We decided to work with a design agency to do the most extensive user survey ever conducted in relation to a LINAK product. Several analyses of human behaviour were scrutinised, consecutive heat maps were made and multiple user tests were conducted. In an extensive survey, two batches of five hundred current and inquiring end users were asked a series of questions about everything from income, daily routines and general design preferences, to specific expectations for their next comfort bed. The final result: More than 1,500 pages worth of solid feedback.
By understanding the consumers’ perception of design, we could create and develop products according to consumer needs and include the features and functions they asked for, and we could continuously check if our designs were actually user friendly.
Below are seven conclusions that caught our attention in the process, and which had significant impact on the development of the HC40 hand controls.
Sources: Christian Jantzen, AAU, Pankseep and Artlinco A/S, and the LINAK survey by Artlinco A/S.
1. Has to fit in users’ homes
Consumers expect hand controls to fit seamlessly into the bedroom without drawing too much attention to themselves. However, the surveys also revealed that people living in urban, suburban and rural areas do not like the same things. They clearly have different perceptions of “good design”. The survey therefore had to tell us what consumers like so that we could make hand control variations that matched the findings. As a result, we decided to create two different hand control designs – the HC40 TWIST™ and the HC40 FRAME™.
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
2. Users expect new features
The survey showed that features actually deemed valuable by the consumers are ones that solve a problem. In short, this means that a hand control does not necessarily need to have many features – just some to improve the sleep experience. This is supported by the fact that 67 percent of the users in the surveys preferred user friendliness over multiple features.
Many users also mentioned wanting to keep mobile phones out of the bedrooms, but needing the alarm function. The feature ‘Silent Alarm’ was inspired directly by these survey results. Now users can wake up by massage motors – something they did not even know they needed.
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
3. Focus on user experience above anything else
60 percent of users use the features of their adjustable bed every day. Knowing this, we asked consumers to evaluate various hand controls on user friendliness. Generally, usability could be improved significantly in any existing hand control. 28 percent of users even said that remote controls for adjustable beds are generally not user friendly at all.
As a result, we kept on refining the design by creating 3D prints of each design and then had real users try them out. The same applied for the interface of the Advanced versions, where users tested if it was intuitive to use.
The answers we got were sometimes conflicting, but a main take-away was that user friendliness is key.Two simple, but also necessary conclusions that helped shape the HC40 hand controls were:
- Users prefer a classic but distinctive design, i.e. the hand control should look like a hand control
- Users prefer tactile buttons to touch screens, as they are easier to read with your hand/fingers in the dark
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
4 Make it possible to personalise each hand control
Consumers have a desire to personalise their hand controls. The simple reason: They need to be able to tell the hand controls apart. Hand controls can get lost in the bed covers and get mixed up. This is why the HC40 family of hand controls come with many different ways of making each hand control personal.
Use either of these solutions and your brand will stand out as the one that solves a problem for the consumer.
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
Users appreciate being able to personalise the hand control with, for instance, a lanyard in a specific colourBuying a bed - top 6 important criteria
#1 Price
#2 Comfort
#3 Design
#4 Durability
#5 Warranty/guarantee
#6 Brand
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
5 Design matters when users shop for beds
A key part of the survey was also to investigate what consumers look for when they want to buy a bed. From this we got a top 6 deciding factors. The results: comfort and look of the hand control are important.
The top 6 criteria all refer to the overall design of the bed – including the hand control. While creating the hand control, we ensured both ergonomic comfort and that it fits perfectly with the bed design and does not feel foreign.
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
6 A simple hand control – with multiple features
One of the biggest challenges in the survey was a set of conflicting answers by users. It seemed they preferred a simple hand control but they also wanted many features. Actually, 24.5 percent of the users believed that hand controls for comfort beds did not have enough features.
It goes without saying that the more functions you want to include in a bed, the more buttons you will need in the hand control. This is why both versions of the HC40 provides a simple layout at first glance. However, the Advanced version of HC40 utilises a display to add more functions without adding more buttons. The simple scroll menu makes it easy to locate the features and adjustment options – and the most used can even be set as shortcuts for easier access. It is simple – but packed with features.
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
7 Show the benefits
One in four respondents found additional advantages to their adjustable bed after purchase i.e. advantages other than the ones mentioned in the sales situation.
So we cannot afford not to talk about benefits when we talk about adjustable beds. The users need to know that it is easy for them to also enjoy all of these benefits.
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
Making it clear for users what kind of benefits they can enjoy with an adjustable bed. Supports both your brand and users. Did you know...?
Consumer inputs, when asked about hand controls in general:
- There are too many different items on the bedside table
- Must fit into bedroom decor
- Usability could be improved
- Not enough features
- We want personalisation to be possible
Source: LINAK survey conducted by Artlinco A/S.
For more details on either the HC40 Standard editions or the HC40 Advance editions, please visit the site: Designed with you in mind.
