Since 2011, Essential has worked to assist iRobot’s in-house design team in building a cohesive Color Material and Finish (CMF) standard and establish a framework for future products specification. Many programs have been strictly tactical, but over time we were able to develop regional personas, robust global color palettes, and employ new finishing techniques like in-mold decoration. The guides are now used to help internal stakeholders when implementing CMF solutions.
Role: Design lead on multiple programs. Supporting designer on many others.
Involvement: 08.2011 – 01.2015
Product Include:Scooba 390, Scooba 450, Looj 330, Mirra 530
Roomba 620, 630, 650, 870, 880
In 2014, at Essential Design, I led the industrial design of iRobot’s first automatic dirt disposal system, the concept that reached market in 2016 as the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal. The problem it solved was the last manual step in an otherwise autonomous product: a Roomba could clean unattended for weeks, then require its owner to open and empty a small bin by hand. Removing that step meant the dock had to stop being a charging perch and become a second machine, capable of drawing debris out of the robot, containing it, and holding weeks of it without releasing dust back into the room.
The iRobot Scooba 450 project involved a completely new wet robotic vacuum platform. The scope of work included exterior ID and design packaging and extensive user research on how to design the water and waste bin for an intuitive and clean user experience. This project was completed in 2013 and launched by iRobot in 2014.
