Beyond the Brief
/
Defining the Strategy
Before Shaping the Product
Project: Philips A9 Desk Lamp
Brand: Philips
Year: 2026
#ValueProposition #ArchitectureCreation #DesignStrategy
Process Overview /
During my tenure at Royal Philips, all flagship innovations were governed by a highly sophisticated, End-to-End (E2E) project development framework. Under this paradigm, groundbreaking products are never initiated through mere aesthetic styling. Instead, the process strictly begins with "Human Centricity"—deeply uncovering the target user's unmet needs, systematically engineering viable technical solutions around those insights, and only then progressing to styling and manufacturing implementation.
This corporate framework is mathematically structured into three distinctive, sequential phases:
Phase 1: VPC (Value Proposition Creation)
Discovering deep user insights and defining premium market opportunities. Ensuring the cross-functional team is "Doing the right thing" based on real human data before capital is deployed.
Phase 2: A&PC (Architecture & Platform Creation)
Harmonizing cross-functional engineering matrixes and managing complex trade-offs. Ensuring the team is "Doing the thing right" by validating a highly reliable, balanced and impactful internal architecture platform.
Phase 3: Product Development & Launch
Translating the validated platform into a tangible consumer experience. Crafting the design look & feel to authentically express the brand identity, conducting UX/UI experience flow, and enforcing strict quantitative CMF quality management for flawless factory mass production.
Project Context /
In 2024, while working at Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), I was tasked with collaborating with the China Consumer Business Team to develop a new eyecare desk lamp flagship model: A9.
The commercial objective was critical and urgent: the incumbent star product, A7 Desk Lamp (launched in 2022), was struggling heavily under intense market competition and rapid technological advancements, with sales performance declining steadily. The business unit desperately needed to launch the new flagship A9 by 2026 Q2 to completely replace and surpass the A7.
However, a major operational challenge immediately surfaced. The working style of this local consumer business team differed drastically from my previous experiences with Royal Philips. They operated without any mature development protocols and had zero experience navigating a rigorous, End-to-End (E2E) product development pipeline.
Inside-out Mindset /
Upon project initiation, the local R&D team and their manufacturing vendor came to the design table with a pre-determined, engineering-driven proposal: “We want to upgrade the lamp's articulation by integrating a mechanical linear slider rail combined with a foldable arm to move the lamp head left and right. It looks highly fancy and marketable.”
Their immediate expectation for the design team was simple and narrow: they wanted us to jump straight into cosmetic beautification—essentially acting as cosmetic stylers to "wrap" their pre-baked mechanical concept in a beautiful shell.
Project Restructuring /
Recognizing this as a classic "Inside-Out" technical illusion, I halted blind development and challenged the team: “What core pain point does this slider rail solve? Where is the data to prove this is a genuine user friction?” The team fell completely silent, exposing a classic engineering vacuum.
To break the deadlock and return to a scientific track, I took initiation of the design process pipeline.
I initiated an urgent alignment workshop, bringing the Product Manager, Project Manager, and R&D team to the same table. Together, we framed an End-to-End (E2E) design and development schedule stretching from the project kick-off in 2024 Q4 straight through to the commercial launch in 2026 Q2.
VPC Phase : Defining the Premium Persona /
To systematically decode the genuine needs of our target audience, I initiated, organized, and facilitated a comprehensive, consecutive VPC (Value Proposition Creation) Workshop.
We strictly anchored our target audience (TA) around high-income parents
—the primary purchasers of flagship luminaires
—who are fiercely committed to investing in the absolute best educational resources for their children.
Investigating the Use Case Environment /
We investigated the holistic reality of a child’s daily life across both primary and secondary environments:
What do their activities look like at home? What does their primary study room look like?
Do they also require task lighting in the living room, or secondary spaces like school dorms?
Our spatial mapping revealed that mainstream premium learning setups have expanded significantly to a substantial 1.7m length x 0.7m depth desktop layout, proving that traditional, localized lighting could no longer satisfy the modern child's expanded activity area.
User Journey Mapping /
Rather than discarding existing assets, I consolidated the raw, qualitative insights previously captured by the Product Manager regarding real-world user routines. I systematically structured these fragmented pieces of data into a comprehensive 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM Holistic User Journey Map
Bridging Cognition via GenAI Stimuli /
To eliminate cognitive barriers during cross-functional discussions, I used Midjourney to generate contextual illustrations depicting each user activity and underlying emotional need along the timeline.
These high-fidelity visual stimuli allowed non-design participants to instantly immerse themselves in the user's authentic time-and-space scenarios.
