Can an air purifier be beautiful?
Contrary to the popular advice for books, everyone is invited to judge the Coway Airmega air purifier by its cover. After all, the creative minds behind the air purification system were inspired by design thinking, and their emphasis on eye appeal has won over many design experts. In the words of Amanda Lauren, a writer who specializes in interior design, the Airmega “looks like a modern sculpture” for the home.
Empathy for the problem of bad design
Empathy is the first step in creating a product that improves people’s lives. In this preliminary stage, the goal is to fully understand the problem at hand, and to empathize with those dealing with it. For Coway Airmega customers, the main issue is poor indoor air quality and the conditions that arise as a result.
Yet there was another issue: the long history of ugly air filters in people’s living spaces. To solve for this, Coway’s design team created streamlined products that fit into contemporary, stylish homes.
Define and ideate
Through the experience of empathy, developers are then able to define the user’s problem. Once it’s defined, they begin to explore a range of solutions. Many Coway designers are inspired by architecture and the notion that form follows function. In other words, the look and the function of any building—or in this case, an object for the home—should feel unified.
As a result, the Coway Airmega doesn’t have any superfluous buttons or unnecessary design elements. Its functions are available in a simple, elegant form.
Perhaps the Shakers said it best in their approach to design: “Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.”
Prototype and test
Coway designers tested and integrated the latest advances in technology to develop the features for the Coway Airmega. Not only did technology optimize the filter’s internal functioning, it also influenced the product’s appearance through new possibilities in material and shape.
The Coway Airmega is known for helping families solve the problem of poor indoor air quality by removing over 99.97 percent of particles up to 0.3 microns in size. And while it helps people breathe healthier air, it adds beauty to every living space, too.
