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j michael wiggins

Develop a High Power Cordless Cleaner: in collaboration with Stockholm design, Electrolux produced the Ultra Power, a 24V cleaner that features our patented Brushroll Clean Technology. Opportunity: enhance our lightweight vacuum offering by taking learnings from the UniRapido, adding to the success of the ErgoRapido & improving on its shortcomings :• underemphasized feature set• short battery life• difficulty charging

Solution: develop a exchangeable battery system & refocus the story on a purposeful on-the-floor cleaner that incorporates the Electrolux Brushroll Clean Technology.

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project : siriusElectrolux cordless cleaner

Designer: Collaborative DesignEngineer: Internal Resources

guidelines :

Consumer Insight via

ethnography orfocus groups

Project Lead over a team of ID & Graphics designers

Brainstorm Session Leadwith members of theinternal organization

Product Development in collaboration with internal

engineering resources

Product Developmentvia telecom w/ Overseas

Manufacturing

design kick-offresource planning & allocationphase timing

05.11

legend

design developmentworked with overseas designersto review & refine parts leading up to production

03.12

production10.12

concept generationdesigned concepts in collaboration with Stockholm’s floorcare design team which yielded end-product features such as the front-facingremovable battery, brushroll clean& product aesthetics

07.11

sirius : timeline

project handoffresource reallocation

09.11

Product Development in collaboration with overseas

design resources

sirius : concept development

Page 3

sirius : concept refinement

Page 4

sirius : final product

Removable BatteryThe interchangeable battery offers a feature few cordless cleaners deliver and does so on two fronts :• Ergnonomics: intuitive & simple to use• Shelf Presence: easy to recognize & appreciate at a retail environment

VBL EnhancementAggresive style lines, emphasis on power through a color enhanced exhaust & the use of higher quality materials helped drive the new Electrolux VBL beyond the elegant styling of the ErgoRapido & UniRapido.

Brushroll CleanEasy-to-use, easy-to-interpret, the brushroll clean feature helps consumers maintain a clean brushroll and in doing so optimizes home carpet cleaning by clearing the air path and reducing the likelihood of clogs

project : blenderFrigidaire Immersion Blender

Designer: Michael WigginsEngineer: Chinese Supplier

guidelines : Add to Frigidaire Offering: in collaboration with Chinese manufacturing, develop a middle tier immersion blender under the Frigidaire Professional Brand by restyling an off-the-shelf design.

Opportunity: take an existing product and quickly make improvements over its predecessor through better material & treatment choices.

Solution: the utilization of existing parts was crucial in order to keep pricing down and allocate costs to key areas of the product.








Manufacturing

Product Developmentvia overseas travel to

manufacturing facilities

project kick-offresource planning & allocationsupplier sourcingproject timing

08.11

legend

design developmentworked with an overseas supplierto gain a better understanding of smalldomestic appliances and createmultiple fully-functioning prototypes in order to land on a final design.

12.11

production04.13

concept generationled brainstorm sessions that consisted of group cooking classes where internal employees would create a variety of dishes using the immersion blender. The sessions were followed up with a learnings recap & ideageneration.

09.11

blender : timeline

blender : research

Page 3

Key Observations : Cord Maintenance

Key Observation : Splash Protection & Resiliency

Further Development:From getting in the way of handling the blender to dipping itself in the food, the cord was a clear & constant pain point for each user group.

Aside from battery operated units, cumbersome cords on are seen as a necessary evil on hand blenders (much like on floorcare products).

Further Development:A popular use for hand blenders is making soups & sauces. The preparation for those courses comes with high temperatures and the need for a product made from materials that are not only durable, but implies durability as well.

blender : development

blender : final product

Interchangable PartsBlender comes standard with blending attachment, whisk & chopper.

Brushed Nickel PlatingTo reduce costs and still match the VBL of the current Frigidaire Pro offering, the supplier developed a brushed nickel plating that is almost indiscernable from the stainless steel treatment seen on Frigidaire Professional’s small domestic appliances.

