KONE Design – listening to our customers and users leads us to the right path

At KONE, Design functions within end-to-end product teams, meaning that design principles are taken into account right from the start of the product life cycle. Great customer value is created by successful collaboration within KONE’s diverse teams.

We are promoting strategic design thinking across the company – design should be everyone’s responsibility. We work together across design disciplines, marrying design with other KONE functions and collaborating iteratively with our customers, users, and partners.

Our design principles create the foundation of design thinking at KONE:

• PEOPLE FIRST: We put people first, helping them reach their goals by keeping in mind the ideal experience we want them to have.
• WHOLE JOURNEY: We design flow – not just single touchpoints, individual features, or events. We create signature journeys where things happen smoothly, creating a feeling of ease and continuity.
• DESIGNED FUTURE: We are curious to learn how cities will change and how values will evolve – today and tomorrow. We actively seek signals, strong and weak, to build an understanding of present and future phenomena.
• REAL-LIFE: The way to solve our customers’, users’ and our own challenges is to have an outside-in perspective, taking in real contexts and surroundings. We spend time at live project sites to understand real situations and needs.

Digital connectivity has opened a totally new realm for design opportunities at KONE. KONE DX elevators represent a totally new design approach that gives customers the ability to choose a design that is fit for their purposes: functional and durable materials are coupled with unique lighting solutions and signalizations. We are proud that the KONE DX Class elevator interior collection and the KONE DX Class digital experience elevator concept were recognized and given awards for their outstanding design features, innovativeness, and smart elements in the Red Dot Design Awards in 2020.

KONE designs and innovations have been recognized also with over 40 other prestigious awards over the years.