Damixa
What do users value when it comes to tap design? tap design?
The challenge
What do users value when it comes to tap design? tap design?
Damixa is an innovative Danish manufacturing company that has been developing and producing taps and thermostats at its own factory in Odense since 1932. In collaboration with Analyse Danmark, Damixa held a survey in 2014 focus group with the aim of pretesting four design concepts to get input for further design work, including
- Spontaneous reactions to the concepts
- Perceived advantages and disadvantages
- Which design(s) are preferred
In addition, the aim was to uncover attitudes and buying behaviour towards this product group, including:
- Info search about taps
- Opt-in and opt-out criteria
- Discuss different features - which ones are preference drivers?
The methodology
Focus group with physical versions of the tap concepts - ’dummies’
Prior to the group, the participants had taken pictures of their existing faucet(s) in their home and the brands/types they were considering for replacement. a future replacement and sent these electronically to Analyse Denmark. The discussion was based on the taps the end users had at home and the experiences, both good and less good, e.g. in relation to The four new design proposals from Damixa were presented as ’dummies’ to give the participants a better sense of the size and shape of the individual designs - ’touch and feel’.
Results
From dummy to launch
Two of the four concepts that Damixa pre-tested in the group have subsequently been elevated to projects, one of which was launched in September 2015.
The design was changed based on the focus group's comments, which included that the nose was too long, but that the flat design was beautiful and innovative. The concept resulted in an eco-friendly product range called Pine, which includes two kitchen taps, two bathroom taps and the washbasin tap that was presented to the focus group and formed the basis for the design direction of the range. Damixa also had some suggestions for new features, such as built-in water saving, which were incorporated into the final design based on the participants' responses.
Søren Braae has made sure to integrate the focus groups' comments into the products that are currently on the market. The second concept, which scored highly in terms of design among the focus group participants and was therefore later elevated to a project, is expected to be launched in the second half of 2016. Read more about the new Pine series
For Damixa, it's important to be close to end users and their needs. By using 3D-printed dummies in focus groups, we get as close as possible to a potential end product and receive end users' immediate reactions to techniques and designs, which we would otherwise only have been able to sketch out on a drawing board.
Søren Braae, Product Manager at Damixa.