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Have you ever wondered how the process of chosen bathtub or shower enclosure projects creation looks like? What makes some of them timeless and others disappear from the collection after one season? Why we use some bathtubs and shower enclosures extremely comfortably. We have asked the SANPLAST SA design team about this!
Next year, SANPLAST SA is going to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first shower enclosure introduction into the Polish market. Since then, the company has been constantly focusing on development what is confirmed by its satisfied clients. So what does determine clients satisfaction? The answer is simple - good design.
Behind the success of the SANPLAST brand is the team of several experienced designers. For years, effects of their daily issues have won numerous prestigious awards, such as Institute of Industrial Design.
We are talking to Krzysztof Halak - the Main Designer who is responsible for the design of shower enclosures in the Sanplast Design Team.
Sanplast Design Team
What is the secret of a successful project? The project which not only appeals to customers, but also gives satisfaction its authors?
- Indeed, these two factors do not always go hand in hand. Designers usually want to smuggle something bold, distinctive into their designs. Customers – although the likey more avantgarde solutions, they oftener choose the more conservative proposals for their bathrooms. The key to reconciling these two points of view is the classical lines. The simplicity of the design, so fashionable today, fits in perfectly. We focus on elegance and unpretentiousness. As a result, our shower enclosures and bathtubs look great in each bathing interior.
However, simplicity is uneven. It is not enough to create an ascetic, neutral project to succeed on the market.
- Of course not. The design should be primarily functional. A person who uses a shower enclosure or a bathtub has to feel comfortable in it. That is why we focus on details that make up the whole project - comfortable handles, tight, magnetic seals, strong brackets stabilizing structures, special surfaces that help keep glass sheets clean. All these small things, contrary to appearances, are of great importance for the perception of the whole product.
In addition to the new collections, the SANPLAST portfolio includes products from the very beginning times of company.
- It is true. We have such items in our portfolio. These are very classic designs - for example, a half-round framed shower enclosure with sliding doors. During the bathroom renovating, many people simply replace the old shower enclosure with the same model. Although the design of this type of product may seem quite "retro" today, a large group of our clients is very attached to it.
It is long way from the idea to the final product that we can be installed in our bathroom. How many people are involved in its creation and how does this way go?
- I will not lie by saying that the entire company is involved in each new project. To create a successful project, it is necessary to know the client's needs. Therefore, the whole process begins with consultation with the Marketing Department and the Sales Department. Colleagues follow current trends and market demands. Their applications go to the desks of designers, who are doing their best to create the product which meets market requirements. As designers, we use new technologies and tools such as: 3D printers or CNC milling machines as well as the latest computer software. Prototypes are created from preliminary projects, which are then subjected to a series of tests in the company's laboratory. If they fulfil their role and functionality, and above all they meet the norms and standards required by law, and we as design team are fully satisfied with them, they can be finally put into serial production.
Let's go back to the design itself. Can you tell us the secret and share with us how your team's work looks like behind the scenes?
- Our designers have many years of experience, so we often "subcutaneously" sense which solution works. However, this experience did not come from nowhere. Every day we work according to the principles of Design Thinking. Working on each project begins with a brainstorm. During them, we try to respond to the needs of customers. We wonder what factors may limit their comfort. Here you need both empathy and recourse to observation and experience. From these discussions, we select the best ideas that go into the testing phase. This method allows us to overcome patterns and identify the needs of our clients. Thanks to design thinking, we create the best solutions that suit them. This is how a real user experience design is created.
This approach to the subject requires great openness of the team and mutual trust, so that you can confidently share ideas.
- Definitely! Our team is very close-knit, we value a sense of community. An atmosphere of mutual respect enables us to be fully involved in our issues. Working with each other, we are aware of the absolute consent to share our innovative ideas. Thanks to this, we can develop as designers, and our projects are becoming more and more perfect and we can be proud of them.
