There has been an identifiable trend over time for appliances to become more and more integrated into the kitchen environment – you’ll know integrated appliances when you see them, or more accurately, you’ll know them when you don’t. They are carefully hidden from sight, more like furniture than refrigerator. Typically, to seamlessly integrate refrigeration requires specific knowledge – or a very expensive refrigerator – and in this short statement Fisher & Paykel spotted a gap in the market for family-sized refrigerator that is easily installed and obtainable at a price-point that is more viable than what other in the marketplace were offering.
Purple Pin Case Study — Value of Design
Fisher & Paykel Appliances
Active Smart Built-In Refrigerator
Background
There has been an identifiable trend over time for appliances to become more and more integrated into the kitchen environment – you’ll know integrated appliances when you see them, or more accurately, you’ll know them when you don’t.
They are carefully hidden from sight, more like furniture than refrigerator. Typically, to seamlessly integrate refrigeration requires specific knowledge – or a very expensive refrigerator – and in this short statement Fisher & Paykel spotted a gap in the market for family-sized refrigerator that is easily installed and obtainable at a price-point that is more viable than what other in the marketplace were offering.
Fisher & Paykel’s Active Smart Built-in Refrigerator was designed to address that nascent opportunity. It provides consumers with a way to achieve a previously unattainable fully integrated aesthetic on a more modest budget. It also illustrates the power of market insight, understanding the requirements of users, and leading with research to identify new opportunities.
While the actual financial implications of the design can’t be published in dollar terms (it is sensitive information in a competitive market), Fisher & Paykel reported its significance to this year’s Best Awards jury. It has been significant, and, aside from the obvious financial benefits, the product has also been an important step in the development of the company’s internal capability and has elevated the external perception of who Fisher & Paykel is as an appliance brand.
As Mark Elmore, General manager of Design at Fisher and Paykel writes:
“We have taken a design led, disruptive and innovative approach to changing the market, and this product has been a stepping-stone on our journey to becoming the world’s number one premium appliance brand.”