Client:
SANUS
Year:
2022
Role:
Industrial Design, User Research
Television mounts are permanent. SANUS wanted to change that.
Once you drill into your wall and hang a large TV, you're committed. Changing its position means unmounting everything, patching holes, and starting over. Most people aren't willing to do that, so they live with whatever they got.
SANUS asked us to design a premium full-motion mount for large TVs (42"–90", up to 125 lbs). The mount needed to maintain category-leading performance: 28" extension, wide articulation, and a slim 2.25" profile when retracted. But beyond meeting technical specs, SANUS wanted to understand what actually frustrated users about existing mounts and address those problems in meaningful ways.
My role spanned user research, synthesis, and industrial design, working closely with mechanical engineering and product management throughout the effort. The challenge was balancing user insights with technical feasibility and manufacturing constraints, ensuring we were solving real problems rather than adding features for their own sake.
Height was the problem. People discovered it too late.
Before sketching anything, we staged full installations in simulated home environments. We recruited DIY homeowners, tech-savvy early adopters, and professional installers, then observed them working through complete installations using both existing SANUS products and competitive mounts.
What we observed:
Instructions were confusing, particularly around fastener selection. Most mounts include 15-20 different screws, and matching them to illustrated steps was difficult.
The physical act of mounting created anxiety. One participant described attaching a $2,000 OLED as "uncomfortable, anxious… everything whittles down to a couple of connections about one inch wide."
Many participants didn't realize the arm could shift laterally to center the screen when studs were off-center, even though this feature existed.
The biggest issue was vertical height. Users would finish the installation, step back, and realize the TV was positioned too high or too low. But by that point, they weren't willing to unmount everything and re-drill.
That last finding became our focus. If we could let users adjust vertical height after installation, we'd solve the problem that causes the most regret.
Concept Development
We entered concept development with a dual ambition: improve user experience across installation, adjustment, and everyday use—and design a mount that felt elevated in both function and form.
Early sketches explored everything from Wacom stand–inspired lift systems to track-lighting aesthetics. Through feasibility workshops, we vetted mechanical paths for vertical adjustment: ratcheting tracks, worm gears, telescoping rails, and more. Ultimately, we landed on a robust, screw-driven system that could support the TV’s weight and still feel smooth and safe to adjust.
This feature was integrated at the bracket rather than the wall plate, allowing the mount to maintain a symmetrical arm structure and clean profile from both front and side views. As we refined the form, we developed three visual design themes, Pillar, Radius, and Racetrack, each exploring different expressions of structure, surface, and visual weight.
Simultaneously, our team explored cable routing pathways, ergonomic tilt knobs, detented swivel joints, and hidden fastener strategies. The result was a mount that looked composed and symmetrical when closed, dynamic, lightweighted, and directional when extended, and completely unobtrusive when viewed head-on. Every detail, down to the finish on the tilt lever, was evaluated for user clarity and visual polish.
Designed for intuitive use.
The design process focused on reducing cognitive load. From unboxing to everyday use, the experience needed to feel forgiving and self-evident.
Installation starts with a pre-assembled core, reducing loose parts and setup time. Thoughtful instructions and an optimized hardware kit help demystify fastener selection, a historically painful step. Built-in lateral shift and cable routing features are now surfaced clearly, and the mount ships with labeled parts that align directly with the illustrated steps.
Touchpoints across the mount were designed for intuitive engagement: textured areas on the arms guide where to grip and push, while the vertical adjustment screw provides slow, controlled motion that prevents wobble or overcorrection. Swivel and tilt tensions were dialed in through multiple rounds of user testing to ensure fluid single-handed movement, even with larger screens.
Even in use, the mount never asks the user to second-guess its integrity. Once installed, it behaves like a natural extension of the TV, quietly adjusting to glare, guests, or layout changes with minimal effort.
The standout feature is the mount’s post-installation vertical height adjustability.
Most users only realize their TV is at the wrong height after they’ve lived with it. The Sanus Elite 4D mount solves this problem elegantly. The Shift™ vertical lift system, integrated into the TV bracket, allows for 8" of height correction without unmounting or re-drilling.
Rather than relying on friction-based slots or telescoping arms that compromise rigidity, the system uses a threaded vertical travel screw and reinforced steel guides to enable precise, stable motion. This feature alone sets a new benchmark in the category, where post-install correction is typically laborious, requiring the stud-mounted lag bolts to be removed and re-positioned.
During testing, installers and users alike noted that the shift feature gave them peace of mind: they didn’t have to agonize over perfect placement during install, knowing that fine-tuning could happen later. This brought measurable value to Best Buy’s associates as well, reducing returns tied to incorrect mounting height and giving them a compelling demo moment in store.
Beyond functional benefit, the lift mechanism is completely concealed within the rear bracket, maintaining a refined aesthetic regardless of screen position. It’s a breakthrough that works quietly, powerfully, and without aesthetic compromise.
Features and Benefits include:
Precision Placement: Allows users to adjust for glare or alignment with furniture.
Enhanced Safety: The incorporation of features like controlled drop mechanisms ensure adjustments can be made single-handedly without risk.
Broader Usability: Adapts to various user heights, decor, and seating arrangements.
The mount’s design aligns with Sanus's premium ethos.
Every part of this product, from the industrial design to the internal mechanics to the packaging, was crafted to reflect SANUS’s position as the category leader in performance mounting.
The mount’s geometry is based on clean concentric forms and softened edges that echo premium tech products the mount supports - from televisions to soundbars to Smart TV systems. Materials were carefully chosen: powder-coated steel for strength and durability, satin-finish ABS for touchpoints, and textured plastic for cable covers that disappear behind the screen.
A minimalist profile ensures that nothing detracts from the TV’s visual impact, while subtle branding, cohesive CMF logic, and interchangeable colorways align with high-end entertainment systems. The mount looks just as intentional from the side of a credenza as it does from across the room.
Importantly, this design approach was never skin-deep. It extended to tolerance control, weight distribution, and packaging logistics. The final product is easy to ship, easy to assemble, and meets both the visual and structural expectations of a discerning user base.
In a market crowded with commodity mounts, the Elite 4D stands out not just for what it does, but for how confidently it does it.
For SANUS: A flagship product that reasserts Sanus's leadership in the mounting category through a first-to-market vertical shift feature and design-first engineering—pushing the brand further into the premium tier.
For Best Buy: A high-margin, demonstrable accessory that elevates the in-store experience. Easy to attach to TV sales, the mount reduces returns due to misalignment and empowers associates with a clear upsell story.
For the User: An install experience that’s intuitive and forgiving, even for novices. The mount adapts to their needs, with tool-less adjustments and futureproof flexibility that makes upgrading or repositioning painless.
For Installers: A fast, frustration-free workflow thanks to pre-assembled components, clean cable routing, and error-tolerant mounting options. Post-install vertical shift eliminates callbacks and costly rework.
The Sanus Elite 4D TV Mount addresses key user needs with thoughtful design and innovation. Positive feedback from purchased-verified Best Buy reviewers highlight its ability to combine practical solutions with a clean, sophisticated look, showcasing the impact of research-driven development on creating a better experience for consumers.
Now available, exclusively at Best Buy.
