GE Sponsored Project
The Polishing Hub was a challenging and exciting team project that spanned the Fall of 2021 and was sponsored by General Electric.
The project's primary goal was to develop a cutting-edge cleaning product that could be seamlessly integrated into GE's brand portfolio.
Our team was tasked with designing for a specific target user persona called "Feature Seeker," which represented tech-savvy individuals with a keen interest in modern lifestyles and new technologies.
After a rigorous design and development process, our team of three talented industrial designers proudly earned second place in the project competition, demonstrating our creativity, expertise, and hard work.
Team: Maria Ruiz, Vina Lacerna and Isabelle Urashima
UX Design
Although the team worked together in all phases, I was the one responsible for the UX Design aspect of the project. I worked on sketching, Interaction Design, Graphic Design, and I created a High Fidelity Prototype. As a team, we also conducted user research and user interviews.
The tools used : Figma , Miro , Rhino , Google Forms (Interviews) , Google slides
User Personas
In order for our team to stay aligned and fully design with the end user in mind, our team created the two user personas - Sam and Sophie.
As requested by GE, we created them with the Feature Seeker target market in mind.
Research
After our initial research on cleaning, we did our first user interviews. From them, we learned that people wanted a tool that facilitated cleaning and polishing their appliances at home.
We came up with the following problem statement:
“ Design a cleaning device that helps maintain the finish on materials such as stainless steel, and remove fingerprint marks, streaks, and water stains. ”
Ideation
Once we had a clear problem statement, our group started ideating possible solutions.
From handheld devices to smart devices that worked on their own like smart vacuums or drones, our team made more than 100+ sketches to figure out the best form with a simple UX.
Chosen Design
After the ideation phase, we got together and picked the best ideas that solved our problem.
To the right are the concepts we decided to pursue in-depth.
And, after an amazing feedback session with the GE team, along with user feedback, we decided to go with #5
Final Concept
YOUR EVERYDAY
SURFACE CARE
POLISHER,
&
CLEANER
FEATURES OF UNIT
Two buttons on the unit
On/Off button that also controls speed and Fluid releaser
Internal LED light that indicates battery and fluid level of the Unit
FEATURES OF HUB
Fluid Level Indicator
Central button to release the unit
LED light that matches the Unit light ( the color can be changed on Smart HQ App)
A screen that indicates the product that will be used
Polishing Hub made into 2 parts
Clean and Polish in 4 easy steps
Packaging
The polishing hub is completely modular. It is sold in a full set that includes four hubs or each hub can be purchased individually.