PuriCare

As a Product Researcher at Korea University’s Ergonomics Design Lab, I worked with LG Electronics on early research for a new air-purifying mask. Our job was to find out what makes a mask comfortable, using facial measurement data and how people describe the feeling of wearing one. We delivered our findings to LG’s R&D team, and LG launched the PuriCare Mask in 2020.

Designing Comfort for Breathing

In 2018, fine dust became a national issue in South Korea, and masks became part of daily life. LG wanted to rethink the mask. Filtration was already solved, but comfort wasn’t. Masks pressed on the face, trapped heat and made breathing feel harder. LG partnered with our lab to answer a basic question first: what does “comfortable” actually mean for a mask?

Ergonomic and Anthropometric Research

We measured 80 participants with 3D scanning, 2D imaging and direct measurement, following ISO 15535. From each scan we extracted facial landmarks on X, Y and Z axes, including 19 points around the ear where straps sit. Using factor analysis, we found which measurements explain most of the variation between faces. Using cluster analysis, we grouped participants into representative face types. Nose curvature, cheek width and jaw contour mattered most for fit and support.

From Data to Experience

Measurements explained fit, not comfort. Two masks could fit the same face and feel completely different. So we ran a diary study in which participants logged when, where, why and how they wore masks. Using the KJ method, we grouped their entries into recurring pain points: heat buildup, pressure fatigue and breathing resistance.

To capture how comfort feels, we collected the words people used about masks and rated them on semantic differential scales. Factor analysis grouped those words into three perceptions: weight, fit balance and premium feel. Together with overall satisfaction and usability, these became seven criteria for evaluating a mask, covering both how it fits and how it feels.

Design Insights

Comfort came down to two things: how pressure is spread across the face, and whether breathing feels easy, not just whether air flows. We proposed splitting the mask into two parts:

Breathing part, designed for air intake and exhalation.
Supporting part, designed for flexible but stable contact with the face.

We delivered these recommendations to LG’s R&D team at the end of the research phase. LG launched the PuriCare Mask globally in 2020.

Reflection

Before this project, I made design decisions mostly on intuition. Here, 80 faces had to stand in for millions of users, and the job was to turn complaints like “it feels stuffy” into criteria an engineering team could build against. That’s the skill I still use most: taking what people say and turning it into a decision a team can act on. My role ended after the research phase, but seeing the product launch two years later showed me how long research takes to show up in a product.