as a design guru. Ravi’s deep understanding of the touch screen market is underscored by his instrumental role in the design of the industry’s first touch screen over 30 years ago. Ravi will be the keynote speaker at the IxDA’s Interaction13 conference in Toronto, Canada on January 28^th, 2013, on the topic Our power to empower: the satisfaction of designing for social impact. Interaction13 is an annual four-day global conference that attracts the User Experience and Interaction Design community.

Rightware is the leader in embedded 2D and 3D User Interface (UI) technologies and user experience (UX) design, serving mobile, automotive and other embedded industries with its Kanzi® solution for rapid 3D user interface design and deployment. The company is looking to expand aggressively into new and emerging markets including, entertainment, mobile tablet, smart TVs and other embedded verticals.

“Both Rightware and RKS share a passion for creating truly unique user experiences. Rightware focuses on developing technology and tools to create modern, context aware and fluent user interfaces. Our team of engineers works close to silicon vendors and our end-customers to implement high-fidelity user interfaces with full design freedom. We are very impressed with the approach that RKS brings. They are able to support our customers not only with graphical and interaction design but also services ranging from marketing tools and product design to advanced research of new interaction models and concept development. Our partnership helps us support customers, large and small, with truly unique, marketable user experiences,” says Tero Sarkkinen, Founder and President of US Operations at Rightware.

“Rightware’s profile and capacities are a very interesting match for RKS. The company’s deep insights within technology and the Open Source Community combined with RKS’ design, strategic skills and thorough understanding of User Experience development processes constitute a very promising partnership,” says Ravi Sawhney, Founder and CEO at RKS Design.

About RKS Design

RKS is a strategic design consultancy delivering human-focused solutions with global impact.

Founded in 1980, RKS utilizes design as a strategic tool advancing client’s ability to focus on people’s needs and aspirations while creating sustainable business results and benefits to society. Working domestically and globally and having won over 140 major design awards, RKS credits Maslow and Campbell’s work as the foundation for its systematic and pragmatic set of frameworks, setting the stage for the creation of experiences that motivate and reward audiences. Find out more at www.rksdesign.com.

About Rightware

Rightware® is the market leader in advanced User Interface technology, serving mobile, automotive and other embedded industries with its Kanzi® solution for rapid user interface design and deployment. Rightware also develops industry leading system performance analysis tools and its renowned product portfolio includes the Basemark™ product family for various benchmarking purposes, including industry standard benchmarks for OpenGL ES, OpenVG, OpenCL, Android, Linux, and Windows Mobile performance measurement. Rightware is headquartered in Espoo, Finland and has offices in Saratoga, CA, Shanghai and Munich. More information: www.rightware.com

Rightware and Kanzi are trademarks or registered trademarks solely owned and controlled by Rightware Oy and are protected by applicable trademark law, and may not be used to any extent without the express prior written consent of Rightware Oy in each instance. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.