Purifying the air in your home is essential for health, longevity, and productivity.
Reinventing the Hush air purifier went beyond functionality. The aspiration was to transform the appliance into an aesthetically pleasing product.
We wanted homeowners to proudly showcase their air purifier whilst it enhances the ambiance and comfort of their home.
With established technology as our foundation, we conducted extensive research into the rise of the rental and homeowner markets. This research guided our strategy to modernise the Hush air purifier specifically for the domestic market.
Our approach for a more appealing filtration system centred around three key points:
We explored multiple styling options through concept sketches to turn a functional product into a room decoration; enhancing the aesthetics of the product would add to its appeal. The product shape is inspired by windows. This evokes the feeling that opening this product is like opening a window to freshen your mind.
To create a subtle visual display of the air quality, we added a light that illuminates in different colours depending on when the filter needed replacing.
A small tray to the back of the purifier is where users can add their favourite fragrance to suit their mood and freshen the air around them. The tray acts as a safety mechanism – it’s hidden to prevent children and pets from accidentally touching. An aroma pad storage function was also included save time of replacements.
Our research revealed that small air purifiers are most popular for home use due to their affordability and ease of movement.
Usage varies on the situation (such as allergy or flu seasons) and during both leisure and work time, which may be in different parts of the home. So we textured the exterior to increase surface friction for easy grip when moving between multiple environments in the home.
The unboxing experience is just as important as when the product is adorning your home. We modernised the branding on the product and carried it through onto the packaging and its accessories (range of aromas).
We added thoughtful and concise text on the packaging, as well as a quick set up guide and QR code which signposted to an online manual to reduce packaging. Inside the space was optimised so that each item could be clearly seen yet fully secured and protected whilst in transit.
Once the air purifier is in operation, we made the filters easy to access with tool-free changes; deploying good human factors thinking is what we excel at as, after all, we want to design inclusive products that offer an enjoyable experience.
Product renders played a crucial role throughout this project to visualise and evaluate the design early on. This is especially useful for identifying areas for improvement in the development process so we can make rapid changes.
We also created renders for promotional activities; hero and perspective views in multiple colours, in-context views (for a realistic portrayal of how it would look in the home) as well as technical renders which reveals the intricacies of its internal features.
