NEWS

Design for wellbeing

The main objective of the Design for Wellbeing initiative is to enhance the wellbeing of persons by using their descriptions of needs in relation to assistive devices, technology, or services, as a starting point for product development.

LOHAS

$550 billion market worldwide.

In our Essentials, July 2010 edition, we covered the importance of focus groups and understanding our target consumer—The LOHAS consumer. LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. LOHAS consumers represent a $550 billion market worldwide. It is a $209 billion market segment in the United States alone. Over the next 3-10 years, another 38 percent of U.S. adults are expected to move into the LOHAS category.

Early Adopters. Eager to buy new products.

Three quarters of LOHAS consumers buy “as many green products as they can.” As early adopters, LOHAS consumers’ opinions are very influential and are twice as likely as that of the general population’s to lead in the trial of new eco-friendly products.

Launch update

We are currently working with our industrial designers to develop a countertop water generator. The first milestone is to scale down the water generator engine to 2.5 gal. The second milestone is to design the user interface that consists of several rounds of user testing to create a consumer and kitchen friendly appliance. We expect to unveil the final designs for consideration in our next newsletter. Stay tuned.