ConnectHome: A home automation solution

ConnectHome asked us to create an engaging and informative user experience for the app. With the elaborated software product, the company aimed to provide additional services and increase customer lifetime value, retain their target audience, and attract new investors.

Conducting research into market players

Having studied our client’s project and requirements, we also researched the home automation market along with existing solutions. This gave us a couple of useful insights into the proper user experience flow. 

We created the basic information architecture, which included such details as typical user actions and possible use cases along with the UI elements that are most convenient for users to interact with.

Streamlining the UX design

Based on our research, Yalantis business analysts and software engineers optimized the following user flows:

• Navigation. The app’s basic functionality was divided into several logical parts to make navigation easier. Now, the tab bar includes Dashboard, Rooms, Devices, and Security tabs.
• Dashboard. We made the Dashboard the first and central screen of the ConnectHome app, providing a quick overview of all devices. The Dashboard provides information about a home’s current status and gives users access to smart accessories quickly, without any extra pushes or swipes.
• Room appliance management. Rooms can only be created on the company’s website. After they’re created, they’re automatically displayed in the mobile app. A user can then navigate their house in the app and get updates on the status of each room.
• Device management. The Devices screen is where all smart home devices are gathered. Devices are sorted by room and also by type, which enables quick and easy navigation. There’s no need to jump between devices to manage them — devices can be controlled using force touch and long taps right from the main screen.
• Extra screen for climate control. We also created a separate screen for thermostat management that gives access to a home’s climate control system. Users can switch on and off their heating and cooling systems as well as change the temperature. The thermostat screen also shows statistics on temperature changes over the course of a day, week, or month.
• Security. The Security screen allows users to observe their property by accumulating data from video cameras set up around the home. Moreover, based on data from motion sensors, the app shows if there’s anybody inside the home.