Thermomix® TM7: A User Experience Like Never Before
The Thermomix® TM7 is the most successful product launch in Vorwerk’s history (source). This is no coincidence: For over 50 years, Thermomix® has been setting new standards in kitchen technology. Thanks to its direct-sales model, the close connection with the Thermomix® community that comes with it, and continuous innovation, the appliance has established itself as an indispensable helper in millions of households. As a long-standing UX partner, we know some of the secrets to its success firsthand and offer insight into what lies behind this extraordinary product’s success.
Thermomix® TM7: A User Experience like never before
For over 15 years, we have been working with Vorwerk to inspire Thermomix® customers. We were involved from the very beginning of the Thermomix® TM5 project, providing advice and helping to shape the design. Since then, our Vorwerk team has been a part of many important developments through our long-standing partnership, right up to the Thermomix® TM7:
- Design like never before: Enhanced interaction through increasingly intuitive controls for an outstanding user interface design—featured in the Thermomix® TM7 with its large 10-inch multi-touch display
- A cooking experience like never before: The evolution of cooking from simple food preparation to a digital ecosystem featuring the Cookidoo® cooking and recipe world, including a smartphone app
- Smarter than ever before: The evolution of digital user assistance from static text-based displays to a digital twin that depicts all preparation steps in photorealistic, animated form
UID supported Vorwerk through key milestones in user research, concept development, design, and strategic consulting. The results were outstanding: Together, we won the Red Dot Award, the iF DESIGN AWARD, and the UX Design Award. We are very proud to now be contributing to a “user experience like never before” with the launch of the Thermomix® TM7.
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“The collaboration was professional, reliable, and very pleasant throughout. We particularly appreciated the structured and rapid onboarding process for the project and the excellent integration into the existing team. The support provided tangible added value and contributed significantly to the progress we made on our initiatives.”
Benedikt Echelmeyer, Senior Product Owner at Vorwerk
Digital Twin
The Digital Twin provides a photorealistic, real-time representation of all preparation steps – for maximum guidance and safety while cooking. (Image source: Vorwerk)
10-inch Multi-Touch Display
The large 10-inch multi-touch display is the central control element of the Thermomix® TM7 – intuitive, high-resolution, and always at your fingertips. (Image source: Vorwerk Germany)
Seamless Ecosystem
The Thermomix® TM7 connects the appliance, recipe library, and smartphone app into a digital cooking ecosystem – from shopping to the finished meal. (Image source: Vorwerk)
Experience cooking together
Thanks to intuitive user guidance and Guided Cooking, the Thermomix® TM7 makes cooking an experience for everyone – whether alone or together. (Image source: Vorwerk)
Cookidoo®: always at your fingertips
With the integrated Cookidoo® app, users can access thousands of recipes at any time – seamlessly connected to the Thermomix® TM7. (Image source: Vorwerk Germany)
Predecessor model TM6
Even the touchscreen on the predecessor model won over users. (Image source: Vorwerk)
TM6 recipe portal
Featured since the TM6: the Cookidoo® recipe portal (Image source: Vorwerk)
Award-winning predecessor TM6
The Thermomix® TM6 won prestigious design awards such as the Red Dot Design Award and the UX Design Award | Product
The process
Vorwerk designs its products to create a “wow factor” and spark enthusiasm—and throughout the evolution of the Thermomix®, it has consistently asked the right questions: How is cooking changing? What are people’s needs? How can trends and technical innovations be meaningfully integrated into the user experience? Our interdisciplinary UX designers are exactly the right partners for this. Over the years, we’ve provided support with ideation, product concept development, international market and target audience analyses, and much more. The success of the Thermomix® TM7 shows that targeted user research is a fundamental component of successful product innovation.
The team
Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of accompanying our client on an exciting journey. Through the continuous evolution of the Thermomix®’s design and digitalization, we’ve set new standards for simple and intuitive use in kitchen appliances—thanks to our highest standards for concept, design, and user satisfaction, and despite the high level of complexity. Together, we are pursuing Vorwerk’s vision of an outstanding user experience that simplifies cooking and takes it to a whole new level. Our interdisciplinary collaboration has always been characterized by strategic planning, agility, and mutual respect. For that, we say thank you!
In addition to our work for Thermomix®, we also assist Vorwerk with the design of other high-quality household appliances (such as the Kobold cordless vacuum cleaner) and provide advice on UX matters.
Digital twin: a new approach to cooking
One focus of our work on the Thermomix® TM7 was the “Digital Twin.” This visual, real-time representation of the preparation steps is an assistive feature that reduces complexity and makes the system’s status visible. Sophisticated animations guide the user, provide orientation and reassurance, and make everyday cooking even smarter.
User research as a recipe for success
Through targeted user research, supported by UID, Vorwerk was able to make well-informed design decisions and tailor the Thermomix® TM7 perfectly to users’ needs. In the spirit of “Seamless UX,” we considered not only the user interface but the entire cooking workflow: from planning and shopping to preparation. Additionally, a perfect combination of hardware and software supports the seamless user experience.
Successful design with a system: scalable UX
Digital design systems are a key component in creating long-term, consistent, and user-friendly digital product ecosystems. In our work for Vorwerk, we support the development of the Thermomix® design system and strategically iterate the design.
UX with a long-term perspective: user-centered design across generations
We are particularly proud of our long-standing collaboration with Vorwerk across several generations of Thermomix®—because each model represents a quantum leap in its own right. We’re delighted to have worked together to further advance the user experience: from the concept of user guidance to many new features and all the way to the final design. We’re excited to see what comes next: How will this smart ecosystem, built on a foundation of AI innovations, evolve?
Any questions?
Feel free to get in touch! We look forward to your call or message.
