02 / DēLonghi Pebble
Design Research & Management and Product Service System Design
De'Longhi Group
POLI.design 2025
My role
Bluesky research on cooling and contemporary working trends, creating user personas & user journey maps, concept development, creating a system map & business model canvas image generation, and co-designing the presentation narrative.
Brief
Reimagine De'Longhi Pinguino, a portable air conditioner, to be more sustainable, flexible, and user-centered in a work setting, while unlocking new value for De’Longhi.
Cluster: Work
Remote Work Trends
1/4
of all working days in Europe are remote.
20%
drop in productivity
117%
increase in energy consumption
1.5˚
increase in global temperature by 2034
ReBrief
Sustainability v/s Comfort
Energy Efficiency v/s Productivity
How can De’Longhis portable cooling solutions empower people to work comfortably, efficiently, and healthily in hybrid, temporary, or personalized environments maximizing energy sustainability and simplicity
Inferences based on trends, users needs and challenges
Customers want climate friendly solutions but without too much effort. How might we encourage sustainable behavior without complexity
Quality of light, air and various other factor affect work and living. How might we give control to user to have perfect environment without increasing the cognitive load
Environmental parameters are different where the user is seated compared to Pinguino’s location. How might we get exact parameters around the work and living environment
The inferences point to an external device , with design that is not intrusive either physically or mentally in users’ work and living environment
The Solution: Pebble
A Smart Environmental Sensor
1
Monitors the parameters of a remote worker’s immediate physical environment.
2
Automates and manages the environmental devices of the user based on personalized settings.
3
Tracks and gives feedback on energy use while nudging for more sustainable choices.
Pebble integrated with DēLonghi Comfort App
Pebble section inside the De’Longhi’s app for air conditioners
Set different modes on the app
Manage other devices with Pebble
Encouraging Sustainable Behavior
Connect old Pinguino with Pebble
Designing for Longevity
AC Usage Reports & reminders
Positive Framing
Make energy efficient behavior competitive
Gamified Sustainability
Auto-changes to eco-mode after timer ends,
Choice Architecture
Pebble Usage Scenarios
Set the parameters on the app remotely through the app to get a perfect environment on reaching home
Set work mode on the app. Pebble creates perfect environment for the remote worker based on set parameters.
The app notifies after 3 hour of work mode to take a break and Pebble automatically sets Pinguino on Eco mode
Financial Viability
Initial Investment : 830,000€
App development
Software Development
Hardware Development
Testing
Data Storage
Production Tools
Pricing : 55 - 60 €
Cost : 38 - 42 €
Margin
30% Direct Channel
15% Indirect Channel
2027
YEAR 01
30,000 Units
1.5€ Mln Revenue
1.2€ Mln Production cost
0.8€ Mln Investment
0.4€ Mln Marketing
EBTIDA = -0.9€ Mln
2028
YEAR 02
90.000 Units
4.5€ Mln Revenue
3.5€ Mln Production cost
0.4€ Mln Marketing
EBTIDA = 0.7€ Mln
2029
YEAR 03
200.000 Units
11€ Mln Revenue
7.9€ Mln Production cost
0.4€ Mln Marketing
Break even year
EBTIDA = 2.1€ Mln
De’Longhi’s secret is its fearless adaptability & diversification, and smart partnerships & acquisitions.
what if the smart sensor could be the next core category De’Longhi leads in?
Why is this a smart move for DēLonghi ?
De’Longhi
No. 1 espresso coffee maker*
Kenwood
No. 1 brand in kitchen appliances in Europe*
Braun
No. 1 hand blender brand*
Nutribullet
No. 1 personal blender brand*
Nutribullet
No. 1 personal blender brand*
Pebble
No. 1 sensor remote control device
ADAPTING
DeLonghi would be doing what it always has
Learnings
1. Blue sky research during the “discover phase” of the project helps to come up unique insights that in turn generate innovative ideas.
2. As a designer we should always look beyond the brief, like in our case why does DēLonghi intent to address Pinguino portable cooler, and not other products, why does it want to make a portable cooler sustainable, what impact Pinguino does and can bring to the company.
