Electrolux Trio

Cleaning in a multigenerational home

Multigenerational households are on the uprise, this creates new demands when it comes to cleaning.
So what does vacuum cleaning look in such a home?
Together with Electrolux and my fellow classmates Yue Zhao and Nils Achenbach we set out on a design sprint to find out what it means for an age diverse household to vacuum clean.

Project: Umeå Insitute of Design
Collaboration partner: Electrolux
Participants: 3 people
Time span: 4 weeks
When: Fall 2021

3 generations
with different user needs

Our concept revolved around three personas that each represented three different age groups and their life styles and individual needs. This worked very well as a fundation for developing a product that could take care of these individual needs in a dignifying way.

Autonomous mode

Manual mode

Handheld mode

Return function

Laser function

Finalizing improvements
after feedback with Electrolux

The project was well recieved by Electrolux during our final presentation. They thought that the 3 in 1 approach for the users´ individual needs was clever and innnovative. Electrolux also gave us constructive feedback, wishing that the handle could be more ergonomic and that the home station could have a smaller footprint.
– Things that we improved for the final concept.

Learning outcome

– Rapid decision making
– Intense teamwork and collaboration
– Heavy focus on personas 

This project was all about learning how to take rapid decitions as a team without the expense of the projects final result. The project also had a big focus on personas, which gave the concept a solid foundation thanks to a direct link to the users imaginative needs.