Philips (2021) - Envision the future of shaving experiences
The challenge
Philips asked us to envision how an existing product range could be improved. They had some ideas to start with but asked us to translate them into prototypes that could be experienced. The Philips team also wanted to conduct research and user tests with the prototypes, requiring a high level of reliability and repeatability.
My impact/role
Taking on Philips as a new client posed a unique challenge for me as a team lead at Handmade. Our aim was to slightly exceed expectations to make a strong impression on the client, while also ensuring the team could meet deadlines without too much stress and overtime. This resulted in fruitful discussions about the level of fidelity we needed to achieve. In the end, we reached a good compromise where the team took pride in the deliverable, the client was genuinely impressed by the high quality, and Handmade was pleased to have acquired a valuable new client.
Team
Team Lead (Me)
Product Designer
Interaction Designer
Visual Designer
Electrical Engineer
Software Developer
Time frame
16 weeks
Insights
Philips is a research driven organization which means they have tried lots of innovations. During discussions this leads quite often to “Oh nice idea but we’ve tried that and it didn’t work”. If not handled carefully this can result in a discussion on tiny details while losing the bigger picture. Therefore I emphasized how we designed a different user experience, maybe with the same hardware, but with a completely different execution.
Actively stimulating the use of a personality (assistant) within a product is very challenging. Balancing the personality traits of a brand (such as Philips) with the sub brand of products and then matching those to the personal preferences of the user is tricky. The on-boarding process of the device should be designed in such a way that the user can quickly adapt it to his or her personal taste.
Products that have a global presence require careful research to determine features that fit a certain demographic. We learned that the Chinese users value the status symbol of the device much more than Western European users. Where one might place it in their living-room the other stows it away in a cupboard.
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Managing expectations
As a team lead determining the scope of the deliverable is one of the most critical aspects to a successful project. For the client you want to overachieve, for the company you want to stay within budget and time. The prototype architecture sketch formed the basis for what the client would get and helped to align expectations.
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Hardware
Within a short period we’ve created 3 different hardware prototypes for Philips, all with a back-up in case the first prototype fails.
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Software
Part of the concept was an accompanying application running on tablets and smartphones. I designed wireframes and guided the visual designer. A challenge was to strike a balance between speed and finesse, still rough but refined enough that people see the potential.
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Present it
During the lock-downs we had to find new ways to present the deliverables to the external clients. In this case I’ve experimented with a set-up that included multiple cameras to offer close up and wide shots. After the remote presentation all was packed into one sturdy suitcase accompanied with an extensive manual.