Luca Toscano - Alessi Futurespective

Alessi Futurespective

A mobile app for Alessi's first IoT products

ABOUT

In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Alessi launched its first two IoT products, in collaboration with Snøhetta and Michael Graves. As a result, Studio Volpi was contracted to design a mobile app to manage these and other smart products in the future.

MY ROLE

Research, UX & UI, Animation, Design system

TEAMMATES

Alessandro Sala, Nikola Mitrovic

DURATION

September 2020 - November 2020

RESEARCH

Setting Alessi on the right path

Upon contacting us, Alessi was keen to productize two smart devices: Nuet by Snøhetta and 9093 IoT by Michael Graves. Our first step was to meet with Alessi's product team to discuss their vision, learn more about their brand's philosophy, and define the app architecture. As part of my research, I examined the IoT technologies available at the time, lots of successful use cases and usability trends in this field, so to help facilitate their transition towards this new market.

Research insights

INSIGHT

Connected products are a growing market

Our research showed that Alessi's intuition to tap into the IoT market was backed by a booming market, especially in Italy, and an increased interest from consumers towards digitally-augmented product experiences.

INSIGHT

A transition from past to future

Conversations sparked by the trend analysis focused on how Alessi should position itself in this new market. As we realized, the scope of this project also commemorates the company's transition from the past to its future.

DEVELOPMENT

A prototypal approach to app making

Working with Alessi proved to be a one-of-a-kind experience. Their history of collaborating with artists, designers, and inventors shaped their project approach, which was visionary and unconventional. My process involved a comprehensive evaluation of the app's features, prerequisites, and core UX structure, followed by several rounds of exploration based on fundamental ideas. This iterative approach helped our team uncover an IoT aesthetic that authentically reflected Alessi's foray into this domain.

Three screens representing a low-fidelity version of the Alessi IoT app

A set of illustrations representing all the key requirements for the IoT application

A screenshot of the app information architecture flow

A collage of screen designs for the first app concept called 'Dynamism'

A collage of screen designs for the second app concept called 'Freshness'

A collage of screen designs for the third app concept called 'Sensetion'

A collage of screen designs for the fourth app concept called 'Sensetion'

Luca standing in a room and reviewing printed designs of the mobile app

OUTCOME

A glimpse into the future

In 2021 Alessi unveiled the two IoT products as part of the Futurespective campaign, a contemplation of the company's historical accomplishments and forward-looking aspirations. Despite Alessi's decision to delay the product release, I continued supporting the team on the app design. We settled on an approach that authentically embodied the brand's identity, delivering a comprehensive E2E experience that will set the course for Alessi's IoT strategy in the future.