Philips: An air purifier system for the Chinese market
6 weeks of ethnographic research, following 12 participants in 6 Chinese cities to understand how they live with severe pollution.
Documentation and analysis of a myriad of devices that are supposed to improve indoor air quality
There was a common believe that Chinese users desire lots of detailed information about current air quality levels. However, my research showed that users are confused by the many numbers commonly displayed by devices - and often cannot tell whether the air is polluted or not.
Working closely with Philips designers, I proposed a simple light system to indicate whether the air is dangerous or save to breath
This work led to Philips' iconic air quality halo
Red means that the air is dangerous and needs cleaning
Purple means that the air is currently being cleaned
Blue means that the air is clean and save to breath