Background Home appliances, which used to be called white appliances, have recently been making repeated attempts to stimulate consumer sentiment. Although diverse types of convergence are occurring in the industry from conceptual to functional and p...
Background Home appliances, which used to be called white appliances, have recently been making repeated attempts to stimulate consumer sentiment. Although diverse types of convergence are occurring in the industry from conceptual to functional and physical convergence, systematic and analytical studies that try to understand these phenomenons are lacking. Therefore, this study aims to establish a base of convergence study related to home electronics products.
Method First, research on the history of Korea‘s home electronics and convergence design has been studied through a literature review. Next, case studies were done to discover specific convergence phenomenons. Lastly, by apprehending the purpose and frequency of the phenomenons, the overall design trends were derived.
Results 5 convergence types were derived: functional convergence between electronics, physical convergence between electronics, convergence between ICT technology, convergence between fashion, and convergence between furniture. According to the purposes, convergence in the home appliance industry could be classified differently.
Conclusion This study is meaningful in terms of discovering specific convergence phenomenons of modern home appliances and trends from the perspective. Concerning and applying different types of convergence will be needed within a home appliance design process.