Whirlpool’s key principles for designers

On the basis of information acquired from its different types of research and initial ideas, a concept is developed through an ideation phase which involves a variety of design methods, as well as interaction between the Platform Studio and brand platforms

In terms of design methods, Chuck Jones, Vice President of Whirlpool's Global Consumer Design unit, points to the need for 'sandbox time' and 'designer think time,' where designers are free to spend time exploring initial ideas and solutions to the opportunity or user need identified.

Jones notes, 'I would say that the thing that we do inside of Global Consumer Design is to ensure that we've got smart people working on an innovation initiative.'

'We’re giving them the time and space to think and reflect and nose around and try some things and probably fail, and you know, give them that time to do that.'

Another key feature of the way in which designers contribute to product development at Whirlpool is to work in multi-disciplinary teams throughout the development process. In both its Brand Studios and Platform Studios, Whirlpool operates a phase gate process to ensure that each stage of the design is signed off by all the relevant stakeholders. In the Platform Studios, the development process is best described as a 'creative scrum' says Jones. While design, engineering, manufacturing and materials specialists all work on platform development, the leadership role shifts back and forth between them as the project progresses. 'Sometimes design has the ball, sometimes it’s engineering.'

All roads for the outcomes of the development of the concepts are leading towards the Opportunity Brief Development, which is the point at which Regional Innovation Boards, led by the regional business owners, review concepts for sign-off. This multi-disciplinary group interrogate the concept, and seek the answers to questions around brand fit, whether the concept links to an existing product or a potential new business area, what the revenue stream may be, and what investment is required.

Evaluation

Whirlpool operates an extremely thorough evaluation process once a design has entered production. Evaluation starts on the factory floor with end-of-the-line craftsmanship audits. These are used to ensure that production quality is running at the appropriate level and to feedback manufacturability insights to the design teams.

After products have been with users for six to eight months, the design group conducts a post-launch usability audit with selected customers. The results of these audits can be linked closely to the costs of supporting a product in the field. 'We know that for a certain usability score, we will receive x number of service calls,' says Jones. Metrics like this help the design team to prove its cost effectiveness in future product launches, he says.

All design metrics are fed back to the design team using a standard one page template. The metrics for a project, circulated at product team level, allows them to compare performance on different projects, evaluate the effect of process changes and ensure that all worldwide design groups are continuing to improve their overall performance.