The first human-centric smart home hub

Different members of a family have different set of priorities, often depending on the age group they belong to. Taking this into consideration, our challenge was to design a well-connected hub, perfectly-in-sync with the end user’s needs. It should also keep in mind the individual’s comfort level with the use of technology. In other words, a smart home-automation solution which is smart enough to take decisions and suggest recommendations according to the user’s personality.

The Process

A. Design Thinking:

Vishal had a vision to create something which would be extremely useful in terms of a personalised home hub. Right from choosing the right challenge to solving, Comdez helped us in understanding the user needs and design. And, eventually aiding us in understanding user and crafting his needs into product features and functionalities of our product.

B. Explore:

1. Defining Challenges

Using Comdez’s design thinking methodology, firstly, we looked for the challenges to be addressed.

2. Scopes of the project

OKAS is an interactive product which communicates with home electronics and devices and connects them with media and media services. It basically generates experience with media, media services, devices, security etc,. In another words OKAS is a combination of multiple remotes and multiple applications on a single interactive platform. Here are some major scopes of the product:

3. User and Stakeholder Mapping

OKAS is an aggregator platform between device manufactures and device users, in which we integrate and enhance the experience of the user to control multiple devices using a single interface. OKAS is installed during the construction stage of home. So, System Integrators, Architects and Interior designers play an important role.

4. Empathy Research

With the help of the product and the design team, almost 145 users and stakeholders were interviewed. With the help of insighting tools like empathy maps and user journey maps, we were able to cull out multiple needs of various users, leading to redefinition of challenge statements.

This study helped us to understand that every home is unique, just as every user is unique. If a home has five members, the user behaviour of each member largely depends on their age group, each user thus has a different perspective, their own media preference, device preference and privacy settings, simultaneously, being able to customise permission settings appropriate for young users.

Multiple user personas were identified based on these needs. The application design would be based on these user persona and user preferences, media options, data security and other individual behaviour patterns according to the time and location. In short, the solution would not be a retrofit or a do-it-yourself (DIY) installation. For installation and service, we would need System Integrators like smart home experts or home technology companies. Accordingly, multiple business applications were designed for the system integrators.

5. Challenge Redefined

Close to 500 different challenge statements were collated and we had to address the requirements with a single digital product. The consolidated challenge statements were then divided into two parts:a. the main challenge to be addressed in our core product, which would satisfy the primary needs;b. the second part would help us in designing the features and the add-ons

C. Create:

The solution was further divided into five development versions –

a. Design Research. 

b. Prototype. 

c. MVP. 

d. Beta. 

e. Release

The goals were further divided according to these versions. We timelined these versions, each for not more than three months, and simultaneous installations would be done. In every succeeding version, more features and add-ons would be added, and our goals would be set, in terms of the number of homes and the number of users.

In the prototype, a basic hub was designed with AI, in which lights, temperature and media could be controlled from a single room. Data and energy efficiency of a single room could also be analysed. The prototype was deployed in the experience centre.

MVP was divided into two parts. The first part of MVP is the development of AI and the synchronisation of data with cloud computing. In MVP Beta, the business application and the cloud configuration of OKAS were included. We deployed MVP in ten homes with AI.

All features were completed in MVP Beta and tested in ten homes with AI and cloud computing. In the Beta version, all the services of OKAS were connected on a single dashboard.

The Outcome

We, at OKAS, define the contemporary industrial design of hardware and create a distinctive yet unified User Interface (UI) for our future products. Design Thinking, which has a human-centred core, is the cognitive process used for developing digital products and enhancing their usability, sustainability and scalability. With the help of Comdez’s Design Thinking methodology, we were able to understand the unique user personas and designed customised solutions for them.

Our solutions are currently used by 85 families all across multiple cities in India. By 2020 we are planning to install more than 100 families, and about 500 users across India. By implementing the Design Thinking methodology, we strive for continuous improvement of our services that would result in our ever-growing happy customer base!