The Co-Creation Workshop /
We then initiated and facilitated a collaborative workshop, bringing together the Product Manager, real target-audience mothers, and Optical Engineers to interrogate the journey. We validated user frictions, captured diverse behavioral nuances, and debated contrasting viewpoints.
Strategic Voting /
Operating with a "minimum effort, maximum impact" mindset to optimize R&D resource allocation,
I closed the workshop with a rigorous use-case voting session.
This collective screening allowed us to pinpoint the top 10 most resonant pain points, which served as our key focused directions for the subsequent ideation and brainstorming sessions.
From Qualitative Hypotheses to Objective Substantiation /
While the co-creation workshop provided rich qualitative direction, I recognized that subjective assumptions required objective, large-scale validation to mitigate commercial risk.
I initiated a strategic partnership with the Market Insights (MI) Team to launch a massive quantitative user validation campaign on TMIC (Tmall Innovation Center)—China’s largest e-commerce platform.
To ensure the highest fidelity of user feedback, I collaborated closely with Marketing to design the survey structure and psychological framing of the questions and wording.
Recognizing that complex mechanical configurations and advanced optical benefits are difficult to comprehend in static text, I utilized Blender to create 3D-to-2D motion graphics and intuitive GIF animations. These highly dynamic visual stimuli allowed online respondents to instantly digest our product concepts within few seconds, drastically elevating the response rate and data reliability.
Establishing the Feature Priority /
Through the collection of massive quantitative data and user votes, we systematically prioritized the target audience's core frictions. This analytical approach empowered us to build an objective "Must-Have vs. Nice-to-Have" feature matrix.
Competitive Benchmarking & Market Differentiation /
Parallel to the TMIC user validation, we conduct a competitor benchmarking analysis of the premium lighting market. We study the flagship offerings of key competitors, evaluating their brand impression, performance, features, and user experience.
By mapping these competitor benchmarks, we justify our concepts were not merely a user-validated idea, but a definitive superiority offering for the A9.
Macro Vision: Portfolio Architecture & Range Build-Up /
As a portfolio design lead, I transcended the boundaries of a single product brief to architect a scalable Product Portfolio Matrix and Experience Laddering for the Philips desk & floor luminaire family.
To align this vision, I initiated and led a strategic workshop with the Product Managers to map out the entire product family from entry to premium. Together, we systematically evaluated how our optics, mechanics, and electronics solutions could scale to build up the range. We crafted distinct value proposition stories for each tier, ensuring that the feature upgrades created crystal-clear commercial differentiation between ranges and left zero ambiguity in the consumer's trade-up journey.
A&PC Phase : Finding the Right Balance
With our feature list finalized, the A&PC phase became a big debate within the team.
Product Managers naturally wanted to add more measurable specs to make the product look competitive on paper. However, this often overlooked the "invisible" user experience—things that users care about but cannot be easily measured.
Adding too many parts just to win a spec war creates bad trade-offs: it makes the product big and bulky,
over-complicates the interface, and causes lower assembly yields.
To solve this deadlock objectively, I suggested establishing a 5-Dimensional Evaluation Matrix.
This matrix served as our decision-making tool for every architecture iteration, balancing five critical pillars:
A Concrete Example: The Coverage Dilemma
A great example of this challenge happened right after our TMIC consumer test. The data showed that users highly desired a wider horizontal light coverage. To achieve this goal, the R&D team immediately proposed adding three heavy engineering solutions all at once:
1. A slider mechanism to let the lamp head glide left and right
2. horizontal pivot allowing the lamp head to sweep from side to side.
3. An entirely new optical lens design to naturally refract and widen the light beam.
On paper, combining all three ideas made the product look incredibly powerful.
The Reality Check: When Features Collide
Individually, each of these three features seemed perfectly feasible. However, once we integrated them into a single product architecture, the balance completely fell apart:
1. Assembly & Mechanical Failures: Combining the slider, the 180-degrees pivot, and the new optics created an over-complicated mechanism that was highly prone to factory assembly errors.
2. Weight & Sagging Issues: When the heavy lamp head glided to one side, the excessive weight caused the arm to visibly sag and droop.
3. Friction & Poor UX: Because the head was too heavy, the slider mechanism couldn't support the load, making the sliding experience feel stiff and completely stuck.
4. Visual Heavyness: The massive component stack-up made the lamp head look extremely big and bulky. Having such a huge object floating in front of a child during study would create a lot of visual pressure.
5. Overspec without Value: Most importantly, our target coverage was 1.7m length. Merging all three features pushed the performance way past our target, offering extra coverage that users didn't actually need.
Looking through our 5-Dimensional Matrix, it was clear that this architecture was completely unbalanced.
