Role
UX Designer
Duration
3 months
Responsibilities
Conducting user interviews
Prediction analysis
Data gathering and analysis
Exploring future scenarios
Tools
Adobe creative suite
Project Overview
As of 2017, The life expectancy of an average Indian citizen was 68.78 years. That is about 825 months, or 25,173 days.
If we were to strip away all of the time we spend on useless things (waiting in queues, watching movies, stuck in traffic, washing dishes, etc) we have about 9 years left to actually do the things that we actually want to do.
Our phones and laptops might be interconnected with one another, but what happens when you’re out of town and there’s no one to take care of the home? or when you’re cooking at home and don’t have enough ingredients to make something, or just the everyday routine we follow?
Why mustn’t there be connectivity between them?
Could our lives become easier if we made smart homes a reality?
Scope
Problem
Users spend a lot of time on chores around the house, which in turn reduces their productivity and flow.
User goals
Formulate a hypothetical smart home system using research of future technologies such as AI, AR, VR & IoT.
Must be simple and handle everyday chores for you in a subtle and non-intrusive way.
Product goals
Unification of the home. Must be able to communicate and do various tasks which need to be updated in real-time.
Ability to provide information when the user is on the move.
Research
The main research for this project was done through prediction analysis and combining solutions through What If scenarios.
Prediction analysis
There were a lot of discussions based on where the future would lead us. Insights were drawn from the conversations which led us to predict what is to come, and how to go about predicting the future based on current trends.
This was done by asking the 4 main questions in understanding predictive behaviors:
1. What is happening?
2. Why is it happening?
3. What is likely to happen?
4. What is the best course of action?
Based on the information that I gathered so far, I started to create a chart of the current market scenario and formulating various outcomes.
Thought log
There are so many different technologies that are at play here, but in order to build a product for a Smart Home, it needs to be able to communicate with these other devices.
Understanding routines
In order to create a new system, one needs to break down the one that is existing, observe all of the elements and see how they can be fit into the new one.
So, I began to create a routine map of my day to day activities in order to see how things go about. This helped in understanding the areas which are problematic and needed some attention.
Analysis
Understanding the data that was gathered so far to create future scenarios.
Gathering data
'What if' scenarios
These were some of the scenarios that we came up with:
What if there were Smart Switches which could be controlled wirelessly and while you’re away from home?
What if TV sets weren’t physical but rather holographic projections and could be scaled according to your wishes?
What if wireless charging was enabled for all
sorts of devices and you’d just need to be in the vicinity to charge your devices?What if Yoga Mats could detect your weight,
give you diet plans and accordingly co-ordinate with your kitchen to check for supplies?What if we had interactive posters which could change according to your own music taste?
Thought log
"The solution for the smart home doesn't need to be bound to the home only, it impacts the other areas of life as well.
This product would have portability and can replace all the devices we currently own. It would need proximity and connectivity to expand the features to show relevant options according to your location."
Feature forecasting
Understanding prospective trends to forecast probabilities and improbabilities.
Prospective trend analysis
Another process conducted was to identify several key features that are likely to become standard in the near future:
Smart watches and phones:
Expect richer interactions through enhanced notifications, robust calling features, and health monitoring tools. These devices will become more interconnected with home systems, providing seamless control and updates.Smart hubs:
These will likely evolve into central control units for home automation, offering intuitive interfaces to manage and automate household tasks through IoT integration.
However, some technologies might not take off as expected due to current technical and practical limitations:
Immersive projections and holography:
These are still in nascent stages and may not be viable for everyday use in the immediate future.Fixed screens and standalone devices:
As mobile technology continues to dominate, the role of fixed screens and non-portable devices in smart homes is becoming less central.AI and voice controls:
Full AI integration and sophisticated voice controls are developing but may face slow adoption due to their complexity.
Ideation
The watch acts as a portable control center for smart homes, offering secure synchronization with household devices, user-specific customization, and both USB-C and wireless charging. Its design integrates advanced AI and sensor technology for an intuitive, connected living experience.
These were some of the sketches from the project. It shows ideas about the features that would be required for a device like this to exist, and what it could look like.
I went with the idea of a watch because of it's portability, but also for the charging station of this watch to become a centralized hub that could be used and controlled as a dashboard.
Future possibilities
Timeline
Screen casting
Why a watch?
Watches are considered to be the most intuitive wearable tech. This is because we’ve had watches on for the longest times (with bouts of evolution here and there) but now you’re able to control a lot of other things along with it.
Once Augmented Reality would’ve reached the mass consumer market and they start adapting to it on a massive level, then we’ll see a huge difference in the way we communicate with our everyday surroundings.
The possibilities of XR are endless. This technology has the potential of revolutionizing almost every industry which adapts it.
Mixed Reality in a SmartHome scenario would enable you to solve most of your home issues in quite interesting ways.
Once Augmented Reality would’ve reached the mass consumer market and they start adapting to it on a massive level, then we’ll see a huge difference in the way we communicate with our everyday surroundings.
This tech aspires to link thought to action, potentially allowing brain signals to initiate tasks like brewing coffee, showcasing the brain's low-energy, high-efficiency prowess. The challenge lies in decoding the brain's communication system with the body.