GENERIC OVENS - Intuitive ovens for everyday use

By studying different types of ovens, both new and old I created a suggestion for an interface applicable to future ovens in the IKEA oven range. In order to create interactive appliances with the advanced technology existing today I believe we have to look back. The complex possibilities created by the availability of LED and touchscreens have made the daily cooking harder for “the many people”. The old stationary oven held standard features that made daily cooking easy. Heat and function were the two offered, and that simplicity is partially lost today. The basic ovens has transformed into machines with redundant pre-sets with too complex interfaces and “the many people” do not want to have their daily cooking to be more advanced than necessary. I have asked myself during the project, just because we can make advanced products do we have to? How can we create intuitive and qualitative ovens using today’s high level of technology? I have approached the project telling myself that we need to look back in time at old applicable standards and create a synthesis with new technology. Find what we have lost on the way and bring back great functionality and simple cooking habits. By studying consumer behaviour, interviewing sales staff and conducting an interactive user study I gained knowledge in terms of functionality, interaction and design on what the most optimal oven should offer. The finished concept ended up in two ovens, one 600 mm wide and one 400 mm wide, that fits the existing (2011) IKEA FAKTUM kitchen cabinet range. The wide oven offers a simple interaction with four knobs that each have a separate function. The oven gives instant feedback via an LED display that is connected to each knob. To offer better and simpler small space solutions the narrow oven only have one knob. This knob is connected to a single heating function, forced air, which make it intuitive and easy to use.