Just as we have the expression "fresh air," we have the ability to enjoy the sensation of "freshness." Perhaps we are perceiving abundance through intuition, a deeper sensation than our five senses, beyond the simple senses of taste and smell.
I wish to propose a lifestyle where people live with clean air through our products, air purifiers. What we value the most is the power of design that appeals to human sensibilities and emotions.
"Abundance in life": A new value accompanying the comfort of air
Creating good air with air purifiers leads to customers selecting and purchasing air provided by Daikin Industries only when it manifests value meaningful to users. For example, air purifiers are in demand as a solution to specific problems, such as removing cigarette odors and pollen.
Nevertheless, I believe that air purifiers will develop into products that offer a new value: Abundance in life.
Daikin's design philosophy is to "make air, which is invisible, appreciated." What is a UX design that is suitable for conveying the value of "abundance in life" along with comfortable air?
Daikin offers a wide variation of forms and colors to suit our customers' lifestyles. Usability that includes a mechanism that enables the user to clean the filter without opening the panel and the ease of removing the water tank, as well as other design elements such as sound-proofing, are standard at Daikin. In order to make life with air, which is intangible, more attractive, we explore product design that achieves "abundance in life" through brainstorming with people from a variety of positions within and outside of Daikin.
Introducing the happiness experienced in an extraordinary atmosphere during travel to everyday life
The moment you open the hotel window one morning while travelling and take in a deep breath of cool air, a sensation of well-being comes over you that refreshes you inside and out. Many people may have had such an experience.
I love traveling regardless of whether it is within Japan or abroad. The country I first visited outside of Japan was Germany. The air in Europe was crisp and dry, and the azure of the sky was clear into the far distance. The moment I got off the plane at the airport, I felt my heart dance, feeling the change from the humid air of Japan.
I want people to experience that joy in daily life. The Japanese people once used to believe that water existed as a matter of fact; now we spend money to buy mineral water. Likewise, we buy the experience of living in clean, fresh air and enjoy the modest luxury of spending time in comfortable air in everyday life.
Foreseeing a future where such a value will be widely accepted, we are thinking about "how air can make people truly happy" from the product planning phase.
Striving to make products that bring our customers' desires to life
While products that have to do with living are pushed to market in rapid sequence with technical advancements, people's general interests also lean toward the somewhat nostalgic or handcrafted.
To give an example, the donabe, Japanese earthen pot, is seeing a quiet renaissance among consumers these days. Not only does it have solid functionality as a traditional cooking tool, but perhaps its value of "slow cooking with care," the opposite of the cutting-edge electric rice cookers and such, is being recognized again. In the example of the donabe, the ideal about "how we want to live" is projected onto the product.
If we used forest green for our air purifiers, we can induce an image suggestive of plants and nature through the color. Users may be able to enjoy and experience the clean, fresh air as one would feel on a mountain top or by a lake, even at home.
We want users to, instead of perceiving air purifiers as merely a home appliance, choose them as a sophisticated interior decor item with improved user experience and to showcase abundance in life. As a designer, I hope to create products that allow people to naturally imagine their ideal life in their living space.
