With our proven track record for delivering superior products in the kitchen tools sector, Tesco asked Rodd to lead the user research and industrial design of their new range. This would involve creating both a design language and leading the innovation of four everyday kitchen tools; a garlic press, peeler, can-opener and a spiralizer.
Working closely with the in-house team at Tesco and their dedicated branding partners, Elmwood, we began by uncovering the typical pain points that home cooks were experiencing.
As a crucial first step, we quickly got people into the kitchen to understand their frustrations during meal prep. A need for versatility and ease of use were among the most commonly cited challenges, particularly with regard to garlic presses and can openers. Consumers are extremely polarised in their peeler preferences, and as for spiralizers, most expressed disappointment at the lower-cost, hand-held products on the market.
Equipped with these insights, we began exploring ways in which we could overcome common problems through thoughtful design.
The can opener was re-engineered to be smoother and in tune with the needs of the user - no more straining or safety issues. The Go Cook peeler can be used in both ‘Y’ and in-line configurations, helping home cooks make light work of fruit and veg preparation.
Our garlic crusher makes slicing, dicing or crushing bulbs a breeze and comes with a compartment to capture everything. The spiralizer was simple to use and clean, encouraging cooks to turn any vegetable into a carb replacement.
As the first utensils in the Go Cook set, our product concepts would ultimately establish the range design language and offer Tesco a real opportunity to make cooking easier. From conceptualisation and iteration to creating production-ready data to share with manufacturing partners, this project served to prove the value of working with an experienced design agency.
As well as paying dividends in brand growth, Tesco benefited from a range of products that are not only differentiated but underpinned with tangible benefits for consumers.
+ Kitchen tools design portfolio
We help leading kitchen tool brands identify emerging design and innovation opportunities based on changing attitudes to healthy living and cultural eating trends.
User research enables us to unearth everyday pain points in food preparation, while strategic foresight and trend analysis allows us to pin-point commercial opportunities.
Finally, our industrial design will help articulate your visionary products of the future. Our services in this space extend to trends research, ethnographic research, concept generation, industrial design programs, iterative prototyping and design for manufacture.
