Conair Steam

A portable steamer and iron in one.

Duration

12 Weeks

Summer 2024

For on-the-go travelers, how can I design a versatile freshening device in response to a need for a multi-purpose portable steamer solution for the Conair brand?

Problem Statement

Design Research

Brand Identity

Form Ideation

Product Visualization

Disciplines

There are many reasons to travel, including business or pleasure, so to gain further insight beyond my own personal adventures, I interviewed 3 travelers to learn the ins and outs of their experiences.

User Profiles

Hannah, Backpacker

She enjoys spending her time outside by attending concerts and festivals, hiking national parks, and backpacking in different countries. She always aims to pack light to best experience her travel excursion.

Ryan, Travels for Work

As a Senior Technical Manager, he travels a great deal for work and is always on-the-go growing his business; therefore, moving efficiently from hotel to hotel, living out of a suitcase but still looking his best is paramount.

Kaitlyn, Travels for Sport

As a Xavier basketball cheerleader, Kaitlyn travels with the team almost every weekend to cheer them on. She often has to wear the same uniform for days on end for all her media shoots and games.

The negative aspects of the interviewees’ traveling experiences.

Pain Points

“The laundry situation is always crazy during my travels. I try to make my clean clothes last, but many times I don’t have an opportunity to find a laundromat and have to manage. Wearing worn and unfresh clothing dims a negative light on the experience.”

- Hannah, Backpacker

“Sometimes, if I’m lucky, there will be an iron in my room. However, I often have to seek out alternative solutions such as asking the front desk or running a hot shower to steam my suit. It is important that I have a fresh and unwrinkled suit for my meetings.”

- Ryan, Travels for Work

“I basically live in my cheer uniform. Especially during media shoots and cheering during a televised game, I want to look my best. Because I live out of hotels for away games, I’ve soaked my uniform in the bathtub before just to freshen it up more.”

- Kaitlyn, Travels for Sport

Existing Products

My research on comparative product offerings. There are two distinct ends of the spectrum for freshening devices, presenting an opportunity for optimal blending of the two while also showcasing a functional need for a more compact, portable solution.

Iron

Steamer

Opportunity

Task Analysis

The user process of interacting with one of the comparative product offerings.

1. Fill with water

Keep an eye on the water tank to avoid spilling.

Maintain the steadiness of the pitcher and product.

Mental

Physical

2. Plug in

Make sure the product is in proximity to an outlet.

Carefully take the cord and plug it into the wall.

3. Prepare garment

Visualize garment stability on the hanger.

Hang up the garment with it facing forward.

4. Press mouthpiece against garment

Focus on good grip and ensure contact.

Hold the product up close to the garment.

5. Move steamer up and down

Observe even distribution of garment contact.

Move the product up and down to best de-wrinkle.

Brand Identity

Conair is a universally recognized brand that markets an extensive list of products, the most notable being in hair care and personal health. They are known for their affordable products and effective solutions while varying in their aesthetics to adapt to current trends and consumer needs.

To design for the everyday traveler by providing a solution that fulfills the needs of those looking for a versatile product to freshen up any garment.

Creative Strategy

Portable.

Simple.

Versatile.

Design Objectives

Who?

For frequent travelers, adventurers, and just everyday people on-the-go.

What?

A compact, portable device ready to fulfill both steaming and ironing needs.

Where?

It can be used anywhere from your own home to a hotel across the world.

When?

Anytime, such as dewrinkling before a big meeting or just doing a touch up.

Why?

To provide a multi-purpose solution that fits any traveler’s needs.

For my product design, I strived to set a minimalistic tone through simple colorways and forms. By following Conair’s brand direction to adapt to current trends, keeping the form minimal yet intentional was my goal.

Design Inspiration

I dissembled an existing portable steamer on the market to further my knowledge of the functionality and internal components of the product. This step aided my design process in revealing strengths and weaknesses to reflect upon and support my design approach.

Product Teardown

My ideation started from the early stages to the narrowed-down design direction. I focused on my creative strategy of exploring a simple form while also considering user interaction to make the product portable but not limiting the versatility of its function.

Sketching

Foam Models

I then translated my ideations into foam models to explore user interaction.

Prototype

The final physical prototype of Conair Steam.

I then applied existing portable steamer internals within the finalized design direction. This allowed me to analyze what the user interaction would look like for each iteration to determine the optimal user-friendly solution.