The MIMO
collection
features
water flosser
designs that
emerged several
years ago
during a surge
in the Chinese
market segment.
This project
focuses on
strategy and
design solution
development
to position and
differentiate
products in a
rapidly emerging
and competitive
market.
We engaged
market analysis
and
user research
to understand
the challenges
in the market
and discover
opportunities in
user lifestyles.
And further
shaped
creative product
solutions
that address
identified
user needs
for our target
consumers
and stand out
in the market.
As we began our market analysis, a significant trend quickly emerged:
The market is currently favouring affordable entry-level portable products, while desktop water flossers struggle with lower sales and supplier engagement.
Major industry players and local startups are increasingly focusing on portable flossers due to consumer demand. Even those with limited travel needs are choosing portable options, as reflected in top-selling products.
Why is this happening?
In a crowded market flooded with homogenous models,
the industry is heading towards fierce price competition, which marginalises desktop models positioned in higher price ranges.
Local start-ups pursue quick and easy product development, producing similar products with basic features. Without a unique edge, they are compelled to lower prices.
And Chinese consumers favour cheaper options, adding pressure to competitors, especially new entrants like our client, transitioning from an OEM to a start-up. Some international brands have adapted by offering lower-priced options alongside their premium models, responding well to market changes.
Yet,
Water flossers are becoming more personalised into individual units akin to toothbrushes.
This shift is driven by affordability, as owning separate units becomes economically feasible compared to a shared desktop model which serves the same functionality.
And the motivations for owning personal dental devices include flexibility, hygiene standards, and avoiding intimacy concerns
How to establish a competitive edge and align with consumer interests in the saturated market of portable water flossers?
- With this question, we delved into user and lifestyle research.
Our strategic focus centres on identifying potential consumers with unmet needs, transforming their lifestyles into opportunities, and crafting unique designs that resonate with their preferences.
Observation 1:
Urban young consumers exhibit diverse demands and intents regarding water flosser.
Their engagement with water flossers revolves around trend-following and proactively mitigating future risks rather than addressing immediate oral care needs.
Their dynamic lives, characterised by frequent social engagements and a heightened interest in beauty and personal image, present opportunities for product positioning.
Observation 2:
Individuals wearing teeth braces face the challenge of keeping both their teeth and braces clean, particularly after meals.
This task proves more demanding for students or commuters who often find themselves dining out.
Observation 3:
In various social settings, spanning professional engagements to intimate dates, certain groups could greatly benefit from a quick teeth-cleaning solution.
This addresses concerns such as mitigating unpleasant breath, removing food and coffee residues from teeth, thereby reducing awkward moments during intimate interactions and leaving a favourable impression on colleagues and clients.
Such concerns often align with individuals who regularly do teeth whitening, work at marketing or retails, or live a posh lifestyle
Observation 4:
An issue lies in most portable designs for mobility - the excessive height and thickness.
This renders them impractical to carry without a tote bag when a handy wallet bag or pocket is preferred in many scenarios.
Considering the current technical constraints of our client (a start-up), we might need to be creative when proposing new solutions.
Observation 5:
Balancing functionality for both home use and portability requires a seamless and intuitive process to prevent several issues.
Such as forgotten components or unnecessary carriage of items.
And ensuring that enter-mouth pieces can be isolated within a bag or pocket, which is often highlighted in customer reviews as a hygiene concern and discomfort, similar to place a pen retrieved from a bag directly into their mouth.
Moreover, consumers frequently encounter the issue of discovering a nearly dead product battery when they intend to use it at home or during travel. This is attributed to the absence of a battery status indicator in the product design, coupled with a user tendency to overlook regular recharging practices.
Further analysis propelled strategy development for features strategically aimed at crafting a creatively compact model with multiple human-centered design enhancements:
Compact Size for Easy Portability.
Prioritising a compact size to facilitate effortless carrying..
Efficient Recharge Solution for Constant Readiness.
Implementing a recharge solution to ensure the device is consistently ready for use.
Versatile Cleaning Solutions.
Introducing enhanced solutions catering to various needs and cleaning types, encompassing conventional flossing, teeth surface and brace cleaning, and personal image refreshment. These features are ought to be designed to be easily applicable.
Improved Component Management.
Devising a superior solution for carrying and storing components across scenarios of travelling and home use, enhancing the overall usability and organisation of the device.
Pocket-Sized Portability
This is the shortest and thinest
product you can find.
Departing from the conventional tall and bulky
bottle form, it occupies only a pocket-sized space.
This compact model design is achieved without
either compressing the water tank space or
increasing the vertical height and thickness.
We widened the product body within the current
technical constraints, retaining the water tank
to contain mouthwash. One nozzle is also housed
inside the cap during travelling.
Pocket-Sized
Portability
Departing from the conventional tall and bulky
bottle form, it occupies only
a pocket-sized space.
Boosted by
A Multi-Purpose
Nozzle
We designed a new brush-nozzle to serve dual functions for
individuals requiring brushing after meals and before meetings,
either at home or not, minimising multiple processes and products
to carry. It effectively eliminates food and coffee residues
on teeth and braces, and indeed serves for thorough flossing.
Boosted by
A Multi-Purpose Nozzle
We designed a new
brush-nozzle to serve dual
functions for individuals
requiring brushing after
meals and before meetings.
One Grab for All
One-day travel, just grab it
and forget recharging worries.
For extended journeys,
the box gets all your needs
This design introduces an innovative product solution, streamlining components and accessories into minimal units, flosser and its flosser box, with effortless experience.
The water flosser box's lid serves a dual purpose as the recharger. Simply flipping it over transforms the box into a recharging seat for daily use at home ensuring the user doesn't encounter a depleted battery the next day morning.
The base of the box functions as a storage compartment for spare nozzles.
For day-to-day travel, such as commuting, users can effortlessly carry the product itself as it can self-contain a nozzle inside.
During a long trip, the entire box can be grabbed, eliminating the risk of leaving any essential items behind. And a Type-C cable suffices for recharging, ensuring a hassle-free experience.
