Unlock the full potential of your smart home devices.
Make the home that’s just right for you, at all time.
So you can get back into doing what you want.
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Ben Weiyang Wu is an aspiring multi-disciplinary designer who cyclically sweats the details of research, design, and testing. He believes good design can solve problems and create artistic values that surround emotion and play.
Otto at a glance.
Overview
The disappearance of third places has forced remote workers to blend their professional and personal lives at home, making it more challenging to maintain boundaries.
To restore better work-life balance, I developed a smart home system that automates and maintains environmental conditions in the home, streamlining the transition between any task or mood.
What I did
User Research
User Interface
3D Rendering
Motion Graphics
Storyboarding
Created With
Sai Kukkadapu
Rannie Li
Context
From comfort to chaos.
The pandemic has accelerated the disappearance of third places, forcing our homes to become more multipurpose as we now rest, work, and socialize in the same space.
Research
A space to juggle.
To conceptualize a potential solution, we focused on qualitative research to gather insights from the stories and experiences of our participants.
A cultural probe was distributed to five participants with diverse home structures to visually map their routines at home. The artifacts revealed a common practice of establishing boundaries by intentionally compartmentalizing their day into separate areas.
In-depth interviews through directed storytelling uncovered that despite owning smart home products, participants lacked confidence in the technology and expressed concerns about home automation without oversight.
A competitive analysis of current and emerging solutions that use automation, pattern recognition, and environmental conditioning to streamline and improve everyday life provided us with the inspiration to create an IoT solution that supports wellbeing at home.
Problem
The need to coexist.
People find solace in the transitionary moments at home, but the tedious process of setting up a new task can be draining. Interruptions and interstitial friction from a changing home environment can also make it difficult to stay in the flow, leading people to accept it as an unavoidable aspect of home-based activities.
Balance
Different activities call for different furniture, appliances, and devices, which must coexist in the same space.
People need flexible spaces that seamlessly transition to accommodate their routines with clear distinction.
Adaptability
Unexpected events, interruptions, and friction disrupt people’s routines, forcing them to quickly adjust their environment.
People need a solution that can proactively anticipate and respond to unexpected situations, learning and adapting to changing needs.
Autonomy
A lack of control over blurred work-life boundaries and concerns about home automation oversight foster a sense of lost autonomy.
People need a transparent and controllable IoT system that saves them time without sacrificing agency.
IDEATION
Insights to action.
Inspired by user needs, we created two distinct yet complementary design visions for an ecosystem of interfaces that can transform the home environment for different activities.
Divided and defined.
By physically rearranging the home into a more optimal layout for the task at hand, we can create boundaries between different facets of our lives.
Snap into your senses.
By using sensory cues to partition our lives, we can create environments that are optimized for different activities and switch between tasks seamlessly.
Final dIRECTION
Sensory Takeover.
While physical boundaries allow for a more distance change in environment, we realized how it could be unnecessarily cumbersome for teleworking renters. We pivoted to leverage sensory cues to create recognizable spaces for different activities while exploring the potential of utilizing existing smart home technologies.
As Dani unwinds, they're surrounded by warm, natural light and the gentle chirping of birds outside.
They switch to a work scene that brightens the lights, activates the humidifier, and cancels out bird songs.
While studying, Dani hears the doorbell that the sound system has let through.
Arriving at the door, Dani is struck by the distinct difference between the indoor and outdoor spaces.
Dani sets the IoT to create a socializing-friendly environment. The curtains rise, music starts playing, and the lights change to vibrant colors.
Dani turns off their IoT before heading out with a friend, and the room returns to its natural state.
Drag
Taylor reads by the window with a relaxing scene activated. As long as there is enough natural light, the IoT won't turn on any artificial lights.
The sky becomes gloomy, altering the lighting in Taylor’s room.
Taylor struggles to read in the dark, so the IoT adjusts the space to match the earlier lighting.
Taylor's blinds are closed and the lamp is turned on by the IoT system to recreate the brighter environment, allowing for comfortable reading again.
Drag
Shane is getting ready to work, but he is overwhelmed by the excessive noise surrounding him.
To concentrate, he asks his IoT to eliminate distracting sounds and create a better work environment.
Even while blocking harsh noises, The IoT ensures Shane can hear his doorbell, prioritizing important sounds.
Shane heads to the door to fetch his delivery. The IoT distinguishes human conversation from noise pollution, making it audible.
Drag
Mari sleeps soundly in her room. Her IoT stabilizes the environment to her ideal temperature and humidity.
A pungent smell enters Mari’s room through an open window, waking her up.
Unable to bear the smell, Mari shut her window. The IoT detects a shift in air quality and temperature, adjusting her home environment accordingly.
