Home appliances are vital elements of any household. So it’s important for them to be intuitive and easy to use, without much hassle on the part of the user. Keeping this in mind, Chris Ference designed the Slide Thermostat. Upholding the philosophies of minimalism and familiarism (described by designer Nick Baker as the combination of a familiar interaction with an incongruous object in the effort to create a more unique experience) he wanted to create an everyday appliance free of unnecessary elements and parts, one that also has a familiar feel to it. Ference wanted to break it down to basic movements and intuitions.
Created from aluminum, and featuring an OLED panel protected by a plastic faceplate, the Slide Thermostat looks like a matte white capsule, that must be attached to the wall. You operate it using a sliding motion, quite similar to using a smartphone or any other smart device. Mimicking such a familiar action, which we practice every day, he created a thermostat that everyone should be able to use effortlessly.
The magnetic slider allows you to easily control the temperature. Moving it to the right increases it, whereas moving it to the left reduces it. The screen displays warmer color tones towards the right and cooler tones towards the left. Simple, sleek and convenient to use, the Slide Thermostat is the kind of home appliance we would love to have in our homes.
Designer: Chris Ference
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