Surface Modeling Exercise

This was my first design sprint at Umeå Institute of Design, developed in collaboration with Electrolux, a leader in home appliances with a longstanding heritage in Scandinavian design, specializing in vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, kitchen equipment, and laundry solutions designed for everyday convenience.

The sprint focused on multigenerational living, a growing trend where multiple generations share a home due to economic, cultural, and social factors. These living setups result in very interesting design challenges, as all basic household products must accommodate users with different needs, habits, expectations and levels of tech familiarity. Some might expect full automation, while others simply want a reliable and immediate tool that requires no setup or learning curve.

To understand these diverse needs, we used tools like a rapid persona development and roleplaying, mapping everyday scenarios where different generations might use a vacuum cleaner: A father who expects his autonomous vacuum to have cleaned while he’s at work - a grandmother who needs a quick, manual solution for the small mess the grandchild has produced during breakfast - or a child that learns to engage with household tasks in a more playful, interactive way. These stories led us to the concept of TRIO, a three-in-one vacuum cleaner that merges the convenience of autonomous cleaning with the flexibility of a broomstick.