Electrolux

 

Design is much more than a nice style or a nice form – it's really about products which give you an emotional experience.
- Lars Erikson, Director of Design, Electrolux Asia Pacific


The Westinghouse Virtuoso fridge
has internal feature lighting to
enhance the emotional appeal of the
product. Designed by Electrolux,
2003. Courtesy Electrolux Home
Products.

The Electrolux Design and Innovation centre opened in Pyrmont in 2003. As well as designing for Electrolux, this group of 14 create Australian-made appliances for brands such as Westinghouse, Simpson, Hoover, Dishlex and Kelvinator. Products with these brand names have been designed and made in Australia for decades.

The Sydney group is part of a network of 150 designers in seven design and innovation centres operated by Electrolux around the world. As part of a large global company, this design group has access to a network of resources allowing it to develop 'concept products' and rethink the way we might use appliances in the future.

I like surprise – to surprise people with design is something I try to embrace.
- Lars Erikson, Director of Design, Electrolux Asia Pacific

Video interview - Lars Erikson, Director of Design, Electrolux Asia Pacific talks about the use of light in Electrolux products. Requires Quicktime 7 plugin
get Quicktime

Connecting with consumers: emotion and design

How can you make a consumer feel so delighted and feel such pleasure at the moment of purchase that they don't even care what the price is, they just say “That's great I’ll take it”? - Lars Erikson, Director of Design, Electrolux Asia Pacific

Designers are becoming increasingly concerned that their products contribute to the consumer's sense of well-being. In a competitive marketplace this emotional connection with the consumer helps to distinguish a product in the marketplace.


The illuminated external control
panel on the Westinghouse
Virtuoso refrigerator. Courtesy
Electrolux Home Products.

The designers at Electrolux want the emotional 'value' or appeal of the product to make the price a minor consideration. They hope customers will view their products like furniture or interior decoration rather than a traditional household appliance.

Electrolux have developed a prototype fridge and oven that use feature lighting to enhance the emotional appeal of the product. The fridge and oven are not in production at this stage due to the costs of including the lighting technology.


The Westinghouse Virtuoso fridge
internal lighting. Courtesy Electrolux
Home Products.

Electrolux uses concept products or prototypes to test new design ideas with the company and customers. The designers used some of the lighting ideas from these prototypes in the current range of Westinghouse Virtuoso refrigerators.

The Virtuoso range has an internal blue feature light and an illuminated control panel on the front. The blue internal light helps to communicate the function of the fridge to the user. It represents the cold stream of air that flows down the rear of the fridge interior.

We decided to look at different products and see “How could we incorporate lighting?” to bring these products into a more emotional phase.
- Lars Erikson, Director of Design, Electrolux Asia Pacific

Links

Electrolux

Westinghouse Virtuoso fridge Australian Design Awards entry