Every success has a story, and the creation of our new Sefte® air circulator range is no exception. A lot of time, effort and consideration went into the making of Sefte®, and we want to show you the detail and precision of every single feature, from conception to creation.
Meet the Engineers
Before we get into the making of Sefte®, let’s first introduce you to the engineers behind the design: Rich, Matt and Adam. We have worked with Rich, Matt and Adam for over 10 years, our relationship starting with the creation of our MeacoDry Arete® One Dehumidifier and Air Purifier range (which turned out to be a Red Dot Award Winner!) and now, Sefte®.
“’The 1056 had been a very high performing product yet our goal was to build something that would produce even more air with less noise. For every design detail, we asked ourselves whether it would improve the performance of the product. At the same time, we needed to balance these performance requirements with a great user experience and a visual design that would blend perfectly into the home. After a long journey of testing and iteration we believe Sefte strikes the perfect balance of performance, functionality and aesthetics.” – Rich Gilbert, Design Engineer
Chris, Managing Director of Meaco, worked extremely closely with the designers to ensure we were designing a product that incorporated every piece of consumer feedback we’d received over the last 5 years.
The mission from the start
Sefte® is the result of 3 years of research and design iteration. In Spring 2021, Chris Michael, Managing Director of Meaco, had a mission: create an air circulator that propels more air, further, while making less noise and using less energy.-
As you might expect, getting the balance of all these elements in one product is quite a challenge. But with thoughtful research, a listening ear to customer feedback, innovative design and a willingness to try, fail and try again, we achieved harmony between all of these elements. And as a result, we have developed a cutting-edge range of air circulators that we believe set a new standard within the air treatment industry.
The roadmap to success
Equipped with our mission of ‘More air. Less noise. Less energy’, the next step was to dive into the research. What does our ever-popular, award-winning, MeacoFan 1056 range of air circulators already do really well? Where could we improve? To answer these questions, we started our conversations with the customer, learning everything that they loved, hated or were indifferent to when it came to our pre-existing range of air circulators. Involving the Customer Service team was a crucial step in the design process as they have firsthand knowledge of all customers’ frustrations and loves.
We conducted a thorough review of customer feedback to better understand what users liked and didn’t like about our 1056 range. We read, identified and categorised countless reviews, highlighting common pain points. It was these very frustrations that were the source of many of the new features you see in Sefte® today.
Your feedback fuelled our designs
We didn’t just want to create a new range of air circulators that looked nice, we wanted to create a range of air circulators that solved every pain point of its predecessor. Our goal was to create a product that outperformed all other fans on the market, providing exceptional cooling performance that customers would love. Using real customer cases, we kickstarted the making of Sefte®.
Turning problems into solutions
With this feedback gathered, we turned these problems into solutions.
“The remote control is okay, but it’s difficult to read the buttons at night time – in fact, I have to use the light of my phone to check which buttons I need to press.” Gary, Meaco Customer
The learning: On the 1056 air circulator remote, there is a braille dot on the power button to help users orientate the remote. However, the braille dot isn’t very helpful on a round remote control in the dark, making it hard for users to change their fan settings during the night.
The solution: We removed the guesswork by making the buttons of our remote control glow in the dark. Users can now not only change their fan settings with ease during the night, as the buttons are visible without needing to turn a light on, but when placed face down, the remote control emits no light – meaning those who can only sleep in the pitch black, are still able to.
“When I’m sitting on the sofa and I try to change the fan settings with the remote, sometimes the connection won’t work”, Meaco Customer
The learning: On the 1056 Pedestal air circulator the display and remote receiver was at the base of the fan, meaning, if a natural obstruction like a bed or a sofa was in the way, then the remote would not work as easily.
The solution: We moved the display from the base of the air circulator to just below the head of the fan. Not only does this mean the remote control works without having to move position (e.g. if you are lying down in bed), but the information on the display can be easily read from anywhere in the room. Now, you can know the room temperature and current fan speed at a glance.
“It’s a little bit annoying when I want to lower the fan speed by one as I have to go through all 12 fan speeds to get there.” – Meaco customer
The learning and the solution: This was a simple one. We needed to add a minus button to make the fan speed adjustment more efficient.
“I don’t like it when I have to keep waiting for the oscillation to reach back to me.” – Meaco Customer
The learning: A wide oscillation is wasted airflow when only a few people want cooling. It’s something we’ve all experienced, lying in bed on a hot summer night, waiting for the fan to oscillate back round to you for a couple seconds of relief before that cooling breeze is gone again, but not wanting to direct the airflow onto you 24/7.
