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KOHLER sok™

DEEP THINKING

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Most Americans can be classified as either bathers

or showerers; that is, those who prefer the relax-

ation of bathing versus those who prefer the stimu-

lation of a shower. Each group of consumers has their own specific

preferences, and at Kohler, product design and development teams

make it their unified mission to understand and address those needs

directly. For example, specific issues that came out of recent acade-

mic research and focus group conversations with consumers who

enjoy the bathing experience included a desire for revitalization and

tranquility, deep enough water to allow bathers to float weightlessly

and consistent water temperature. Customers also told Kohler that,

with a standard whirlpool bath, it can sometimes be challenging to

relax amidst the noise and vibration generated from the pump.

By Kohler Co.

For additional information about the KOHLER s¯ok overflowingbath or other Kohler Co. products, consumers may call 1-800-4-KOHLER or access the Kohler Co. Web site at KOHLER.com.

Kohler now adds chromatherapy to its celebrated sok overflowing bath. This innovation offers aluxurious retreat, providing the opportunity for bathers to slip into the peaceful warmth of thewater and allow each color—soothing to invigorating—to gently wash over them.

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Taking this input into consideration, Kohler’s design-ers, industrial engineers and human factors specialistsbegan to plan. The team wanted to create a product thatwasn’t just about getting clean, but also about relaxationand rejuvenation.

Reinventing the Relaxing Ritual The process began with an image of an ancient ritual ofthe bath… sinking slowly into a deep pool of perfectlyheated water. Kohler designers then added an array offeatures that would satisfy the needs of consumers, suchas: • Effervescence. At the simple touch of a button, tinybubbles rise up like vintage champagne caressing thebody.• An unbroken pane of water. At the tub’s circumfer-ence, water gently slides over the edge to serenade thebather with the softest of water music. • Chromatherapy. The idyllic pool is illuminated withan array of colors: pure, calming white; harmonious, bal-ancing green; and invigorating red.

When Kohler’s design team embarked on this excitingproject, members wanted to create a soaking tub thatcombined depth with the visual excitement of falling water,which in turn would elicit sounds that mimic waves, water-falls or rippling streams.

The Kohler team also talked to a number of whirlpoolbath owners, who provided Kohler with the impetus todevise a method of quietly moving water— a form ofwater stimulation that was a contrast to the aggressivewater action typical in a whirlpool.

Kohler intentionally understated the shape of the

sok™ Overflowing Bath to visually convey a sense of

serenity and to offer architects and interior designers a

neutral shape that would be equally elegant when placed

within traditional or contemporary settings.

The sok tub’s tiny, effervescent bubbles were a resultof applying technical formulas and conducting extensiveexperimenting. To create these tiny bubbles, however, allvariables had to be in perfect alignment, such as thepump speed, tub height, rim width and effervescence portlocations.

Persistence and PlywoodPaper and CAD software enable designers to develop

a great number of products, but the bathtub simply isn’t

one of them. The user’s experience is as important as thetub’s design, meaning members of the Kohler team had tophysically experience the sok tub prototype the same waythe end user was going to experience it.

At Kohler the product design process is very hands-on and involves extensive experimenting in order to con-firm what works, functionally and experientially; whatworks, but hasn’t yet been considered; and what doesn’twork.

For the sok bath, designers, human-factors special-

ists and engineers ventured into the wet lab daily to

assemble rough, fully functioning prototypes character-

ized with a motor, pump, plywood and PVC piping.

Regardless of the performance outcomes each day, theteam welcomed the challenges because they representedopportunities for innovation.

Like an infinity pool, water continuously overflows all sides of thesok bath with a gentle flowing rhythm that soothes the senses.

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Above: A reincarnation of the bathing ritual, the sok overflowingbath creates the ultimate soaking experience, submerging thebather from shoulder to toe in this ultra-deep, tranquil pool.

Right: Consumers can take this unique soaking bath and cus-tomize the installation that matches their desires. For example, thishome spa environment features a ceiling-mounted laminar-flowbath filler that is both physically appealing and visually arresting.

“The architectural simplicity of this soaking tub belies its advanced technological concept. Human comfort

and convenience are paramount without looking like a therapeutic device.”

—Niels Diffrient, FIDSA

was intimidating, while others found it provocative. Andwhile some people didn’t care to see themselves bathingin pure white light, others found it ideal for reading.Interestingly, they all agreed that the color sequenceshould progress from cool to warm and not the reverse.

Making a SplashKOHLER sok was officially released to the marketplace inMay 2001. Within just a few months it was obvious that itwould be well received. At year’s end, unit sales farexceeded company’s original projections.

“The sok bath was a terrific success for our companyin a variety of ways,” said David Kohler, president ofKohler’s kitchen and bath group. “The project combinedunique consumer insight with excellent design and techni-cal execution to produce a product that consumersaround the globe are excited about. Designed to create amore relaxing bathing experience, sok has touched con-sumers both experientially and aesthetically. It is theessence of what we strive to attain at Kohler.”

Designed by Carter J. Thomas, IDSA, and the Plumbing New Product Development Group and Plumbing AdvancedDevelopment Group of Kohler Co. for Kohler Co.

Kohler Co. would like to thank the following individuals for their dedication, hard workand perserverance on the KOHLER sok overflowing bath project: Carter J. Thomas, leadindustrial designer; Mike Cook, engineering technician; Bob Giese, senior human factorsspecialist; Dave O’Connell, lead designer of the Advanced Development ConceptGroup; Peter Swart, staff technical analyst. The remaining members of the developmentteam are Ron Bauer, Paula Forseth Dick, Randy Graskamp, Mike Moldenhauer, DaveHiberhauser, Gary Kubichka, Mike Macleisch, Rick Olson, Dave Ourada, Bob Rogers,Mark Johansen, Jim Swendson, Tim Jorsch, Scott Knapp and Steve Weise.

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The manner in which the actual depth of the sok tubwas determined serves as a great example of why proto-type testing is so critical to Kohler’s product designprocess. From Kohler’s research and external sourcessuch as plumbing showroom managers, the team learnedthat women are the primary users of bathtubs and alsoare usually the decision makers in the bath-fixture pur-chase process.

Based on its earlier research, Kohler’s design teamdetermined that the soaking tub had to be deep. Whenfirst designed, the tub’s depth was 24 inches, but proto-type testing revealed this depth was a problem. When ashort-stature female climbed into the sok prototype, shewas literally up to her eyeballs in water! To address theproblem, Kohler molded a seat into the tub at a depth of19 inches.

And Then There Was LightDespite a highly successful launch of sok in 2001, theKohler design team wasn’t quite finished. As an option forconsumers, chromatherapy (light therapy) was added tosok, with four LED lights placed within the tub’s inner wallsproviding the illumination. A sequence of eight colors—

from soothing to invigorating—cycles through every

eight seconds; the bather simply touches a button to

rest on any color.

The research into the chromatherapy was fascinatingbecause people had such strong reactions to it. Initiallythe range of color was going to be limited to shades ofblue, but the Kohler design team quickly learned thatthere was a surprising acceptance to a wide spectrum ofcool-to-warm colors. Other findings revealed that peopledisliked the look of orange water until they got into the tuband felt immediately energized. Some individuals felt red

Kohler's human-factors specialist conducted an in-depth analysisof the seat area, bathing well length and overall tub depth.