Aquor Water Systems is reinventing the way people access water outdoors, with a mission to design and manufacture the world’s most innovative, efficient, and well-engineered water valves. Aquor partnered with industrial designers to create the Aquor Comfort Grip Hose Connector, the first product introducing Aquor’s new design vision.
Aquor’s product line does not have a spigot and valve handle exposed on the outside of the house. Instead, the traditional fixture is replaced with Aquor’s Hydrant, a valve system embedded inside the wall that protects pipes from freezing. The inner valve opens by locking a handle into the Hydrant via an exterior flush-mounted plate, which has a spring-loaded hose connector with a 1/3-turn bayonet-style thread. The Comfort Grip Hose Connector connects standard 3/4” garden hoses to the Hydrant and features a new design language with elevated aesthetics, usability, and durability.
The high-level objective was to create a new design language focused on elevating the look and feel of Aquor’s product line and brand. Hard constraints included improving usability and comfort, increasing durability, and maintaining cost-effective manufacturing. The existing products had a myriad of issues and details that needed to be addressed: grip diameters that were too small for comfort, knobs that were cumbersome to activate, ill-fitted vacuum caps that were susceptible to breaking, and overall aesthetics that did not convey the products’ sophisticated level of innovation. Ergonomics, modularity (for expanding the product ecosystem), and durability (for both quality and longevity) were key elements the design team focused on solving during the design development process.
The Aquor Comfort Grip Hose Connector conserves water, as it won’t leak or drip; promotes longevity with high-quality materials and a super-reliable valve; and improves usability with an ergonomic handle and hassle-free connections, so more people will be able to use the product easily and safely.
The Connector’s handle is intentionally designed for grip comfort and ergonomics, and the 1/3- turn bayonet attachment method is much easier and less cumbersome than traditional threaded hose attachments – particularly for older users, who represent a huge portion of the gardening population.
For more ease of use, the bright blue accent color is applied as a call-to-action, indicating the main activation touch point – the knob. The bright blue also helps the user to identify the product in a garden, with its bold color intended to offset the greens and browns of the natural environment.
The fluid yet minimalist design language provides a smooth and comfortable form that highlights the individual functionality of each element. Each “branch” is intentionally surfaced to flow gracefully into one another.
The vacuum cap is integrated into the body’s geometry to better prevent accidental breakage. The over-mold material is used only where it is needed – on the main hand-grip region, where it is beneficial – and reduces additional manufacturing costs. Lastly, color creates a branded moment and indicates a call to action; on this product, the knob is accented in Aquor’s signature bright blue. The result is a beautifully modern design that looks appropriate within modern domestic architecture – its main market.
Category:HouseholdAward Year:2023Designers:Greg Janky, Anvil Studios, Inc., Sammamish, Washington, USAManufacturer:Aquor Water Systems, Inc., Bellevue, Washington, USA
