Smart Home Innovation for V-ZUG Household Appliances
How will people cook, do laundry, and manage their homes in the future? What role will connected appliances and digital services play? And how can a device manufacturer turn individual products into a compelling smart home ecosystem?
Questions like these formed the starting point for a series of innovation sprints that Milani conducted together with the leading Swiss household appliance manufacturer V-ZUG. The goal was to identify new product and service offerings for the connected home and to explore strategic innovation opportunities in the fields of smart home and household appliances.
New Business Opportunities in the Smart Home Ecosystem
Digitalization is fundamentally transforming the home. Connected appliances, digital services, and data-driven solutions open up new possibilities for comfort, efficiency, and quality of life. For appliance manufacturers like V-ZUG, a key question arises: what role can household appliances play in the future smart home ecosystem?
In the first innovation sprint, an interdisciplinary Milani team developed future scenarios for the home of tomorrow. Based on technological developments, societal megatrends, and evolving user needs, the team created a potential smart washing and smart home offering portfolio for V-ZUG.
Using deliberately open and unconventional approaches, the team generated a wide range of concepts, from incremental product improvements to new ideas for connected appliances, digital services, and business models.
Validated Concepts Through Prototyping and User Research
The results of the first sprint sparked strong interest within V-ZUG, reaching all the way to senior management. The project therefore moved into a second sprint cycle. Working together with Milani, an interdisciplinary V-ZUG team further developed the most promising concepts. Prototypes were built and tested with representative user groups, while technical feasibility and business potential were evaluated.
At the end of the process, the sprint team presented the results to the executive board and board of directors based on validated assumptions. Several innovation areas received approval and funding for further development.
Building an Innovation Lab at V-ZUG
The innovation sprints proved so successful that Milani continued to support nearly ten additional sprint cycles over the following three years, both methodologically and strategically. The close collaboration between the V-ZUG team and Milani enabled a continuous transfer of innovation methods and expertise in product and service innovation. Step by step, internal innovation capabilities were built within the organization.
This collaboration laid an important foundation for today’s V-ZUG Innovation Lab, where the company independently develops new concepts for smart home products and digital services.
Milani Services
- Innovation consulting / front-end innovation
- Design expertise for consumer products
- Product and service concepts
- Trend and market analysis
- Prototyping and testing
- Co-creation with interdisciplinary teams
