Collaboration with Haier
Digitalized experiences are omnipresent. However, the look of certain product categories often remain very conservative. Since 2011, Chinese consumer electronics brand Haier has collaborated with N+P to innovate the home appliance sector and develop user-centred solutions for the Chinese and European market.
CLIENT
Haier
YEAR
2011 - Now
SECTOR
Home
DISCIPLINE
Strategic research
Industrial design
Digital design
User-centred home appliances
N+P has been designing cutting edge products for many years. As a world leader in the white goods sector, Haier oversees an immense product portfolio across various disciplines. Since 2011, N+P has collaborated with the Haier in-house team in the design development phase over several product categories - always with the user in mind.
Cross-cultural design
In close collaboration, Haier and N+P bridge cultures through targeted qualitative and quantitative research to understand the values and beliefs that drive desire. Based on the research results, opportunity areas are then developed which guide the projects and ensure user-centred design for both the Chinese and European market.
“It is a great experience working with the N+P team. We believe that systematic methodology is the basis of a fantastic product.”
Yang Li, Business Development Manager at Haier
Haier Super Drum concept design
Based on an in-depth observation of Chinese laundry habits in their homes and in stores, we reinvented the integration of washing machines into everyday life together with the Haier Innovation Design Team. The concept was then realized by Haier’s in-house design team.
Picture and video reference www.haier-europe.com
Design details
The elevated position and enlargement of the door enables better handling of the laundry throughout the whole washing process. Additionally, it effectively communicates the large capacity of the inner drum. The formerly unstructured interface elements were rearranged and reduced into one single display. The linear interface structure intuitively guides the user to the best possible washing result. Additional smart dosing and connected features reduce complexity in order to support a pleasant washing experience.
The reduction of all elements provides an avant-garde look and a seamless integration into the living environment. By providing an external perception combined with internal insights we focused on both the visual appearance and the interactive experience. It was overall a highly productive and iterative collaboration between the design teams.
I-Refresh series concept design
During the concept design phase together with the Haier’s in-house design team, we translated external European perspectives and internal Chinese insights into both the visual appearance and the interactive experience. After a highly creative and iterative collaboration, the concept was finalized by Haier in-house design and provided the base for the H-WAH 500.
The main objective of the I-Refresh series was to improve user experience, thus making processes easier, faster and more intuitive. The functional elements were integrated in the order of use to intuitively guide the user through the operating steps: interface, drum, detergent dosage.