Mari is at peace as her room goes back to normal. Once her environment is regulated, The IoT restores the air purifier and humidifiers to their regular settings.
Drag
Sensor
Climate, light, and sound can be monitored by the sensor and then forwarded to the hub for processing.
Plan
Place sensors anywhere within your space and add more as needed.
Pair
To connect with the IoT system, simply place the sensor on the hub.
Set up
Select what the sensor monitors: climate, light, and/or sound.
Place
Attach the sensor onto any surface and remove with ease as needed.
FLOW
Homeostasis for the home.
Otto is a system of three devices that work together to maintain the ideal conditions in your home, helping you transition into the right mood for your designated task.
Controller
The controller is where you can interact, create, and change scenes. It is a a universal dial that centralizes smart home devices for personalized adjustments.
Sensor
Climate, light, and sound can be monitored by the sensor and then forwarded to the hub for processing.
Hub
As Otto’s logic processor, the hub processes environmental data and sends commands to smart home devices.
Create a new scene
Create a scene to control your smart home devices at once for a new environment.
Choose a preset scene
Choose a suggested preset scene as a starting point and adjust as needed.
Adjust climate setting
Manage air quality, temperature, and humidity.
What is adjusted?
Otto adjusts to subtle climate changes based on healthy home guidelines.
Otto adjusts to subtle climate changes based on healthy home guidelines.
Adjust sound setting
Manage ambient sound, noise, and alerts.
Important sounds?
For your safety, you can choose to allow sounds such as alarms, baby cries, and doorbells.
For your safety, you can choose to allow sounds such as alarms, baby cries, and doorbells.
Adjust light setting
Manage light brightness, color, and source.
Not noticing a change?
Otto seamlessly adjusts to shifts between natural and artificial light.
Otto seamlessly adjusts to shifts between natural and artificial light.
Save as a new scene
Save current setting as a scene for later use.
Activate Homing
Gently revolve the controller to activate.
See nearby devices
Move the controller to detect nearby smart home devices.
How close should I be?
The controller detects nearby devices through proximity, with larger icons for closer devices.
The controller detects nearby devices through proximity, with larger icons for closer devices.
Fine-tune
Select a smart home device and customize its settings.
Save changes
Save your adjusted settings for a single use, or as a permanent change to the scene.
Made manual changes?
You can operate devices without controller, but changes are one-time unless saved.
You can operate devices without controller, but changes are one-time unless saved.
Plan
Consider your home layout and environment. Place sensors in high-traffic areas and add more as needed.
Pair
To connect with the IoT system, simply place the sensor on the hub.
Out of battery?
Simply place sensors on the hub to charge.
Simply place sensors on the hub to charge.
Set up
Select what the sensor monitors: climate, light, and/or sound.
What to monitor?
Avoid inaccurate data by specifying what the sensor monitors near heaters, windows, etc.
Avoid inaccurate data by specifying what the sensor monitors near heaters, windows, etc.
Place
Attach the sensor onto any surface and remove with ease as needed.
How to stop?
To stop monitoring, simply toggle the on/off button on the bottom of the sensor.
To stop monitoring, simply toggle the on/off button on the bottom of the sensor.
Pair
Connect your controller and sensors to the hub.
Smart integration
The hub connects with existing smart home devices.
Data collection
The hub collects both environmental data and user input.
What else is collected?
The hub collects data on active smart devices and displays how often a scene is used.
The hub collects data on active smart devices and displays how often a scene is used.
Scene activation
When a scene is activated, the hub determines the devices necessary to establish and maintain the scene.
On user autonomy
Until you make a change on the controller, the hub will only implement corrective measures.
Until you make a change on the controller, the hub will only implement corrective measures.
FLOW
An ecosystem that can learn and adapt.
We began by exploring the interactions of Otto's ecosystem once a scene is activated. We realized that allowing users to make immediate environmental changes through precise adjustments could be jarring and disruptive. Instead, we built Otto on gradual changes, constantly analyzing the environment and making adjustments to ensure a harmonious home at all times.
Final DIRECTION
Early exploration
FLOW
Seeking structure in chaos.
To simplify a complex network of smart home accessories, we organized them into three categories. This lets users create scenes with a general set of parameters, reducing the number of decisions they have to make, adhering to Hick's Law.
Final DIRECTION
FLOW
Perfected over time.
Initially, we gave users the complete flexibility to customize scenes from scratch. However, we quickly realized that users needed help deciphering the meaning of each setting, extending the time it took to create their desired scene.
To address this issue, we applied Parkinson’s Law and designed a set of suggested preset scenes with general names and descriptions that cover a variety of everyday tasks. This trial-and-error-friendly approach provides a baseline scene for users to customize as they discover what works best for them.
