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| Group Head of Design at BAT Ken Kim pose with tobacco heating product glo Hyper X2 at the company's headquarters in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of BAT Rothman |
By Kim Jae-heun
Portability was what Ken Kim, a group head of design at British American Tobacco (BAT), had focused the most on when he was designing the company's latest tobacco heating product glo Hyper X2, the designer said during a video interview, Tuesday.
The head designer met with reporters online to share his design philosophy and the stories behind the development of glo Hyper X2, which has been receiving positive responses from users for its innovative features and sensuous design.
"People have their e-cigarette in their pocket together with their wallet and smartphone. So we had to focus on the portability of the device," Kim said.
Glo is built on the basis of a 360 induction heating system, which limits size minimization. However, Kim turned that limit into a strength and adopted the concept of barreling to emphasize the device's engine.
"In order to implement the optimal shutter mechanism, I conducted studies on all possible angles from 25 degrees to 75 degrees and designed dozens of shapes to make the break of the iris-shaped shutter most comfortable to operate with one hand," Kim said.
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| BAT Rothman's new glo Hyper X2 products / Courtesy of BAT Rothman |
Kim said authenticity and simplicity were the competitive features of glo Hyper X2.
"I don't think products with many functions appeal more to consumers. Authenticity with simplicity that provides optimal solutions to consumers is what glo offers. I think the strength of Asia's design lies in the details and refinement. We have four Korean designers at BAT Group working together," Kim said.
According to Kim, many signature functions of glo devices including the boost mode and iris shutter were imagined by Koreans.
"I can even tell you that the initial concept of glo Pro Slim's design was led by Korean designers," Kim said.
The head designer mentioned this because the Korean market for tobacco heating devices is in an important position internationally.
"Korean consumers are strict and meticulous when shopping for a product. They check varied information and experience the product before they buy it. In this context, global firms learned that if a product succeeds in the Korean market, it can also succeed in any other markets around the world," Kim said.
Meanwhile, Kim worked as a UX researcher on the mobile service planning team at widerthan.com, a subsidiary company of SK Telecom, from September 2000 to March 2003. He then moved to take a design management job at LG Electronics until he joined BAT Group in 2020.
