Induction hobs are made of glass. Deep glossy, dark and shiny. But how solid the glass may be… users still fear the vulnerability. Each spot should be removed immediately and no one dares to use a free induction zone as a working space. While every bit of space should be welcome in the kitchen.
How we broke it
For ASKO we designed the very first matt-finished induction hob. Instead of a shiny glass surface, this induction cooker has a matt finish. It reflects the robustness of cast iron. And in fact: the finish makes it even stronger and more resistant to scratches. A cooker with cast iron appearance: that touches the heart if you really love cooking.
Instead of a shiny glass surface, this induction cooker has a matt finish. It reflects the robustness of cast iron.
No more polishing
When asking owners of shiny glass induction hobs we did a funny discovery: people mention easy cleaning as a big advantage of induction cooking. But in practice they clean and polish much more than people with gas cookers. With this matt-finished hob that’s over. Splashes stains and fingerprints are hardly visible. And beyond: a surface that looks more solid makes it more inviting to use it as a working surface.
The WAACS story
It’s in our DNA to put questions where others obey the rules. Rules like: an induction hob should be black and shiny. At WAACS we have a close cooperation with ASKO. Together we have also created a new wok burner. We did it with the same questioning attitude. Where many competitors look at each other’s wok burners, we looked at a vulcano.
Splashes, stains and fingerprints are hardly visible. And beyond: a surface that looks more solid makes it more inviting to use it as a working surface.
Idea card sessions
Many people believe that strategy is something that is developed top-down by managers. Strategies are often written like horoscopes to make it easier to agree on for all stakeholders.
When ASKO asked us to help create their new product strategy for induction cookers, first thing we did is ask consumers about their experience (instead of just looking what the competition was doing). With the insights found we then visualized a wide range of possible solutions.
This made it much easier for all stakeholders (consumers, marketeers, production engineers etc) to jointly create a product strategy for induction cookers.
Solutions that were visualized were easily prioritized from ‘low hanging fruit’ or ‘quick wins’ to mid and long term developments (to even dream scenarios). The induction cooking accessories that are shown below are just one example of 50+ exciting new product concepts on the product development roadmap that was created together with ASKO.
By visualizing concepts we help managers, marketeers and engineers to jointly create new strategies.
Don’t say. Just show. Don’t promise. Just prove.