3. Presenting projected numbers and the action plans helps in questioning and validating the strategies.
02 / DēLonghi Pebble
Design Research & Management and Product Service System Design
De'Longhi Group
POLI.design 2025
My role
Bluesky research on cooling and contemporary working trends, creating user personas & user journey maps, concept development, creating a system map & business model canvas image generation, and co-designing the presentation narrative.
Brief
Reimagine De'Longhi Pinguino, a portable air conditioner, to be more sustainable, flexible, and user-centered in a work setting, while unlocking new value for De’Longhi.
Cluster: Work
Remote Work Trends
1/4
of all working days in Europe are remote.
20%
drop in productivity
117%
increase in energy consumption
1.5˚
increase in global temperature by 2034
ReBrief
Sustainability v/s Comfort
Energy Efficiency v/s Productivity
How can De’Longhis portable cooling solutions empower people to work comfortably, efficiently, and healthily in hybrid, temporary, or personalized environments maximizing energy sustainability and simplicity
Inferences based on trends, users needs and challenges
Customers want climate friendly solutions but without too much effort. How might we encourage sustainable behavior without complexity
Quality of light, air and various other factor affect work and living. How might we give control to user to have perfect environment without increasing the cognitive load
Environmental parameters are different where the user is seated compared to Pinguino’s location. How might we get exact parameters around the work and living environment
The inferences point to an external device , with design that is not intrusive either physically or mentally in users’ work and living environment
The Solution: Pebble
A Smart Environmental Sensor
1
Monitors the parameters of a remote worker’s immediate physical environment.
2
Automates and manages the environmental devices of the user based on personalized settings.
3
Tracks and gives feedback on energy use while nudging for more sustainable choices.
Pebble integrated with DēLonghi Comfort App
Pebble section inside the De’Longhi’s app for air conditioners
Set different modes on the app
Manage other devices with Pebble
Encouraging Sustainable Behavior
Connect old Pinguino with Pebble
Designing for Longevity
AC Usage Reports & reminders
Positive Framing
Make energy efficient behavior competitive
Gamified Sustainability
Auto-changes to eco-mode after timer ends,
Choice Architecture
Pebble Usage Scenarios
Set the parameters on the app remotely through the app to get a perfect environment on reaching home
Set work mode on the app. Pebble creates perfect environment for the remote worker based on set parameters.
The app notifies after 3 hour of work mode to take a break and Pebble automatically sets Pinguino on Eco mode
Financial Viability
Initial Investment : 830,000€
App development
Software Development
Hardware Development
Testing
Data Storage
Production Tools
Pricing : 55 - 60 €
Cost : 38 - 42 €
Margin
30% Direct Channel
15% Indirect Channel
2027
YEAR 01
30,000 Units
1.5€ Mln Revenue
1.2€ Mln Production cost
0.8€ Mln Investment
0.4€ Mln Marketing
EBTIDA = -0.9€ Mln
2028
YEAR 02
90.000 Units
4.5€ Mln Revenue
3.5€ Mln Production cost
0.4€ Mln Marketing
EBTIDA = 0.7€ Mln
2029
YEAR 03
200.000 Units
11€ Mln Revenue
7.9€ Mln Production cost
0.4€ Mln Marketing
Break even year
EBTIDA = 2.1€ Mln
De’Longhi’s secret is its fearless adaptability & diversification, and smart partnerships & acquisitions.
what if the smart sensor could be the next core category De’Longhi leads in?
Why is this a smart move for DēLonghi ?
De’Longhi
No. 1 espresso coffee maker*
Kenwood
No. 1 kitchen appliances brand in Europe*
Braun
No. 1 hand
blender brand*
Nutribullet
No. 1 personal
blender brand*
Nutribullet
No. 1 personal
blender brand*
Pebble
No. 1 sensor
remote control
device
ADAPTING
DeLonghi would be doing what it always has
Learnings
1. Blue sky research during the “discover phase” of the project helps to come up unique insights that in turn generate innovative ideas.
2. As a designer we should always look beyond the brief, like in our case why does DēLonghi intent to address Pinguino portable cooler, and not other products, why does it want to make a portable cooler sustainable, what impact Pinguino does and can bring to the company.
3. Presenting projected numbers and the action plans helps in questioning and validating the strategies.