Indoor air pollution is arguably one of the most overlooked threats to human health. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air we breathe indoors can be five times more polluted than the air outside. As our air quality continues to worsen worldwide, the adoption of air purifiers in homes and at work will accelerate rapidly. Nest saw opportunities in this rapidly growing air purification market and was interested in the possibility of extending their current product offering. They currently produce smart connected thermostats, smoke detectors, and security camera systems.

The two objectives of the project were to envision what Nest’s future brand language would look like and continue to secure the Nest line as leaders in smart home products and connected ecosystems.

Nest’s visual brand language and industrial design needed to reflect the core values of the brand and convey those values to their customers. They felt their customers wanted Nest products to feel forward thinking and modern with thoughtful material finishes and simple forms. Nest wanted to expand into the air purification market.

Early trend research and user interviews led me to two key insights. People wanted to know if their air was safe to breathe and the other was they didn’t want to think about purifying their indoor air. They also didn’t want their air purification system to give them more to do. Through user testing using other devices, it was easy to see the difficulty users had trying to understand if their air was clean. I sketched and made study models exploring forms, graphic user interfaces, and color material finishes. Through this exploration, I was able to refine the form and finish. The air purifier’s form allows it to be used in a variety of different locations.

The overall design language of the Nest Air compliments the other Nest products while exploring new patterns and surface texturing  The geometric shape references the brand language. The aluminum exterior shell conveys quality and high perceived value.

The simple and geometric design focuses people attention on the front. The front deflects air away from the user’s face when they interact with the graphical user interface. The front wavy texture catches purchasers attention against the plain and ugly competitive purifiers. The aluminum exterior incases the purifier and gives it a more luxurious and premium feel. The simple user interface allows users to use hand gestures to adjust fan speed without bending over.

NEST AIR bridges the Nest brand into a new and expanding market. Nest Air helps them become a top name in air purification. Nest’s mobile interface provides information about the environment around Nest user’s both indoors and outdoors. In-app direct purchasing for replacement filters and other connected Nest products for the home are new forms of revenue for Nest.