Beyond Speaks at IHHS ’19
The annual International Home + Housewares Show took over Chicago again this week and Beyond was welcomed back to speak and present for a second year in a row. McCormick Place hosts attendees and exhibitors from around the world for 5 days and we got to explore and interact with new products, technologies, and trends in the housewares industry. This year we were invited back to close out the show at the Smart Talks stage and presented in the Innovation Theater Monday. Beyond’s Industrial Designer + Design Strategist, McKayla Barber, spoke to IHHS attendees on how millennials are changing the idea of health and wellness and how product design is changing and evolving to fit consumer needs.
McKayla was interviewed on the Smart Talk stage Monday afternoon where she answered audience questions and discussed how health has become a more diverse practice. Health is no longer considered just physical, but encompasses spiritual, mental, and emotional factors. With the wellness industry valued at an astounding $42 trillion we have seen a shift in how products are designed an the value in investing in millennials and these new needs.
On Tuesday, McKayla spoke to a larger audience at the Innovation Theater where she discussed in detail the different wellness trends and how Beyond designs with a holistic approach to address these new and emerging trends. The top 4 wellness trends her research identified were:
Self-care
Biophilia
Home Fitness
Mindful Sleep
Self-care alone includes a diverse range of activities. From food and beverage, to natural and organic remedies, hair and make-up, self-care has seen a spike in awareness and product development. Millennials love customization and quick deliveries, and make up and hair product companies are changing to accommodate this. Start-up company, Prose, send you personalized hair care products that take into consideration your environment (zip code, water quality, etc.) and diet to create a custom hair care formula that is delivered to your door.
Biophilia, the hypothesis that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life, has been a huge part of health and wellness recently. “Plant ladies are the new cat ladies”
McKayla’s own plant and cat friendly apartment.
Millennials have begun to create “garden apartments” and plant companies have focused on customization and deliveries, similar to hair and make up subscriptions, when it comes to plants. With plants making an appearance in the home, they are also in the kitchen. Plant based diets are becoming part of the future of kitchens and diets, with brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods having huge followings and growing line of products.
McKayla also discussed the evolution of at-home fitness systems, cryotherapy, mindful sleep (the “new status symbol”), and smart bed and sleep accessories. Overall, the audience took away that in order to design and meet the needs of the new health and wellness trends, these four factors are key:
Be Transparent
Create an individualized experience
Facilitate contentedness
Emphasize authenticity
To hear McKayla’s presentation in full, please stay tuned for the audio of the presentation on IHA’s website early next week and our IHHS 2019 Highlight and Recap. Thank you for reading and drop us a note with any health and wellness trends you’ve noticed or questions about holistic design.
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