The solution: We created, Air Beam Precision. Air Beam Precision allows users to choose between 3 different oscillation ranges: narrow, medium and wide. Providing a cooling solution for every situation and giving the user complete control over the direction of airflow. The narrow beam is ideal for use in bed – Sefte® passes its cooling breeze between you and your partner, without also cooling the rest of your empty room. The medium beam is ideal for family nights on the sofa. And, the wide beam has been engineered for whole room cooling.
“A good fan but the only issue is that you cannot adjust to a higher pedestal height” – Meaco Customer
“The fan height could be taller” – Meaco customer
The learning: When using the 1056 Pedestal at the tallest height, users with larger beds or high dining room tables found the air circulator head did not reach a height that was needed for the cooling breeze to reach them.
The solution: We worked hard to engineer a fan more than over a metre tall (approximately 1.09m) as this would mean it reaches over most beds, sofas, desks and other furniture.
A key focus during the design process was achieving the perfect balance between the weight of the fan’s base and head to prevent any risk of the fan toppling over. Our goal was not only for the fan to have a tall stature but also to maintain its robust construction. It was vital that the customer felt confident in Sefte®’s stability because no one wants a fan that could fall over at any moment. That is why details like the strong, seamless PowerPole and the weighted base were crucial in achieving such stability.
After extensive testing and design iteration, we successfully developed an industry-leading pedestal fan – one that surpasses the standard height on the current market. Read our blog to find more.
It is a little annoying that I have to reposition the fan when I sit in a different spot” – Meaco Customer
The learning: The best home appliance is one that needs minimal adjustment and maintenance but delivers high functionality.
The solution: We added a Pause button so users can adjust the airflow direction easily, without having to get up and reposition the fan. This feature greatly enhances the user experience for Sefte® owners as they can now stop the fan head at their desired position with a simple press.
Try, try, and try again
With the pain points identified and new design concepts in place, the next step was to bring these ideas to life through rigorous testing.
All good things come to those who wait. But mainly to those who try, try and try again. And again. Until eventually you reach your end goal.
Our designers often found themselves in a design cycle of: Trial, Error, Adjustment, Repeat. They would come up with a design concept, 3D print it, test it, look at the data, keep some things, adjust other things. And do the whole thing over again. By running this cycle over and over, remarkable learnings and innovations were found, made and implemented into the Sefte® design.
More air. Less noise. Less energy.
It was by running the design cycle over and over we achieved our goal of: ‘More air. Less noise. Less energy.’.
More air: By combining our highly efficient motor with our signature deep-draw blades, Sefte® provides an impressive 19m³ of air per minute, offering the ultimate cooling technology.
Less noise: After testing various motors, we continued with our reliable motor used in the 1056. With a spin speed exceeding 1450 RPM, this brushless DC motor consistently provides ultra-quiet, energy-efficient performance.
Less energy: We have maximised on power and quietness, but that doesn’t mean it will cost the earth. Running Sefte® costs as little as 0.1p / hour. That’s just 4p for an entire 24 hours!
We put care into every detail of Sefte®, from the overall look and feel of the product, right down to the unobservable details like the hierarchical positioning of the buttons on the remote. This project aimed to create an air circulator that could propel more air, while creating less noise and using less energy, and this was achieved. A remarkable achievement, if we do say so ourselves. But that isn’t the only reason Sefte® is so special. It is the way all of the elements tie together.
Once the final product was ready for production, the last thing to do was to give it a name.
It’s all in the name
We knew this new range was special, so we wanted to pick a name to reflect that.
When we came across ‘Sefte’, an Old English word meaning ‘quiet, gentle and undisturbed’, we knew it fit.
- Quiet – At just 25dB, our air circulator is as quiet as a whisper. Read our blog on the Quiet Mark award to find out more.
- Gentle – Sound harmonics are just as important as volume, which is why we made sure the fan’s noise was gentle, soothing and quiet.
- Undisturbed – With its low volume and gentle sound, Sefte® won’t disturb you while you sleep. Read our blog to find out more: Sleep matters: Sefte® and how to get a good night’s sleep during summer
With the design made, testing complete and name given, the Sefte® Air Circulator Range was born.
We hope you love Sefte® as much as we do.