Soft Touch Professional Grade PaintTo match the matte finish of the Frigidaire VBL while improving consumer interaction, we added a soft touch paint, which gives the product protection against the elements and a soft, comforting grip.

180º Swivel CordFrom the cooking sessions we learned that the cord can easily get in the way, depending on where the wall outlet is, and to alleviate that problem the blender incorporates a 180º front-to-back swivel cord.

blender : 180º swivel cord

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Design-Driven USPPotential Pain Point: from the cooking sessions we learned that the cord can easily get in the way, whether it be draped on the user, overextended or dipped in food.

Unspoken Consumer Need: To stop the cord from impeding the food preparation process. To do so, the blender cord features a unique 180º front-to-back swivel which was developed at no additional cost to the project.

blender : facelift improvements

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Soft Touch Paint Gloss Plastic

Nickel PlatedButton Housing

Rubber Button Housing

ElongatedActuation Button

Single FingerActuation Button

180 SwivelCord

Out-the-backCord

Thinner Body Wider Body

Nickel PlatedLarge Cuff

Gloss PlasticSmall Cuff

Feature DetailsNickel Plating: added to do more than just give the product a higher-end look. By intentionally placing the plating in key ergonomic areas, the end-user feels the metal-like coating whereby taking their appreciation for the quality of the material to the next level.

Larger Button & Cuff: the larger touch points contribute to ease-of-use and create a better overall experience.

Soft-touch Paint: the body functions as the key touch-point and its high-end soft touch serves as a constant reminder of Frigidaire’s commitment to quality.

blender : VBL alignment

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Brand MessageBringing professional grade performance & styling to the home environment.Full-size results, small-space convenience.High-end materials purposefully used to convey a sense of quality.Matching granite grey interface points present a family look & sense of familiarity across the product line.

Key SimilaritiesBrushed nickel plating to imitate a high-end stainless steel look.Soft touch medium grey body for color matching & improved ergonomics.Granite grey interface points.Professional grade styling

project : phoenixpremium central vacuum

Designer: Michael WigginsEngineer: Internal Resources

guidelines : Rejuvenate Beam Brand: with the most recent platform produced more than 5 years prior, Beam was looking to introduce a next generation cleaner that improved in the areas of performance & user interfaction.

Opportunity: after moving development from Iowa City to a manufacturer in Juarez, Mexico, better technologies at

lower costs were within reach.

Solution: with the sudden reduction in development cost, ID & product development were able to pull out all the stops to deliver a truly revolutionary, built-for-the-consumer central vacuum.








Manufacturing



legend

phoenix : timelineproject leadproject started prior tomy arrival at Electrolux &I was put in charge of IDdevelopment themoment I arrived.

02.11ethnographiesconducted in the US and Canada, this two-week consumer insight study had two clear goals: • in-home observation of a central vacuum user’s cleaning habits & interaction with interface of the main unit• user feedback on prototyped concepts

07.11 06.12product developmenttraveled to and worked directly with themanufacturing plant & development team in Juarez, MX to refine initial off-tool parts and prepare them for production

design developmentworked with internal engineering resources to implement refineddesign concepts

11.11

production03.13

concept generationled brainstorm session with the internal design teams with the goals of improving dust cup ergonomics & creating an intuitive LCD interface

04.11

phoenix : interface brainstorm

GoalDevelop a “fixed LCD” interface that, unlike a programmable LCD, has icons in a defined location, but delivers comparable notifications.

ChallengeEfficiently use a predefined space with limits of:• No complex animations • Universal icons to compensate for an inability to display font in multiple languagesCreate discernable notifications that include:

System ConnectedSystem IdlePower OnLow SpeedMed SpeedHigh SpeedTime & TemperatureMaintanence RequiredMaintanence Error CodeBucket LevelBucket OKBucket Full / Needs AttentionPerformance LevelPerformance OKPerformance Low / Needs Attention

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phoenix : interface development

phoenix : handle development

Page 5

GoalUse an off-the-shelf Electrolux 2G handle and modify its existing user interface.

