SmartThings

Enjoy a customized smart home with innovative SmartThings-compatible devices that let you check the front door, set the mood, and automate your daily routines — all from anywhere.

Team | Interaction designers, visual designers, researcher from United States + Korea

Platform | iOS, Android, Mobile & Tablet

Results | App store rating went iOS from 1.2 to 4.4 & Android from 2.1 to 4.5

Background & Challenges

The existing version of the SmartThings app contained too many features and was too cumbersome for users due to the complexity of the app structure. The previous version was rated as one of the most difficult-to-use apps created by Samsung. Moreover, since competitors like Google, Apple, and Amazon are leading the smart home market, it was critical for Samsung to increase its user base of SmartThings. So, we set our goal to create a simple and easy smart home service that even novice users can use.

Project Goal

User Research

Conducted user research with 3 hypotheses of user behavior and created UX prototypes to determine their needs. After the prototype testing, we conducted user research every month to test different features and improve on our designs.

Key Take Aways

Want their physical space to be clearly visible in the app
Want to be able to see the state of the home at a glance
Do not want to spend a lot of effort on understanding the features
Want to be provided with appropriate information according to specific situations
Customizability is a must