Molekule appoints first Chief Design Officer, As It Continues to Innovate on the Intersection of Science and Design
Signaling critical role of design, Molekule promotes Vice President of Product, Peter Riering-Czekalla, to key new position, ensuring form and function continue to seamlessly integrate with the latest in scientific innovation
Jan 12, 2021, 09:00 ET
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Molekule, the leader in reinventing air purification, today announced that Peter Riering-Czekalla will be the company's first Chief Design Officer (CDO). The creation of the C-suite position signals the importance of human centered design when disrupting a stagnant industry, and underscores the necessity that new scientific advancements be created with the mindset that they must not only create cutting edge innovation, but deliver it effortlessly into people's lives.
As CDO, Riering-Czekalla's responsibilities include oversight of Molekule's product design, digital services, user experience, and brand experience.
"The combination of design meets science has been central for Molekule since the start," said Jaya Rao, CEO & Co-Founder. "Design was one of our key pillars from day one, as we knew air purifiers were typically difficult to use, easily breakable, and oftentimes, plastic boxes that people left in the corners of rooms to be forgotten. Our approach has always been different- to bring game changing technology to people's fingertips in a formfactor that people want to have in their lives. This is beyond just design, it's about building products that integrate science, innovation, hardware, and software, into products that people actually want to use."
Riering-Czekalla joined Molekule as the company's first hire in 2015. Serving as the Vice President of Product and Design, he was responsible for Molekule Air's iconic shape and experience, bringing PECO technology in a smaller form factor to Air Mini and Air Mini+, launching the company's first medical product, Air Pro RX, bringing a hybrid of consumer and commercial products to life in Air Pro; a product that is engineered for the needs of business yet designed beautifully enough for one's home, and building out the company's auto-filter refill model. He has also led the Molekule User Experience team, sustainable packaging strategy, marketing and brand efforts.
"If you only think about technology for the sake of technology, you'll miss the consumer," Riering-Czekalla stated. "Technology and science needs to be designed for easy adoption by users. And I also believe that consumer tech products can and should be beautiful – not hidden away but proudly showcased."
Riering-Czekalla's vision and designs continue to drive disruption in the air purification field. The established market was built around square and box-shaped air purifiers, lacking innovation, design appeal, and investment or thought around the user experience. Riering-Czekalla drove Molekule's product design philosophy by upending legacy thinking in the space with a fresh approach to what an air purification device should be and how people should use it.
As a part of that vision, Riering-Czekalla was very intentional with Molekule's packaging, building single-use, low-glue, interlocking packaging for products from the start, believing that packaging delivers an experience. From the box and the reusable bag the device comes in, to the cable cover, Molekule's packaging is all very intentional.
Born and raised in Germany, Riering-Czekalla learned design at one of the top German design schools before starting his tenure at IDEO for almost a decade. At IDEO, he worked with major brands including Samsung, LG, Nike, Levi's, Bacardi, Campbell's, Microsoft, EA Sports, and First Republic Bank. He also designed the Nextbit Robin smartphone; worked on the future of hands-free interaction for Microsoft; designed the first line of touch-screen laptops for Acer; developed the high-net-worth VIP digital service experience for First Republic Bank.
About Molekule
Molekule is on a mission to provide clean indoor air to everyone, everywhere. Based on 25 years of research and development, the company's patented photo electrochemical oxidation (PECO) technology destroys the widest range of pollutants, including VOCs, mold, bacteria, viruses, and allergens, when compared to conventional filters. Molekule's range of air purification solutions have been reviewed and validated by third-party laboratories, as well as continual internal testing, and its medical-grade product has been granted medical device clearance by the FDA. Today, Molekule is available at Best Buy, Apple and on Amazon. It is also sold internationally in India, Japan, South Korea, and Canada. For more information, visit https://molekule.com.
SOURCE Molekule Inc
