Aqualisa’s core technology – the bimetallic thermostatic shower valve – makes showering better. The pressure is higher, the temperature constant and the overall experience is quite obviously more enjoyable. Within this context, the need for in-depth user research is limited.
But when Aqualisa wanted to develop a new digital shower, moving the company away from its core technology, user experience and behavioural research became essential to help create a right first time product and minimise the potential risk.
Aqualisa had 20 years’ experience in the bathroom technologies sector before embarking on the project to design a new digital shower – part of a wider strategy to adopt a more innovative approach to product development.
The company had no shortage of expertise and understanding about its customers, its products and the wider marketplace. But moving away from its comfort zone and core technology created a potential knowledge gap, which Aqualisa wisely decided to address. In partnership with design consultancy Seymour Powell, Aqualisa undertook an extensive user behavioural research project.
User research is particularly important in the bathroom design sector, as Aqualisa Managing Director, Harry Rawlinson explains: ‘In the bathroom environment, what people actually do can differ quite considerably from what they say they do, so observing behaviour is vital for gaining a better understanding of users’ needs.’
In fact there were several aspects that Aqualisa wanted to get right from a user’s perspective: ease of use, temperature control, comfort and safety.
As part of the research process, Aqualisa and Seymour Powell set up what they called a ‘safe house’, somewhere they could observe the way people actually use showers.
‘The best innovations come about from making small, incremental changes, which in Aqualisa’s case meant focusing on ease of installation and the consumer experience,’ explains Dick Powell.
‘So we worked on the push button start, situating the controls outside the shower unit and making the temperature more controllable. We then used the research to substantiate whether these were improvements that consumers were actually interested in, and how best to implement those changes.’
The results of the user research, combined with Aqualisa’s own experience, helped to shape Seymour Powell’s final design. Quartz Digital is a high end digital shower that combines power with ease of use and simple temperature control. The controls can be situated outside the shower so the correct settings can be programmed and the right temperature reached before entering. A light on the control panel indicates when the desired temperature has been reached and the push-button controls don’t require any strength or dexterity to use.
Importantly, the results of the user research carried out for the Quartz Digital project have helped to shape future generations of the range and new product lines.
