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Product Development Stories
Design Philosophy
We are committed to designing products that will be loved and appreciated for many years.
Satoshi Sukeguchi and Shingo Hirose – from the Product Design Department Global Center for Social Innovation,
Tokyo – are the Senior Designers who lead the new design philosophy of Hitachi Global Life Solutions.
Hitachi aims to improve quality of life (QOL) through social innovation that enables sophisticated and meaningful lives for people.
Working ceaselessly on providing value
Together with our designers, we have focused on what kind of value we can provide to people and work ceaselessly towards this goal. To deliver value, we are convinced that it is first essential to know people and their lifestyles well. In particular, we are working with an intention of co-creation with customers, that is, creating new value together with customers.
The home appliances is a point of contact that connects Hitachi with people, and we sincerely believe it is an area where we can deliver direct value to improve QOL for people.
Seeing it for ourselves … was believing!
Within this area, we are particularly alert to observing – with our own eyes – users actually using the products, and understanding through experience. We try to get a first-hand impression of how people appreciate our products from various perspectives, local lifestyles and trends, rather than relying on second-hand information and our own preconceptions.
The two designers assigned to design this Side by Side Grande Series Refrigerator also visited each market to get a sense of how people live.
Going beyond digitisation
Even as the world becomes more digitised, we are convinced that some aspects of the design of home appliances cannot be replaced by digital, and physical usability and functionality are very important.
For example, in a refrigerator, if the door handle is difficult to use, you will feel stressed every time you open the doors. It is also no good if the appearance is unattractive. Therefore, it is important that a refrigerator looks good harmonises with the kitchen interior, and is easy to use. Instead of making designs by merely looking at a PC screen, designers touch and verify multiple fully-functional prototypes in the workshop. We are committed to making products that are easy for people to use and that can be used – and appreciated – for a long time. Design can contribute immensely to this goal.
Providing products that give you unconditional confidence
Hitachi will continue to make products that users can recommend with unconditional confidence to their friends and family. We will keep pursuing our objective of creating practical home appliances that people value every time they use them – and being "attentive to people and designing for everyday life".