ChallengeIn a 1” x 3” area, successfully design the following features:• Universal icons that can be easily understood in Europe, Asia & NA• LED back-lit notifications:

System ConnectedSystem IdlePower OnLow SpeedMed SpeedHigh SpeedMaintanence Required

• 3 tactile buttons

phoenix : final product

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Direct Connect InterfaceOnce plugged in, the handle makes and maintains a constant connection to the main unit and monitors suction performance, bucket level & clogs.

LED Light RingAdded to further ehance consumer interaction on higher end variants, a light ring was added that slowly illuminates the translucent blue ring as a consumer approaches the unit.

LCD InterfaceAllows the user to interact with and modify vacuum setting. Provides full diagnostic readouts & maintanence information.

HEPA FilterA push-to-release spring loaded door makes for quick access to dirty filters.

Front Utility Port The same push-to-release mechanism is featured in this quick-access utility port for cleaning near or around the central vacuum.

360º Bucket ReleaseUnique to the industry, this dust cup features a 360º compressable ring that can be pressed anywhere to remove the bucket.

project : food jarContigo Kid’s Food Jar


guidelines : Enter Food Jar Market: add to the Contigo offering with the introduction of a food container for children’s lunch boxes.

Opportunity: Thermos controls 90% of this market segment and does so by branding one product through partnerships with Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, etc, but stopped at

innovation their ability to quickly rebrand. Solution: design a competitive vacuum insulated

container that can also keep food hot or cold long

periods of time, but offer better ergonomics and an improved feature set.

attedd








Manufacturing



project kick-offresource planning & allocation supplier sourcing project timing.

07.06.09

legend

design developmentworked with internal engineeringresources to gain a better understanding of the vacuum insulated container category andhow to apply it to food containers.

07.15.09tooling releasewith the revitalization of Sharper Image in the States, Electrolux repurposed Inferno and introduced it as an OEM air cleaner in EU & Asia Pacific.

09.15.09

concept generationled brainstorm sessions with marketing, engineering & design to better understandthe food jar category and how Contigowould like to enter it.

07.08.09design freezepassed final CAD data toengineering & worked inparallel to ensure feature set & design aesthetics were maintained.

08.05.09prototype evaluationconducted two rounds of prototyping to prove out features, functionality &ergonomics.

08.05.09

engineering freezepassed final CAD data tooverseas manufacturing forevaluation and preparationfor tooling.

08.13.09

NOTE: focused timline, project start to tooling release food jar : timeline

food jar : concept development

Page 3

food jar : lid development

Page 4

food jar : final development

Page 5

food jar : final product

accessory : kid’s scout cup

easy-grip squircle lid

Page 6

VBL Progression Building on Contigo Kid’s Line offering, the food jar exhibits flowing lines, abrupt chamfering, concave top surface & soft-touch, easy-grip overmolds.

Easy-Grip Squircle LidTo reduce packaging, a standard lid size was adopted, but to help with its removal, the shape conforms from a circle at the lid’s base to a squircle shape around the outer rim.

Carry HandleAn added feature to give the jar a smaller competitive advantage over Thermos.

Lid GripsA series of indentation designs were explored around the lid’s outer rim to add to the visual impact while improving ergonomics. In the end, the team landed on a protruding circular grid reminiscent of another Contigo kid’s product.

project : harnessSanitaire backpack vacuum

Designer: Michael WigginsEngineer: Chinese Supplier

guidelines : Improve Market Share: gain market share by creating or enhancing marketable features through small changes to the overall design.

Opportunity: in collaboration with sourcing, Group Design learned in the soft goods industry product construction drives cost while changing the grade or quality of materials used equates to a minimal cost impact.