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Another Example: The "Robotic Arm" Idea
We faced another big challenge when some executives wanted to show off our tech capabilities.
They pushed for a very ambitious idea: adding ToF sensors and motors to make the lamp arm move automatically like a robot. The lamp would track the child and adjust its position on its own.
Again, we used our Matrix to evaluate this idea, and we found major problems with Usability and Safety:
Distraction:
If the lamp arm keeps moving every time the child moves, it will easily distract them from studying.
Hitting Furniture:
In a real home, an automatic arm could easily hit nearby bookshelves or walls.
Safety Risk:
Most importantly, it might accidentally bump into the child’s head while moving.
Through this objective evaluation, we convinced the team that just because a technology is cool,
it doesn't mean it is right for a child's desk.
15+ Iterations for Perfect Balance
After learning from these cases, we changed our process.
For every new architecture iteration, we always visualized the light coverage first. This allowed the team to instantly see the real optical performance and successfully avoid over-specification.
In total, we iterated the product architecture more than 15 times. We did a lot of subtractions and improvements, cutting away the noise and unnecessary features.
It was a perfect example of "less is more"—by removing the extra parts, we actually made the final product much more compelling. In the end, we achieved the most balanced, clean, and sleek solution across all five dimensions for A9.
The Hero Feature: Bringing Professional Wall-Washing Home
The most compelling and striking feature—
and the one that connected most deeply with users in our consumer tests—
was the addition of the auxiliary wall-washer light.
Instead of just lighting up the desk, we projected light onto the wall behind it.
To do this, we brought Philips’ professional facade lighting technology directly into the home environment.
By lighting up the large wall surface evenly, we drastically reduced the harsh visual contrast between the bright desk and the dark background. This eliminated the major cause of eye strain and discomfort for children during long hours of studying.
Optimizing Downward Optics for Max Coverage
To expand the horizontal desk coverage with the main downward light, we designed an optical upgrade for the A9. On top of our existing asymmetric polarized optics, we added an extra layer of side-wing lenses along with secondary LEDs.
This unique combination effectively projects more uniform light sideways, successfully widening the illumination area horizontally.
The Flagship Proposition: OcuMax 3D
By combining this back wall-light with the main desk-light, we created a powerful product proposition for our flagship model called "OcuMax 3D".
Instead of just talking about raw specs, we framed the story around three-dimensional eye protection:
the desk-light covers the horizontal X and Y axes, while the wall-washer covers the vertical Z axis.
This geometric story made the flagship proposition crystal clear, shifting the conversation from a basic desk lamp to a complete 3D spatial eyecare lighting experience.
Product Design Language System Strategy
Back in 2024, we kicked off a Product Design Language System (DLS) strategy project to define the personality traits (Feel) and design identity (Look) of the Philips brand in China’s eyecare market.
Professional, yet Homey
For our premium range, the core challenge was balancing professional performance with a homey aesthetic. We wanted to transform cold, complex engineering into warm furniture pieces that blend seamlessly into the home, without losing Philips' high-tech credibility.
We applied an organic, streamlined surface language to the light engine body's form factor.
This softer geometry effectively softened the heavy engineering inside, visually lightening the product and bringing in essential "homey" warmth. At the same time, the precise, crisp silhouette preserved its professional, high-performance edge.
Form & CMF Execution: Visual Lightness Through Design
Previously, we successfully used a fluid, streamlined surface language on our floor lamps to make heavy bodies look visually light. This time, we brought this same surface language into the A9’s form factor.
To make it even better, we used a top-and-bottom material break to create a strong visual contrast. This split execution makes the lamp head look incredibly thin and lightweight, while the sleek metallic finish ensures the product still retains its professional personality.
Prototyping & Form Refinement
To get the execution perfect, we created multiple physical prototypes to review the design details.
We carefully adjusted the curvature of the surfaces, fine-tuned the split ratio of the top-and-bottom material break, and precisely optimized the G2 continuity of the silhouette. This hands-on prototyping process ensured that the final form felt incredibly balanced, premium, and refined from every single angle.
Optics Co-Development: Refining the Wall-Washer Lens
For the rear wall-washer lens, we co-worked closely with our optics engineers to add a micro-striped pattern to the lens surface. The goal was twofold: first, it diffuses the light to make it much more even and uniform; second, it softens the sharp cutoff lines where the top and bottom light meet the wall.
To complete this striking feature, we added an "OcuMax 3D" emblem printing directly onto the wall-washer component. This subtle detail visually reminds users of Philips’ pioneering 3D spatial eye-care technology every time they look at the lamp.