Final DIRECTION
physical design
Taking shape.
Sculpted with a seamless modern fluting in matte finish and wrapped in soft pillowed surface, Otto's design boasts a perfect statement piece to intensify or soften the day.
Iteration on Otto's physical design began with navigating the proper balance between its presence in the home and its level of backend automation.
From our research, we discovered a common hesitation and distrust toward smart home capabilities and implications. To rebuild our user's trust in the system, we determined that Otto should not be an afterthought in the home. Rather, its design should complement the home and invite users to participate in the curation and maintenance of their space.
Early Exploration
physical design
Ergonomic comfort, intuitive control.
Low-fidelity prototypes were built to help us test how users would interact with Otto’s physical form, ensuring its ergonomics and size were designed for optimal usability. It became evident that the short profile and lack of grip made users cover the screen with their hands when picking it up, prompting a new iteration.
Redesigned with grip and size in mind, the comfortable and intuitive operation of the ring while holding the device is achieved through ribbed texture, pillowed bottom, and a reconfigured profile and screen size.
Final direction
Early Exploration
physical design
Work together from top to bottom.
Despite its limited interactions with the user, the hub is an extremely powerful force in the background of the home. We reimagined a more active presence of IoT (Internet of Things) in the daily life by designing a functional compartment that allows users to store everyday items like car keys.
Final direction
Interactions
Feel every decision.
Otto’s interface has been thoughtfully designed with touch screen capability disabled to maintain a clean, distraction-free interface. Leveraging tactile interaction reduces the chance of accidental touches, further promising precise and intentional interactions. With every twist, the tactile sensation of the outer ring delivers an additional layer of autonomy as the user collaborates in a carefully curated experience.
Final DIRECTION
Interactions
Gesture control, amplified.
Relying solely on tactile interaction presented a confined spectrum of potential engagements. Initial ideations for user interactions with Otto were overly complicated and were incapable of fully portraying Otto's functionality. Instead, existing gestural interactions were adopted and modified to leverage a user's familiarity with pre-established mental models from mobile devices.
Final DIRECTION
Interactions
Approach to adjust.
In theory, providing users access to all device options regardless of location could enhance their perceived control over their environment. However, presenting every option on the screen may overburden the user's cognitive load and lead to a hard-to-navigate interface.
We pivoted to integrate proximity-based interaction, creating a contextual-relevant experience that intuitively brings nearby devices to the screen as the user navigates their space.
Final DIRECTION
Visual design
Circular design, circular experience.
A circular display inspires a design that mirrors its form. Inspired by the round objects of everyday life, the interface mimics the motion of a dial, matching the rotation of the palm. Circular motion implies meaning, creating a sense of continuity and flow.
Final DIRECTION
Visual design
Word vs. Number.
The first iteration of the scene-setting interface emphasizes numbers over words for its immediate quantitative reference for users, aiding precision. I also iterated a reversed version with words first and numbers second in the hierarchy to give more meaning in context.
Ultimately, combining words and numbers promotes user comprehension of the nuance of each specific setting. While the final version underscores numbers as it is most accurate to the environmental conditions, words are highlighted to provide contextual cues in relation to the range.
Final DIRECTION
Early Exploration
Visual design
More descriptive, more meaningful.
Words give significance to numbers, but they fail to deliver value when they are monotonous. "40dB (Moderate)" leaves users in ambiguity. However, a more descriptive "40dB (Quiet library)" provides a relatable context, a setting where you know how it roughly feels. By utilizing descriptive vocabulary, users can attribute their unique interpretation in the process, amplifying a greater sense of familiarity.
Final DIRECTION
Early Exploration
Final design
Your personalized sensory symphony.
Otto helps you create your ideal home environment by dialing into your senses, allowing an effortless transition into any task or mood.
All your smart home products in one place.
Quickly access any smart home product and have full control of your space, all from an arm’s length away.
Create one-of-a-kind environment.
Choose a scene, adjust as you please, and immerse yourself in a multi-sensory experience.
Reflection
Looking back ...
Had I tracked metrics, I would’ve focused on improving user satisfaction by measuring metrics such as time on task, task abandonment rate, and system usability score. Nonetheless, we were happy to see how Otto has the potential to save people time preparing for their next task.
The best technology should work for everyone.
We designed tactile interaction to create a sense of collaboration with Otto. Thus, it's important that Otto can support people in more ways by enabling touch interaction and voice feedback.
Play, but stay on track.
Be curious early on, but be prepared to narrow the focus and prioritize the most important issue.
Convenience shouldn't come at the cost of control.
It’s worth the additional manual effort to create a system of give and take that builds trust with every input and action.
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