Designing A Non-Touch Smart Home For All
Imagine a future with less touch and more comfort.
Introduction
Our homes are often considered to be the most comfy and relaxing environment we could be in. Home should be the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the world. Especially since the pandemic has struck, people have spent more time home as they are likely embracing this intimate space as their new respective work and/or school environments. When it comes to homes in the 21st Century, the concept of comfort has joined forces with technology to create the Smart Home. This is basically an umbrella term representing the countless devices out there that utilize technology to help make household tasks and activity easier. There are also countless more mix and match options that can help customize homes in their own unique manner.
In the new age of contact-free payments and deliveries, why not make the shift to more touch-free technologies? Gesture control, voice control, and biometrics are all technologies present in common devices whether you’re unlocking your phone using Face ID or asking Alexa to play music. But what isn’t widespread just yet is the use of multiple technologies (e.g. gesture, voice, biometrics, NFC) in one Smart Home device. Sure there are examples of voice activated smart showers (see U by Moen example below), but have you heard of a gesture, voice, AND biometric controlled shower? This is where my redesign ideas come into play as I show you the importance of a touch-free Smart Home for a personalized user experience that helps make everyday tasks from going to the bathroom to locking doors hassle-free.
Heuristic Analysis of Smart Homes Devices:
The majority of Smart Homes in the market offer limited use of touch-free technologies. Not many devices use more than two different non-touch options of voice, gesture and biometrics, NFC, etc. Although several of these devices have helped simplify household chores, the lack of more than one non-touch option has impacted the overall potential for maximum usability.
Using a few of Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics, let’s examine a few Smart Home devices which offer a range of modalities:
User control and freedom:
Smart Home devices should especially rely on this heuristic to help the user feel in control of their home. Here are some devices that help promote this:
Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control allows user to control home temperature with voice commands with integrated support with popular voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant along with other home ecosystems like Apple HomeKit or Samsung SmartThings. Ecobee uses the power of Voice UIs for added control including playing music, answering calls etc. The thermostat sure does provide the user with much more freedom to conduct tasks other than checking/setting your home’s temperature. Switching between tasks should be no issue with this device.
Match between system and the real world:
U By Moen is a cloud-based system controlled using voice, smartphone and LCD controller. Using these three methods you can control the water temperature, set a shower timer and pause the shower via the mobile app and receive notifications on your smartphone when the shower is ready. The LCD controller mimics the standard shower knob which allows for a practically seamless transition.
However, the concept of using voice commands, a smartphone app and a controller all seem more time-consuming. Incorporating a smartphone controller especially adds to other potential distractions that can further waste time from the task. The focus should be on the shower experience itself and the user shouldn’t have to waste time prepping for the task.
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design / Consistency and Standards:
Arlo Video Doorbell has the look and shape of any ordinary doorbell except it offers a secret built-in 180-degree viewing angle camera. There is also a built-in siren which help for security purposes. All of these important features packed in a simple and compact doorbell make this product stand out. The familiar design doesn’t make it necessarily stand out as that helps it act as a secret camera for potential package thieves.
Error prevention / Flexibility and efficiency of use
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock allows for easy access to the entry point of your home using a connection to a smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi along with the August app. When it comes to security, it is vital for systems and locks to prevent any mishaps or loopholes in which an intruder can take advantage of. Additional features include the ability to seamlessly assign and revoke timed virtual keys to friends or family. The virtual key feature especially makes it easier for when one forgets their keys.
This smart lock can taken a step further using biometric authentication to help add another layer of security and to help prevent any serious errors.
Help and documentation
Wrapping this section off with perhaps the next big thing: a smart bed.
Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed allows you to track your sleep using the mattress itself. The biometric sensors help you sleep better and an accompanying smartphone app allows you to view your sleeping patterns and health metrics. This helps encourage healthier sleeping habits and better quality sleep.
Accessibility and Inclusivity Concerns
Smart Home or not, the reality is that the majority of houses and building complexes are typically not built with accessibility in mind. Individuals with impairments in hearing, vision, speech, motor and cognition should always be accommodated.
Accessibility is crucial to everything in general and as modern society is advancing, it should be top priority for Smart Homes. ALL people should be able to enjoy the luxury and comfort that Smart Home devices have to offer without any inconvenience. Smart Home devices should never be a hinderance to disabled users and designers should try their best to make such devices as perceivable and understandable as possible.
There should be different options or modes of accessibility. By providing users with multiple with options, we are able to provide far more freedom for the user to be able to customize their experience to choose the method they prefer. This customization can also help cater to accessibility concerns as well. For example, if the user wants to turn off the lights of their bedroom, they can simply say: “turn lights off” to the Smart Home but providing an alternate option like a quick clap gesture to turn off lights can help a deaf user.
When designing a holistic Smart Home system for such a diverse audience, it is important to provide comfort at every room. In respect to the varying cultural and linguistic backgrounds, every Smart Home device should have universally recognizable icons or symbols that help break language barriers.
The Redesign
We can take Smart Home systems to the next level by incorporating more non-touch technologies that we already have access to including: Gesture Control, Voice control, Biometrics authentication, and NFC.
