OXO Uplift – Industrial Design Portfolio

OXO

uplift kettel

OXO's brand promise is looking at everyday objects and activities and seeing ways to make things simpler, easier, more thoughtfully designed–better. To deliver on this the team looked for innovative ways to alleviate the main pain point around using a kettle. How to provide the best experience without getting burned was the focus of the work. This led to using the kettle's own weight during the pouring process to open the spout.

OXO

Uplift was a collaboration with OXO during my time working for TODA. TODA developed a range of kettle designs, all focused on the pain point around lifting and pouring the kettle. Uplift sought to simplify the opening by combining it with the pouring. Using the weight of the kettle to open the spout thus minimizing the opportunity for accidental burning.

Home

The tea kettle has the unique opportunity of being both a functional and counter-worthy object in even the cleanest kitchen aesthetic. This requires the object to be functionally superior and complement a range of kitchen styles. The OXO materials and design language do a lot to support that. The unique functionality of the kettle makes it compelling to consumers and an interesting element in the space.

Project Approch

Phase 0

Category Immersion, User Empathy
User Interviews, Isolate Pain Points

Phase 1

Concept exploration
Focuse on resolving pain points

Phase 2

Refinement and detail exploration. Other usage opportunities
Testing mockups oth users and the team at large

Phase 3

Delivery of detailed design intent. Working hand in hand with engineering

Category

The team did a deep dive to become kettle experts. Not only looking at the range of aesthetics that existed in the market, but understanding the challenges in usage and consumer habits.

Pain Points

The team used the category archetype to illustrate the existing pain points.
From a consumer usage standpoint, there were 3 critical elements to consider.

1. The ergonomic handle angle
2. Spout opening
3. Heat transfer of off-center kettle

Mockups

Throughout the process, the team developed mockups at every stage. Considering size, proportion, and fit reacting to new manufacturing constraints while staying focused on design intent.