UX/UI Strategy: The Three-Stage User Flow
For the UI interface, we divided the entire UX flow into three distinct stages based on the user's journey:
Stage 1: On-boarding (The Introduction):
This stage guides new users to learn the interface and understand what each button and control does.
Stage 2: Setup & Configuration (The Customization):
When users start using the lamp, they can fine-tune the parameters according to their personal needs—such as adjusting brightness, color temperature, or activating smart sensor features.
Stage 3: Daily Use (The Shortcut):
In daily life, most users stick to the same settings and rarely change them; they just want to turn the lamp on and off. Therefore, our focus here was designing a quick-access shortcut for effortless, one-touch control.
Stage 1 : Removable On-boarding Guide
For the on-boarding stage, we designed a transparent, quick-start sticker applied directly onto the curved interface of the lamp head. This overlay clearly labels and explains the function of each icon and button, including hidden secondary features triggered by a long press.
This allows users to understand the controls instantly right out of the box. Once users feel confident and have mastered the interface, they can simply peel it off, leaving behind a clean, premium surface.
Stage 2: The Split Layout Strategy
For the setup stage, I divided the interface into two simple zones:
Left for Activation, and Right for Tuning.
Left Side (Activation Zone):
This is for simple on/off functions, like main power, presence sensing, and auto-dimming.
To keep the interface clean, we hid low-frequency features under a long press.
For example, long-pressing the power button triggers App Pairing, which you only use once.
Right Side (Precise Tuning Zone):
This is for detailed adjustments. Users simply tap the target button first
—like the back wall-light, main desk-light, or color temperature—
and then slide their finger across the touch bar for smooth, stepless control.
Stage 3: The Shortcut Gesture Control
For daily use, we wanted a quick shortcut, so we added a gesture sensor for touchless control.
The First Idea:
We initially tried to put the sensor right in the center. But because of internal space limits, it had to protrude outward. This extra piece was too close to the light and caused harsh glare. Since eye care was our top priority, we dropped this idea immediately.
The Final Solution:
Instead, we placed the sensor on the far right side. Now, users can simply wave their right hand underneath to turn the lamp on or off. This position keeps the light glare-free and perfectly avoids accidental triggers.
Articulation System: Expression Of Fastidiousness
The big highlight here is the horizontal swivel.
Users can smoothly swing the lamp head from left to right to shift the light across the desk, perfectly meeting the needs of larger, longer workspaces. Combined with the 6-axis, dual-arm system, users can position the light exactly where they need it.
To make it feel fastidiousness, we used top-tier manufacturing details:
Hinges/ Die-cast metal, polished and finished with a matte metallic laquer for a precise, professional look. Arms/ Aluminum extrusions with CNC ends, finished with a matte pearl paint for a sleek, high-end texture.
Accessories: Space-Saving Desk Clamp
To further improve the user experience, we designed a desk clamp accessory for the A9. Users can securely clamp the lamp onto the edge of their desk. Because there is no bulky base sitting on the desk surface, this solution completely frees up usable workspace, making it perfect for smaller or busier desk setups.
CMF Strategy: Two Color Directions
Based on our 2025 Color Palette Strategy, I proposed two distinct color directions for A9:
Neutral Gray / Silver: This is our mainstream direction with high market acceptance, designed to fit a wide range of consumer preferences.
Creamy Warm White: This color expresses our core vision of blending the lamp into the user’s home. It brings a soft, warm lifestyle feeling into the living space.
Overcoming Stakeholder Skepticism to Expand SKU Strategy
Next, we worked closely with our supplier to turn these two color directions into high-fidelity prototypes. Initially, leadership and stakeholders were skeptical about the Creamy direction because we had never taken this approach before.
However, once they saw and touched the physical prototype, they fell in love with it emotionally.
The prototype was so convincing that it completely changed their minds. Management approved expanding our launch strategy from a single SKU to a dual-SKU launch, bringing both directions to the market.
Mass Production Quality Control: CMF Tolerance
During the development phase, we worked rigorously with our suppliers to define the strict CMF tolerance ranges for every single part and material. We carefully established the upper and lower limits for color accuracy, gloss levels, and the exact particle size for the metallic and pearl textures.
By controlling these fine manufacturing details, we ensured that our original design vision was perfectly delivered to the final consumers without any compromise.
Validating Expression In Context through AI
AI-generated contextual visualizations were integrated into the design process to evaluate the product beyond form alone. By placing concepts within realistic home environments, stakeholders could quickly assess whether the intended expression, emotional tone, and brand personality remained consistent across real-world use cases, enabling faster and more informed design decisions.
