Wemo connected home app (ios & android)

WeMo is a line of home automation products ranging from switches to space heaters. App functionality included measuring energy consumed and scheduling timers. Both iOS and Android versions were developed. 

PROBLEM

iOT was in its infancy. We were challenged with making a complex system of products easy to learn and use while creating an ownable look and feel for the brand. Ultimately we wanted to make an app that people wanted to use everyday, not just a set it and forget it piece of software. In addition, we needed to create a design that would flex with the addition of new products.

SOLUTION

We first worked out the core design and proposition values of the WeMo brand. The WeMo “Edit Guidelines” provided a north star towards the type of engaging and delightful product we wanted to create. We created a simplified design that both spoke to early adopters and casual users alike. We then worked on building a design system that could be applied across products from lightbulbs to coffee makers.

Micro Interactions

Documentation

To help create cohesion within our teams efforts, I worked with senior management to define a set of standards and characteristics that the product should always strive to convey. I also employed age-old approaches like mood boards to help focus our dialogue about look and feel of the app.

Process

With each new project, functionality, user flows, basic architecture, and interfaces are loosely mapped and sketched out in a collaborative series of conversations before heads down time is spent on final design.

Design System

Spec examples here are actually part of a living document using a Confluence Wiki to integrate UX/UI specs. Since a modular approach was followed in creating the UI elements, each module spec could live in one place but be mirrored throughout the product flow. At any point if the spec was modified, its instance would be updated throughout the Wiki.

Wemo "Easy Switch"

The goal of this project was to create an app that focused on easy ON/OFF functionality. iOT apps can get complex and cumbersome easily, and we found that much of our audience used only the most basic functions. I wanted to create an experience that was fun to use and that had an own-able personality. The user could simply "flick" any of the devices either on or off the stage. A product flicked off stage was, well...off. Easy peasy. A list view was available for this who wanted a simpler interface that could accommodate several products above the fold. Color coding helped a user distinguish been multiple versions of the same product.