KitchenAid Countertop Oven Redesign

Project overview: Internal research showed our main competitors in the countertop oven category gaining more market favorability due to enhanced features, better price points, and stronger UX.

The solve: Introduce a new type of internal accessory (the Flex Pan) as a key innovator along with a new expansion of features and requirements (Dual Cooking, proper Flex Pan usage, and turning Secondary cooking modes into Primary modes).

My role: Lead design work on the new countertop oven, translating new market features into a cohesive and intuitive user experience that would overall regain market share.

⏱️ 26% decreased task time in cooking a standard meal

🧠 52% increased understanding of Flex Pan placement

📈 46% increased usage of Keep Warm as a primary mode

Product Team

Kyle - Product Manager

Annie - Product Designer

My Role

Product Designer

✅ 84% task completion of Air Frying with the Flex Pan

Dual Cooking

One of the earlier feature requirements from marketing was to explore customized cooking in two separate zones at the same time. With the No Preheat Zone (upper oven cavity situated underneath a convection fan allowing no time lost to preheating) and the Standard Zone (middle/lower cavity meant for bigger and taller food items), there’s reasoning to suggest that users with more complex meals can benefit from maxing out the entire oven cavity. By allowing dual cooking, users would have the potential to cook a full meal in a shorter timeframe, all in one appliance.

Initial Explorations

Flex Pan and Zone Differentiation

A prime area of focus was on how to best inform users on proper usage of the “Flex Pan.” As an accessory, the Flex Pan is a deeper tray with a slitted insert that allows users to cook potentially larger foods even in the upper oven cavity. This was essential for modes like Air Fry or Air Grill so users properly use the No Preheat Zone without burning their food in the upper cavity.

While the Flex Pan can technically be used in any part of the oven, it can only be used in the upper rack to air fry any specific foods. This was due to a restraint both on industrial design and budget; with the convection fan built directly above the internal cavity to allow successful air frying, food on any tray other than the Flex Pan would essentially touch the top of the oven’s cavity and the fan, causing food to burn. Placement of the fan also couldn’t be changed due to costs when moving to mass production. The challenge here was to best guide the user on when the Flex Pan can be used and its restraints without taking away flexibility on a user’s cooking preferences.

Visual aid of how the Flex Pan in top rack works with the convection fan for optimal air frying

Rendering of the Flex Pan and insert

Primary vs Secondary Modes

Historically speaking, primary modes on the oven pertain to the main 12 modes that can operate independently, while secondary modes operated as an add-on to a primary mode. For example, Air Fry or Bake can operate as their own mode while Keep Warm would need a mode like Air Fry to be functional. While most of these modes were predefined before my time, I noticed earlier on in competitive research that most models out on market allow their secondary modes to exist in a primary state as well.

I led the charge on keeping the standard functionality of secondary modes in new design explorations while building out the primary versions of them in tandem. By granting secondary modes the same power as primary modes, users can access key oven features at a much quicker pace, as well as more fluidly use their countertop oven in conjunction with other kitchen appliances for larger or more complex meals.

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