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In collaboration with V-ZUG, I led UX design and development for the V600 Mid-Range Segment—V-ZUG's first product for mainstream customers. Launched in 2024, the V600 delivers an affordable, intuitive oven for busy lifestyles, offering simplicity, ease of use, and speed for everyday cooking.
Role:
User Research – Information Architecture –
Prototyping – UI Design – Art Direction
Outcome:
I designed the V600 for everyday ease, simplifying key functions so users can create fast, wholesome meals with confidence and minimal effort.
Research Phase with internal and external Stakeholder
Since V-ZUG had yet to define a Mid-Range strategy, my first priority was to establish the unique user needs and goals of this segment. I collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to address key questions:
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Who are the personas for a Mid-Range product?
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What real-life situations and challenges do they face in daily cooking?
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How can this product serve both everyday and special occasion needs?
Through these questions, I defined the primary use cases around busy work-life schedules, limited time for weekday cooking, and more leisurely weekend meal preparation.
Cooking Types
To capture the distinct cooking habits and preferences in this segment, I developed three core "Cooking Types" from our research insights:
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Everyday Cook: Someone who needs quick, easy meal preparation for the family during the workweek.
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Weekend Cook: A person who enjoys cooking more elaborate meals when they have extra time, usually on weekends.
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Occasional Cook: An individual who may only cook sporadically but values simple, reliable functionality.
​These cooking types highlighted the spectrum of needs our Mid-Range product should meet, setting the foundation for user personas.
Cooking Persona
Using customer profile data, I crafted three primary personas to guide the development process:
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Monika, 56: A seasoned home cook who relishes preparing family-favorite dishes when her kids visit on weekends.
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Nina, 40: A working mother of two who seeks quick, nutritious weekday meals and a bit more creativity on weekends.
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Thomas, 70: Recently retired, he enjoys cooking for himself and his wife on occasion but prefers simplicity and ease.
These personas provided insights into varying cooking needs, anchoring our design around real-life usage patterns and balancing convenience with flexibility.
Information Architecture
With the personas and cooking types established, I crafted an Information Architecture that supports both quick, weekday cooking and more relaxed, weekend-oriented cooking experiences.
Key functions and features were mapped to align with the personas' everyday lifestyle needs, offering:
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Speed and simplicity during the week: Efficient options for fast meal prep.
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​More customizable, enjoyable features on weekends: Designed for the moments when users have more time to experiment or entertain.
This structure ensured that the V600 would cater to users across a variety of daily and weekly scenarios, reinforcing its role as a supportive, reliable partner in the kitchen.
Developing Wireframes
Using the initial Information Architecture as a foundation, I created wireframes to translate the layout into a tangible user interface. These wireframes provided a visual framework to communicate how users would interact with the V600, integrating seamless navigation paths for both quick and in-depth functions.
With the wireframes in place, I developed User Flows to guide users through the interface. These flows emphasized ease and efficiency, creating pathways that are supportive and intuitive for weekday use while offering flexibility and inspiration on weekends.
Usability Testing
The software team built a prototype of the interface, which I then used in an initial Usability Test. The test revealed complex challenges in the timer functions, particularly as users encountered three separate time-related settings:
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General Timer (“Eieruhr”): Used independently of the oven, for general timing needs.
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Function Timer: Ends a specific cooking function after a set duration.
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End-Time Setting: Schedules the completion of a function at a specified time.
This test showed that the distinctions between these timers caused confusion, especially for users unfamiliar with advanced timer functions.
Iterative Refinement
In response to the feedback, I restructured the timer functions within the Information Architecture. Instead of isolating these options on separate screens, I integrated them directly into the active function screen to provide context and clarity. This contextual placement reduced cognitive load, making it easier for users to select the appropriate timer in each situation. After making these adjustments, a second Usability Test confirmed the revised design, showing that users were now able to navigate the timers smoothly and confidently.
Throughout this project, we focused on designing a product tailored to the daily needs of mainstream users. Beyond developing the V600, this project laid the groundwork for V-ZUG’s Mid-Range strategy—a departure from the premium positioning of the Excellence Line, with its emphasis on status and sophistication. Instead, the V600 is built around real-life usability, reliability, and support for a hectic lifestyle, making it a dependable, accessible choice for a wide audience.
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