HighLites
Setting the scene with smart home lighting control
CASE STUDY
Roles
UX Designer
UI Designer
Project Manager
Researcher
Facilitator
Interviewer
Duration
Four Weeks
Tools
Figma
Zoom
Discord
Maze
Google Forms
Google Slides
Canva
Solution
HighLites
The all-in-one app to seamlessly control and sync all brands of your smart lighting throughout your home.
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Can control lights through the app even from afar
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Requires no additional hardware or hubs
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Provides additional safety & security by using timers, automations, lights when not at home & automations
Problem
Currently, users who have purchased more than one brand of smart lighting do not have the ability to control all of their connected lights with one simple app.
Research Data
Secondary Research
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According to Emergen market research, there will be a 400% increase in the use of smart lights in the coming years
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Further backed by research conducted by Statistica, "86% of Millennials would pay more for a connected home."
Competitive Analysis
User Personas
User Story(s) and Flow
1. As a person who already has smart-lights, I want to bring them into my new home so I can still enjoy them, without having to download a separate app for each brand of light that I own.
2. As a user, I want to be able to set timers. So, I can control when my lights come on without having to open HighLites.
3. As a homeowner, I want change the color of my lights. So, I can create a mood.
4. As a user, I want an lighting app that shows where my lights are located. So, I don't have to guess.
5. As a user, I want my app to include an adaptive lighting feature. So, I can prevent eye strain.
Sketches
Branding
Mood Board
Style Tile
Logo Sketch
Prototyping
& Iterations
Through multiple user testing and many iterations, the final product outcome was an all-inclusive app. where any user could easily control and customize all of their smart lights with one application. HighLites includes an upgraded UI experience by insuring the app and exciting colors are in line with the highest accessibility standards.
Iterations Mockup(s)
Accessibility
I used Adee and Web AIM to check how visible contents of my design were to achieve a AAA rating in color contrast, as well as all variations of color blindness to achieve the highest quality of visual design.
User Testing
Question: Can you easily add the lights that you want in the app?
"Yes. I really like how it added my lights already on my home network."
Question: Can you easily find/set your preferred automations and/or timers?
"I did, I didn't think about different lights coming on at different times. I would definitely use this to wake up in the mornings or maybe on vacation."
Question: This app is still growing! What are some of your ideas on scenes or new features that you would like to see added?
"I have some lights that can move with my music I'm listening to. I think that would be a cool feature."
In Conclusion
While designing this app, I found many new ways of designing a functional MVP while adhering to strict deadlines to deliver an app that served many purposes. From current and future market research, sketching, and many hours of user feedback, I continued to iterate and develop a visually striking application that has a perfect blend of form and function. What I personally loved the most about this project was designing and solving real-world problems that I encountered myself.
Thank You so much for stopping by!
My other work
A Bus App