Interaction design for Combi Steam XSL: making complex oven functions easy to use
With every new generation of appliances, modern ovens and combi steamers offer more functions and possibilities. For the Combi Steam XSL product family, Milani developed a comprehensive UX and interaction concept for V-ZUG that translates this growing functional complexity into an intuitive user experience while creating a scalable interface architecture for both color and LCD displays across the entire product family.
Winner of the iF Gold Award 2016.
Challenge: When more features create more complexity
Modern ovens do far more than bake and roast. Automatic programs and specialized cooking functions help users achieve better results and discover new possibilities in the kitchen. Yet this growing functionality creates a challenge of its own: the more features an appliance offers, the harder it becomes to navigate and understand them.
As Switzerland's leading premium kitchen appliance manufacturer, V-ZUG was looking for an interaction concept that would make advanced functionality more accessible in everyday cooking while creating a consistent user experience across different appliances and product variants.
Approach: making complex functions intuitively accessible
Milani designed the user interface not as a collection of individual screens but as a coherent system. The starting point was understanding how people make decisions while cooking and how complex functionality could be structured so that users could quickly find and intuitively use it in everyday situations. To achieve this, Milani analyzed typical usage scenarios and developed clear navigation principles.
To make the growing range of functions easy to access, Milani created the interaction concept for the product family's newly introduced color displays as well as its LCD displays. At the same time, Milani developed a shared interaction logic for the entire Combi Steam XSL family. This allows features to be added or removed depending on the appliance model while maintaining a consistent user experience across different display technologies and product variants.
Result: easier operation for users and greater flexibility for V-ZUG
The new interface does more than make existing features easier to access. It also helps users discover and adopt advanced functions such as GourmetGuide and Tender Cooking in their everyday cooking routines. Despite the extensive feature set, the focus remains on cooking rather than on operating the technology.
For V-ZUG, the project created a scalable UX platform that could be deployed across multiple oven models. Features can be expanded or reduced depending on the product tier without requiring a completely new user interface. This reduced development complexity and manufacturing costs while creating a consistent experience across the product family. The new interaction concept also provided benefits in the sales process. The color displays make the appliance capabilities immediately visible, helping customers better understand the value and performance of each model. The UX architecture established a flexible foundation for future product variants and generations while maintaining a consistent user experience across the portfolio.
The quality of the new user experience was also recognized internationally. In 2016, the Combi Steam XSL product family received the prestigious iF Gold Award. The jury particularly praised the well designed user interface, ease of operation, and the successful integration of advanced technology into a clean and intuitive overall experience.
Milani Services
- Functional Architecture
- Hardware component selection consulting
- Interaction Design
- Storyboarding
- Graphic design
- Style Guide
- Implementation consulting
- Design for consumer goods