Focus Areas of the Home:
- Bathroom (emphasis on shower with regard to sinks, lighting, & routines)
- Rooms (i.e. Living Room, Bedrooms) (lights, doors, locks, & furniture)
- Home Security System
Additionally with the help of some real-world examples, I’ll provide how existing technologies can benefit with more non-touch modalities.
Use of Gesture Control
Gesture Controlled Shower
- A customizable, minimalistic digital interface inspired by: “Glassmorphism” UI trend.
- Can adjust: temperature, pressure, check time, play music, play movies/videos from YouTube, brightness of interface, etc.
The focus should be on the bathroom/shower experience itself and the user shouldn’t have to waste time prepping tasks. The technology should guide the user itself through personalization. This is exactly what I want to emphasize in my redesign of a gesture, voice, and biometric controlled shower control.
Gesture Controlled Furniture & Lights
Whether it is reclining the couch while watching a movie or opening a drawer high up in the kitchen, gesture control can definitely come in handy. For those hard to reach places or when one’s too lazy to manually open the door, this feature can accommodate all. For smaller living spaces like apartments or condos, gesture control can especially help with conserving space by allowing users to only use something when needed utilizing the appropriate gestures.
Use of Voice Control
Voice Controlled Bathroom
Morning/Nighttime Routine: For added personalization, an automated Voice UI can even be set to say your name along helping read off the set morning routine you may have. This can help save time remembering the steps in one’s skincare/grooming routine. It can also help parents out as the Voice UI can encourage and remind children to brush their teeth, wash their hands etc.
Shower: This simple rundown of how the voice control feature would work throughout the entire shower experience. The shower control is activated simply by voice commands only. No visual/digital interface is needed which can help those with visual impairments. This feature can be used alongside gesture control or alone.
Also, while taking a shower one can use the Voice UI to log a “digital shopping list” for items they realize they are running out in case they forget after the shower. I know I always forget I’m running out of shampoo or body wash so this would especially help avoid forgetting to buy certain things.
Voice Controlled Lights
Philips Hue Smart Light Bulbs offer a wide range of user control and personalization through the option to adjust the intensity, color, mood, and timing of the light bulb. It also allows you to set a color coordinated alarm which can certainly brighten up your day. This is also a great option for those who want to set the the “theme” of a particular room in sync with their music. Voice control access allow for much more user freedom.
Lights can be taken a step further from Philips Hue’s Smart Lights by allowing voice commands to help the user dictate when they want to turn the lights on/off along with the dimness. Taking out the smartphone control aspect can help the sole focus be on user control and freedom through voice commands. More importantly, those who use wheelchairs and are unable to reach certain places can now have full control using their voice to turn lights on and off.
Use of Biometrics
Biometrics in the Bathroom
Shower: Biometrics can be used to identify a person’s personalized shower settings by recognizing their face as this could help organize a personalized profile for each person using a single shower system (see mockup below). Additionally, biometrics can be used in other parts of the bathroom including:
- Lights: once a user walks in and is recognized, they can set their preferred lighting based on previous or new recommendations.
- Sinks: sure there are gesture controlled sinks already out there, but biometrics can further help personalize one’s preferred water temperature, pressure and time spent washing hands. Having a preferred song from your own playlist play during washing your hands will help encourage healthy hand washing habits especially for kids and others.
Biometrics in Home Security
Biometrics can be used in the form of facial, fingerprint, and even voice recognition to:
- Unlock/lock doors
- Activate security cameras, burglar alarms, motion sensors, and panic buttons for enhanced security.
What about NFC?
Around the Home
NFC tags can be combined with any of the technologies mentioned above can be used around the house, especially on appliances. Suppose you misplaced the instructions to your laundry machine or if you forgot misplaced the label indicating the password to your Wi-Fi. NFC tags can easily be used throughout the house as they can seamlessly integrate with smartphones. Smart Homes can benefit from NFC in multiple ways as these little tags can act as QR codes for retrieving help and documentation when need the most.
Smart home security system:
- Using NFC tags to unlock/lock the doors to their house with a smartphone (acts as a virtual key).
- Will help those who don’t always carry their keys around and helps prevent getting locked out of your home.
- Allow for another level of authentication through setting up secure password/pincode upon scanning NFC tag at door. (Similar to how Hollistic Security Europe’s Smart door lock works using NFC and fingerprint verification.)
Conclusion
When designing a smart home device, designers should keep in mind that the interface should be simple enough for all users to navigate through, whether its gesture or voice control. Especially when designing products that people use on a daily basis, it is important that a gesture controlled shower or smart home system provides a seamless transition from the standard models. It shouldn’t feel like a hassle to accomplish.
The main point is not that Smart Homes have become increasingly widespread throughout our technologically flourishing society, but that there should a greater focus designing Smart Home devices for all. By this I mean that there should be no one audience in mind as accessibility and inclusivity should always be the forefront design ideology. Someone with a disability shouldn’t be restricted to using such emerging technologies. If you think of it, no technology is truly innovative unless it has been completely designed to be accessible and inclusive for all. No one should be left out in design.
