Align with the unpredictability of human life.
We can all resonate with the fact that no two individuals are alike. And in a smart home context, that becomes more evident.
But think for a second: how many unexpected things have you experienced in the last week? Most likely, many. Human life is unpredictable, and smart homes must mirror this reality.
Designers can’t fail at designing for the unpredictable. If so, who is using our products may struggle to adapt the technology to their evolving needs and may find themselves limited by predetermined settings, with its future dissatisfaction and decreased usability.
Let’s think of an easy example: keeping your home warm in winter. I can’t personally count how many times I left my heating at home accidentally running when I was away and forgot to lower my thermostats temperature before crossing the front door.
When it comes to smart homes, users acquire smart thermostats with the initial expectation to create a heating plan, so they can adjust the thermostat’s temperature as the day progresses.
However, life doesn’t always follow a rigid plan:
- What if they have guests at home and suddenly need to heat your home longer?
- What if a cold weave hits sooner than expected?
The list of unexpected scenarios is infinite. You can’t (and shouldn’t) map all them and come up with a solution for every single scenario.
But, design must be delivered to users with enough flexibility in mind so that your features can adapt to most of these situations.
One key to flexibility in digital design: Binary thinking, which extends from the binary states of ‘on’ and ‘off’ to cover the spectrum of possibilities in between.
Picture this: You’re guiding users to set up a heating schedule (on), and later, they might want to turn the said schedule off (off). In this context, we must carefully consider the behaviours that happen within this spectrum of interaction. These behaviours may include: pausing/extending the schedule for a few hours, pausing the schedule for a few days, pausing the schedule for months during summer…
Why is this important? If users can’t fine-tune the in-between, they might end up running their heating schedules forever (which isn’t very clever) or just leaving it off, ending the experience right away.
Problem solved. Now tell a story and make it desirable.
In the world of digital design, it’s often said that addressing a problem is only the first step.
Once you’ve identified the issue and crafted a solution, shift the focus towards making it not only functional and effective, yet highly desirable.
If your product isn’t desirable you are most likely missing:
- the interest from people to explore new features and upgrades.
- the chance to nurture an enduring relationship and loyalty with existing users.
- the opportunity to a higher user engagement.
Retaking the previous example of heating, almost any smart home app offer the possibility to set up temperature presets that with just a tab, users can adjust their home temperature to a predefined value. Like a short-cut.
What’s surprising is that most smart home apps out there (with some exceptions) are presenting presets in such a boring wording and format, not to say hidden in the most advanced settings.
While conducting some user testing, my team and I experienced how presets have the potential to work as a guide for users who are a bit lost in smart homes and new to heating.
- To which temperature do you really save energy?
- To which temperature should I leave my home at, when I’m away?
Users new to the world of smart home, are expecting to get these answers from you.
Then, why hiding a feature full of potential when you can tell a story around it and make it desirable?
- You deserve to be cozy at home at all times. Stay comfort at 22 °C. Save preset.
- Don’t waste any energy and avoid paying extra. When outdoors, save energy at 16 °C. Save preset.
- Ideal for summer when heating is not needed. Keep your thermostats in anti-freeze at 6°C. Save preset.
By doing so, we:
- Build desirability.
- Enhance user understanding.
- Promote desired behaviours.
Making things functional, but also desirable.
Above all, make it customisable and convenient.
It is simple: if something is not convenient to use, it’s unlikely to see long-term adoption.
Convenience is the cornerstone upon which the success of a smart home app is built.
Why is convenience important?
- Streamlined living: Convenience means making complex tasks simple.
- Personalisation: Convenience is about offering customisation. Only what’s tailored to you is perceived as convenient.
The role of customisation in designing for convenience.
Let’s give it an example: Smart lights (or smart bulbs) are probably the most recognised smart home devices, or at least the ones often bought first when thinking of kicking-off your smart home experience.
The act of simply switching a light on/off with a physical switch is already convenient in its simplicity.
However, when it comes to smart lighting, the aim is not necessarily to make the basic act of turning lights more convenient but to enhance the overall lighting experience, and make it more adaptable to various user needs and preferences, and therefore, convenient.
Convenience can be manifested through customisation like:
- Creating Scenes: Define and switch between different ‘scenes’ to match their needs and create contextual atmospheres at home. For example a ‘Gaming Setup’ scene with optimal lighting, with just a tab.
- Invisible Automation: True convenience involves automating, like lights turning on or off at specified times, or when presence is detected.
In short: convenience is not just about making things effortlessly to achieve; but putting the user in control. It is about recognising that in a world of endless possibilities, the true value lies in making it a personal and individual experience.
Closing Notes
To summarise, here are three fundamental principles that can be your guiding light when designing in smart homes:
- Adapt to the unpredictable.
- Communicate compelling narratives beyond the problem-solving.
- Empower personalisation.
Simply put: adapt, communicate and empower in order craft experiences to be genuinely loved.
