NINEIDEA：凌晨两点，小林在厨房盯着新买的空气炸锅。不是因为它在三分钟内升温到200度，而是因为它旋钮转动的“咔哒”声，像极了老式收音机；底部散热孔排列成的微笑弧线，让她在疲惫的深夜莫名被治愈。小家电工业设计内卷的尽头：为何“情绪价值”成为价值升维的新战场？
@NINEIDEA九号创新 www.nineidea.com
这个价值399元的小家电，真正的价值早已不在技术参数表里。
在九号创新的工作台前，设计主理人常常沉浸在细微的质感抉择中。他反复比对的是“哪种白色能同时传达纯净与温暖”——是像初雪的冷白，还是像乳酪的暖白？他触摸着数十种涂层样本，寻找那个能唤起“婴儿肌肤般柔软”触感的特殊配方。
“当所有品牌都能采购同样的芯片和发热管时，工业设计的战场就转移了。”这位设计师说，“我们创造的不再是‘加热’功能，而是一段十分钟的治愈时光；不是‘搅拌’技术，而是亲手制作健康早餐的仪式感。”
从工具到伴侣的蜕变
传统小家电设计止步于“可用”，而他追求的是“可陪伴”。
他曾为一款养生壶设计“微压炖煮”模式。技术上只是增加了小幅压力，但他为这个模式设计了独特的呼吸灯效——柔和的明暗渐变，模仿文火慢炖的节奏。“用户反馈，光是看着那个灯光，就感觉生活慢了下来。”这种将技术转化为情感体验的能力，正是当代小家电破局的关键。
CMF：情绪的翻译官
在他的设计流程中，CMF（颜色、材料、表面处理）不再是后期美化，而是前期的战略决策。
他为单身女性设计的便携电煮锅，没有选择常见的黑白灰，而是开发了名为“日落时分”的渐变橙粉色调。“这不是随便选的颜色，”他解释，“它要唤起晚霞的温暖，抵消独居的冷清感。”
材质上，他放弃冰冷的304不锈钢标识，采用亲肤的磨砂质感涂层，让用户在拿起锅盖的瞬间就感受到温度。这些看似细微的选择，共同构建了产品的情感人格。
交互设计：无声的对话
情绪价值同样藏在每一次互动中。
他为一款咖啡机设计的不是“开关”，而是“开启今日灵感”的旋钮；不是“浓度调节”，而是“寻找你的本命味道”的刻度。每次操作都像在与用户对话，让简单的冲泡变成有仪式感的体验。
“最成功的小家电设计，是让用户说不出具体哪里好，但就是愿意放在客厅最显眼的位置，甚至成为社交媒体的分享主角。”
情绪价值的商业变现
这种设计导向带来的商业回报是实实在在的。经过他设计重塑的产品，用户推荐率平均提升30%以上，复购率提升明显。
“消费者可能因为参数购买第一代，但一定会因为体验回购第二代。”一位与他合作多年的小家电品牌负责人说，“我们的加湿器在改款后，最大的卖点不再是加湿量，而是‘睡眠时的阿尔卑斯山微风’这个概念。客单价提高了，销量反而增长了。”
在深圳这个全球小家电制造中心，九号创新这样的个人设计工作室正在重新定义行业的价值标准。当技术趋于同质化，那些懂得将芯片、电机和模具转化为温暖、陪伴和幸福感的设计，正在成为品牌最坚固的护城河。
好的设计知道，人们最终购买的从来都不是产品本身，而是更好的自己，和更美好的生活可能。
From functional pile to emotional companionship: value enhancement of industrial design for small household appliances
NINEIDEA: At two o’clock in the morning, Xiao Lin was staring at the newly bought air frying pan in the kitchen. It’s not because it heats up to 200 degrees in three minutes, but because of the “click” sound of its knob turning, which looks very much like an old-fashioned radio; The smiling arc formed by the bottom heat dissipation holes allowed her to be inexplicably cured on a tired late night. The end of the internal competition in the design of small household appliances industry: why has “emotional value” become a new battlefield for value enhancement?
The true value of this small household appliance worth 399 yuan is no longer listed in the technical specifications.
In front of the workbench of NINEIDEA, the design manager is often immersed in subtle qualitative choices. What kind of white can convey both purity and warmth at the same time? “- Is it cold white like early snow or warm white like cheese? He touched dozens of coating samples, searching for a special formula that could evoke a “baby skin like soft” touch.
When all brands can purchase the same chips and heating tubes, the battlefield of industrial design shifts, “said the designer.” What we are creating is no longer the ‘heating’ function, but a ten minute healing time; not the ‘stirring’ technology, but the ritual of making a healthy breakfast by hand
The Transformation from Tool to Partner
Traditional small home appliance design stops at ‘usable’, while it pursues’ companionship ‘.
He once designed a “micro pressure stew” mode for a health pot. Technically, it only added a small amount of pressure, but he designed a unique breathing light effect for this mode – a soft gradient of light and dark, imitating the rhythm of slow simmering over low heat. User feedback shows that just looking at that light makes life slow down. This ability to transform technology into emotional experiences is the key to breaking through the current situation of small household appliances.
CMF: Translator of Emotions
In his design process, CMF (color, material, surface treatment) is no longer just a post aesthetic, but a strategic decision in the early stages.
The portable electric boiler he designed for single women did not choose the common black, white, and gray colors, but instead developed a gradient orange pink color scheme called ‘Sunset Time’. This is not a randomly chosen color, “he explained,” it aims to evoke the warmth of the sunset and counteract the loneliness of living alone
In terms of material, he abandons the cold 304 stainless steel logo and adopts a skin friendly frosted texture coating, allowing users to feel the temperature as soon as they pick up the pot lid. These seemingly subtle choices together construct the emotional personality of the product.
Interaction Design: Silent Dialogue
Emotional value is also hidden in every interaction.
He designed a coffee machine not with a ‘switch’, but with a knob that ‘opens today’s inspiration’; It’s not about ‘concentration adjustment’, but a scale for ‘finding your true taste’. Every operation feels like a conversation with the user, turning simple brewing into a ritualistic experience.
The most successful small home appliance design is to make it difficult for users to say exactly what is good, but they are willing to place it in the most prominent position in the living room, and even become the protagonist of social media sharing
Commercial monetization of emotional value
The commercial returns brought by this design orientation are tangible. The product he designed and reshaped has seen an average increase of over 30% in user recommendation rates and a significant increase in repeat purchase rates.
Consumers may purchase the first generation due to parameters, but they will definitely repurchase the second generation due to experience, “said a small home appliance brand executive who has been working with him for many years.” After the redesign, the biggest selling point of our humidifier is no longer the humidification capacity, but the concept of ‘Alpine breeze during sleep’. The unit price has increased, and sales have actually increased
In Shenzhen, the global small household appliance manufacturing center, personal design studios such as NINEIDEA are redefining the value standards of the industry. As technology tends towards homogenization, designs that understand how to transform chips, motors, and molds into warmth, companionship, and happiness are becoming the strongest moats for brands.
Good design knows that people ultimately purchase not the product itself, but a better version of themselves and the possibility of a better life.