Solution: creation of a superior harness system developed by Electrolux design in collaboration with overseas suppliers and reinforced through the use of ethnography research conducted in casino hotel environments.

harness : timeline

Consumer Insight viaethnography or

focus groups






Manufacturing



project kick-offresource planning & allocationsupplier sourcingproject timing

11.07

ethnographiesconducted in multiple Las Vegas casino hotels, consumerinsight included observing staffclean & interact with backpack vacuums in a commercial environment

01.08

project holdresource reallocation

legend

03.08

project restartrevisit research findings & begin design phase with guidance from Sanitaire’s brand designer

09.11

design developmentworked with an overseas soft goods manufacturer to gain a better understandingof the soft goods industry and to generate a series of harness revisions leading up tothe final production piece

11.11

production03.13

concept generationconducted brainstorm session spanning several weeks with teams comprised of marketing, sales, engineering & designwith the goals of improving comfort & usability

10.11

Key Observations:• Shifts run from 4-8 hours leading to frequent fatigue as well as excessive perspiration due to lack of ventilation.• Methodology changes user-to-user, but the most consistent in-use variable is cord interaction. When the cord is fully extended, the overwhelming majority of users will remove the cleaner entirely, walk to & unplug the cord, replug the cord elsewhere and resume cleaning. This leads to two habits:

hastily putting on the harness seldomly fastening the waist straps

Key Insights:• Open, airy design that promotes air flow and keeps end-users cooler.• Backpack harnesses are designed to shift the cleaner’s weight to the user’s waist , which won’t happen with the waist straps unfastened. The two-part solution is to:

entice the user to user the harness as intended maximize comfort in the event they don’t.

harness : research

harness : development

Page 4

harness : final productcompetitive unit : proteam

sanitaire harness : storage

Page 5

color coordinated guidance For ProTeam, the color & material of the front and back of their straps are identical leaving the user unsure if they’re wearing the harness correctly.

We put color at the forefront of the design process so that all

Sanitaire Red fabric would come into direct connect with the end-user and, as such, alleviaties any confusion as to how the harness is worn.

easy-on arm straps Tighten the buckles and the arm straps arc outward and stay arched making the harness easy to slip on and off.

less fatigueOpen mesh harness allows for better air flow and ventilation. Secondary purpose is to act is a taughtly pulled woven structure used for mounting harness pads & features.

stay coolorInspired by high-end hiking backpacks, the harness includes porous lumbar, arm & shoulder pads via low-density polyethylene foam surrounded by an open-air polyethylene mesh.

project : infernoElectrolux EU tower air cleaner

Designer: Michael WigginsEngineer: Korean Supplier

guidelines : Enter Tower Market: after introducing the Oyxgen flat panel & the high capacity Oxygen Ultra, Electrolux focused their efforts on the widely growing tower market.

Opportunity: with the 2008 bankruptcy of Sharper Image, Electrolux saw an opportunity to take substantial market share in the tower air purifier category.

Solution: facelift an off-the-shelf unit, improve performance to match Oxygen Ultra and reach production within one & a half years.








Manufacturing



project kick-offresource planning & allocation supplier sourcing project timing.

12.08

legend

design developmentworked with an overseas soft goods manufacturer to gain a better understanding of the soft goods industry and to generate a series of harness revisions leading up to the final production piece.

01.09 productionwith the revitalization of Sharper Image in the States, Electrolux repurposed Inferno and introduced it as an OEM air cleaner in EU & Asia Pacific.

03.10

concept generationled brainstorm sessions with internal design team and received guidance from marketing & the Electrolux Air Care brand designer with the goal of evolving the VBL & improving performance

01.09

product developmenttraveled to and worked directly with the Korean manufacturing plant & development team to improve performance figures beyond those of the original OTS unit.

project handoffresource reallocation

06.09

04.09

inferno : timeline

inferno : development

Page 3predecessor : Oxygen Ultra

inferno : final product

predecessor : Oxygen Ultra

Page 4

Easy-to-Remove PanelFor easy access to the HEPA filter, Inferno’s front panel leans forward in a walkman like fashion.

