Ideal thermostat for 2022
—— Our Mission ——
What kind of termostat will the customer want to see in 2022?
The demand for sustainable business practices and environments has grown dramatically, especially in commercial spaces. It’s no longer a plus to be sustainable but a must. The customer is also expecting Trane products to be stunningly beautiful and naturally intuitive.
Research
We set out our quest by looking at the big pictures, potential customer we need to talk to. From the decision maker, who purchase the thermostat, to the end user who interact with thermostat on the daily basis, we even able to talk to the ME that deal with maintenance issues, surprisingly, all these consumer are giving us a one simple message.
The future thermostat is a smart system
Smart = Simple + Intuitive + Efficient
Simple
Intuitive
Efficient
Ideation
Our team went through 4 rounds of sketch Ideation,
Simple Shape
1：1 Prototype on the wall
‘My ideal aesthetic would be a screen such as cell phone that shows what I’m doing and an aesthetic modern design.’
— 36 year male participant
Sustainable Material
PLA is plant derived and biodegradable which has wonderful potential on the sustainability side. It does suffer from lower UV resistance than some plastics, darker variants are more UV stable, making the darker option in the middle both pleasant to look at and longer-lasting. It can be both high performance and sustainable.
Intuitive Interface
Home & Mode
Over 78 participants, 75% feel they are able to operate the system at first glance.
Menu & Privacy
The manager can access the menu to change higher functions after entering passcode. The menu also has a preview to inform users of the system status.
Create Schedule
Here a store manager can easily set up the schedule for the entire week and designate an ideal temperature range for each day.
Schedule Edit
The user can simply delete schedule by clicking on the delete button. They are also able to add a schedule for the same day by clicking on the adding button.
Schedule Preset
The manager can activate previously made schedules as well as presets provided by the system. This saves time adding new schedule. They can also drag the control bar to quickly change the operation time.
Efficiency Remote Access
The owner can remotely monitor the condition of the thermostat through the mobile application
’ I would like to use an app to control the thermostat. That is my ideal temperature experience.’
— 53 year Bagel Shop Owner