Truly clean product design – the intuitive, smart and sustainable design of the CWS PureLine
Surely each of you has had contact with CWS at some point – and we mean that quite literally. As a full-service system provider, CWS contributes to a healthier and safer future with products and commercial services in the areas of hygiene, mats, workwear, fire protection, clean rooms, and health and care. Sustainability, circular economy, and the sharing economy have been at the core of all activities from the very beginning. With around 11,000 employees in 15 countries, CWS offers holistic and sustainable solutions. Since 2018, we have been accompanying CWS in the development of innovative products.
The project – a new design language
Do you speak design? In 2018, CWS faced a mammoth challenge: an entire product line was to be redesigned – from the soap dispenser to the toilet paper roll holder to the fabric towel roll dispenser. Away from a functionally oriented look to a clean design language, to modern minimalism with character.
HYVE applied for the challenge, pitched two innovative concept routes, and won with a vision that combines modern industrial design with a new kind of user experience.
The Challenge – from vision to product
Once the joint design vision had been established, it was time for implementation: How can a progressive design language be implemented with best-in-class dispenser technology? Which obstacles are to be expected in the development process?
In close exchange with CWS and selected engineering partners, an iterative product development process was set up to gradually turn the envisioned design vision into reality.
Create a product that is completely innovative, new, modern and sustainable. Thanks to the close cooperation and intensive communication with CWS, this challenge was not only easy for us to meet, but also a real pleasure.
Gerd Schwarz, Managing Director at HYVE
In 4 steps from an idea to a final DNA Guideline for CWS
1. Concept design
In 2018, the House of Innovation wore wallpaper – all walls were full of countless scribbles and sketches for the redesign of the CWS product family. HYVE’s designers were inspired primarily by the aesthetics of private washrooms, minimalist design forms, timeless color schemes, and sustainable materials.
2. Prototyping
The concepts were translated into design models in close coordination with CWS in order to obtain initial user feedback. In the process, all products, from soap dispensers to cloth towel roll dispensers, were milled from hard foam on a scale of 1:1, sanded, and painted. The aim was to create prototypes that would not visually differ from a series product.
3. User Testing
To make the illusion perfect for the user test, a public washroom was recreated in the House of Innovation and the prototypes were placed there. The questions posed to the users primarily revolved around the effect of the new product and interface design. It was important to find out – do the products fit the CWS brand? Is the function of the individual products clear? Is the new icon language understandable? All these questions were answered clearly in the user test and fed back into the development process as feedback.
4. Design DNA Guideline
The path from the final product concept to production readiness is long and sometimes takes years. To ensure that design decisions made once are still valid and centrally documented, HYVE created a Design DNA Guideline in the form of a digital booklet. This document describes all design-relevant specifications, from the form language of the dispenser line to the contour strength of the icons. The guideline defines certain Design DNA characteristics, but still leaves room for future developments and innovations.
The result is impressive – PureLine
The new PureLine product series not only looks clean and intuitive, but it is also sustainable! Think Circular is the guiding principle of CWS. As an active part of the circular economy, the company pursues the goal of saving materials and operating sustainably along the logical three-step Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Simple, intuitive, and ready to use at the moments when it is needed most.
PureLine dispensers are IoT-ready, making hygiene smart and 100 percent available. All CWS non-touch dispensers are equipped with a chip. The dispensing amount can be adjusted to the needs of the user via an app and future developments will help to further optimize this process chain of operators. This makes CWS dispensers ideal in locations with multiple washrooms or high demand.
With the CWS PureLine, CWS creates a feel-good atmosphere in every place and offers protection for every person. It is designed to be user-friendly and meets all hygiene standards. With its contemporary design, it adapts perfectly to different needs and can be integrated anywhere.
The CWS PureLine also follows the circular business model “Think Circular”. With its circular model, CWS contributes to a healthier, safer, and more sustainable world. Therefore, Think Circular means reducing, recycling, and reusing primarily recycled materials and relies on fabric towel rolls made from sustainable cotton. All CWS PureLine soaps and papers are certified with the EU Ecolabel and ECARF.
Design Follows Function – The creation of an innovative design, while at the same time avoiding any compromise in the user-oriented perfect product functionality, is always a great challenge in any product development. In cooperation with HYVE we have succeeded in this in a very special way by means of a cooperative interaction of creativity and technical know-how as well as an outstanding teamwork.
Christoph Zimmermann, Head of Product Development & Innovation – CWS Hygiene International GmbH
The CWS PureLine has just been awarded the Red Dot Design Award.
And which product can we design together with you to be worthy of the award?