VBL Progression Simpler cleaner, simpler design. The Oxygen Ultra used multiple aggressive louvers to convey a message of pure performance. Inferno was designed to deliver & improve on that message : small size, same performance.

LED BandTo maintain brand similarity, the band was ultimately oriented horizontally. It functions as a dimly lit stand-by indicator or fully lit power-on indicator.

Top-Mount InterfaceAn evolution of the Oxygen Ultra front-facing display, this interface consolidates buttons & indicator LEDS around a central power button.

Uninhibited Rear ExhaustLocated behind the unit & engineered to aim air up, this exhaust system delivers whisper quiet cleaning performance.

PREMIUM : The Kenmore Premalite by LG features a unique cyclonic filtration system, innovative dustcup release, two-in-one wand and high quality magnesium parts.

LIGHTWEIGHT : At 15.3 pounds, the Premalite, with its spaceframe design constructed out of magnesium and aluminum parts, is lighter than the Dyson Slim and can still outperform a full upright unit.

Page 1

project : premaliteKenmore Premalite by LG

premalite : concept development

Page 2

premalite : refined concepts

Page 3

PREMALITE DUSTCUP REMOVAL : The Premalite Dustcup sits on a hinged platform. Pressing the top release

button allows the dustcup and platform to swing backwards. The user can

then slide the dustcup up a magnesium track attached to the platform and

empties their dustcup. This magnesium track on the platform also houses

the tool caddy and cord wrap.

premalite : dustcup features

Page 4

PREMALITE HANDLE + WAND EXTENSION : The Premalite Dustcup Wand has a two-in-one system. The wand acts as both the primary handle for operating the vacuum and detachable wand for off-the-floor cleaning. Pressing the button behind the hose allows the wand & hose to be released easily from the unit. Reinstalling is also an easy task, the user simply reinserts the wand and it will click back into place.

premalite : wand features

Page 5

premalite : final product

Page 6

PROJECT GOALS:Develop a 2nd-generation product with contemporary styling and a new USP to revitalize our introductory product and boost sales.

PROJECT HURDLES:Original Cost = $2.40New Project Cost = $2.20Make the design and features distinct enough such that the buyer will carry this product and its predecessor on shelf.

TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC:Female 65%, Male 35%, Age 25 - 40. Middle, working class families on a budget looking for low-end products with a taste of high-end

functionality.

Page 1

project : bellaContigo Bella Travel Mug


guidelines :

bella : concept development

Page 2

bella : final product

Page 3

Auto-SealAuto-seal technology features a button actuated apperture that opens when pressed and closes when released. The end result is the no-spill beverage container.

Customizable Inner WallAside from insulation, the double-walled plastic construction also allows the user to customize their product by adding printed graphics between the two layers.

Lid GripsA series of indentation designs were explored around the lid’s outer rim to add to the visual impact while improving ergonomics. In the end, the team landed on a protruding square grid itaht mimics that shape of the overmold on Contigo’s higher-end unit.

Dishwasher SafeNew to the double-walled plastic market, Bella offers a top-rack dishwasher safe feature by adding an extra gasket to the top seal.

bella : color lineup

Page 4

t

bella : facelift improvements

Cup Lid Grip Matte Cup Lid

Tone-on-toneColor/Graphic Pop

Chamfered Surfacew/ no Graphics

Wider Base Narrow Base

Elegant Curvature Conflicting Elements

Page 5

project : flat panelElectrolux EL490 Air Cleaner

flat panel : concept development

Page 2

flat panel : final product

Page 3

PlateauingButtons

MembraneButtons

Refined AirLouvers

Open AirLouvers

UnobtrusiveFront Panel

ComplexFront Panel

ImprovedMotor Output

StandardMotor

flat panel : facelift improvements

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