Smart Home Dashboard
2020
Smart Home Dashboard is a screen-based system concept where users can easily access and interact with their smart home devices in one location. The dashboard is a wall-mounted touchscreen hub and includes a free app for phone and tablet usage.
Responsibilities
During this project, my roles included researcher and visual designer.
Goal
Create a smart home dashboard that is information-rich, glanceable, and user-friendly with multiple device control capabilities.
Challenge
Design a flexible system to meet the different needs of users and their respective smart home devices.
Target Audience
Young families and adults aged 23 and up who stay up to date on technological trends and inevitably utilize various smart devices.
Moodboard & Sketching
My visual style was heavily influenced by cyberpunk and neon aesthetics. I knew I wanted to create a dashboard that felt more stylized, fun, and vibrant compared to the competition.
During my sketching process, I considered how I might embellish upon the neon sign and cyberpunk concepts in ways that made sense when integrated into the system.
Going Digital
I moved into the digital phase by making low-fidelity wireframes to build out my layout for the different screens before delving into the design elements. I received feedback regarding scale and the addition of a set temperature and current temperature for the thermostat. Both of which I addressed in my next round of digital drafts.
High-Fidelity Iteration
Taking the feedback I received into consideration, I furthered my concept by adding color to and tweaking the overall design, actions, and interactions. Though, I soon realized that my color palette was not the most sensible. There were concerns about instances of low contrast. I also tested my colors using an accessibility tool and found that they weren’t easily distinguishable to those who experience various types of color blindness. It was time to reconsider a solution that would best meet the needs of the project.
Typography & Color Palette
I kept my typeface selection simple and stuck with Roboto for its cleanness and legibility. My updated color palette stayed true to my cyberpunk and neon sign inspiration while improving contrast and color distinction through a more neutral solution with splashes of vibrance sprinkled throughout the screens.
Final Solution
After overhauling my initial color palette and finalizing the updated one, my final revisions included establishing how individual cards acted when selected and activated to improve ease of use. I also made minor placement tweaks to content within the cards to ensure cohesive alignment and grouping.
a. cards turned off
b. selected card highlights white
c. cards that are turned on reshuffle to the top
Reflection
Before this project, I had never designed a smart home system. So the thought of it felt slightly scary but in a good way. I love a new challenge. I’m also proud of the work I accomplished and the things I learned. My concept evolved a lot from its inception, and the final result was sleek, stylized, glanceable, and flexible for different users and their various devices. Additionally, the improvement in user-friendliness and accessibility when comparing start to finish was significant. I’m excited to continue working on more projects like this.