A voice-controlled home automation app.

Homi is a concept for voice-controlled home automation using the Internet of Things.

The goal was to study how existing home automation systems work, analyse their issues, and propose solutions. Home automation is growing fast — it supports older and physically disabled people, lets people monitor home while away, and can help with energy and cost savings, comfort, healthcare and security.

Four weeks of research, three defining pain points and goals, three designing and prototyping, and two testing and gathering feedback.

• Weeks 1–4

  Research

  General research, online survey, user interviews, competitive analysis.

• Weeks 5–7

  Define

  Personas, user flows, problems, design goals, storyboards.

• Weeks 8–10

  Ideate

  Brainstorming, sketching, wireframing, prototyping.

• Weeks 11–12

  Validate

  Gathering feedback, testing tasks.

Nikola Tesla’s remote-controlled boat

1898

The digital computer

1940

ECHO IV, the first home automation system

1966

Smart House

1980

Smart House & IoT

1990

Home automation helps with saving energy and money, convenience, home security and security cameras.

• Direct

  Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Alfred Camera

• Indirect

  Spotify, Uber

• Replacement

  Zenbo Robot

Competitor analysis looked at the most successful products, their distinctive features, purpose, strengths and limitations, and audiences — to understand the market, where existing features fail, and how to attract people with new, easy-to-use features.

A survey gathered basic details and people’s knowledge of home automation. 50 responses.

Using the competitor analysis, a SWOT analysis narrowed down what to consider when planning the services.

• —Let people use voice input
• —Connect all necessary home devices to one app
• —A simple, handy and elegant interface
• —Improve trust and security
• —Monitor home from anywhere

• —Have you used automation systems before?
• —Describe a time you needed it most.
• —How often do you use them?
• —Have you faced any issues? What needs to improve?
• —What other features would you like?

The interviews shaped personas — realistic representations of the key audience segments.

Affinity mapping

Journey mapping

The user flow shows how people move through the final screens. Paper prototypes were tested before moving to low- and mid-fidelity wireframes.

Paper prototype

Low fidelity

Low fidelity

Low fidelity

Login

Living room

Fan

Schedule

Emergency

Scenes

Home

Because of the pandemic, some of the target audience couldn’t take part in interviews and testing. Prototyping some animations — like the microphone recording voice — was hard within Figma’s limits.

Overall the project met its aims and objectives, and participants completed the test tasks successfully.