Redesign the onboarding user experience
COMPANY
Samsung Electronics
PRODUCT
SmartThings
Time
2024.03 (2 weeks)
My Role
UX designer
Overview
SmartThings is a smart home platform that allows users to manage and automate connected devices.
In 2024, during my UX design internship at Samsung, I collaborated with two teammates to redesign the onboarding experience. My role involved identifying key pain points through competitor analysis and user journey mapping, and delivering improved onboarding solutions through wireframes and high-fidelity designs.
By improving customization, introducing contextual recommendations, and communicating the value of add-on features, the new onboarding flow provided a smoother, more emotionally engaging experience.
Main functions of SmartThings
View home status
Inform what's going on in your home and give tips
Control devices
Manage devices in home and give quick control
Life care
Help family members get easy and smart life
The goal of redesign
As the entry point to SmartThings, the onboarding experience plays a critical role in guiding users to set up their home and connect devices. More than just a functional walkthrough, we want to use it to provide a better first impression to inform the brand’s identity and attract users.
What are the main constraints?
Limited time
The concept was finished within two weeks, with rapid ideation and decision-making.
No access
to real user
The research relied on internal insights and competitor analysis with no user involved.
Focus on
concept
The design was handed over to HQ. Lack evaluation and communication with PO.
UX research
What are the user's painpoints?
After analysing the current flows and mapping out the user journeys, I figured out some major user painpoints. They can be categorized into two scenarios causing 3 types of emotions.
Connecting devices
User already have the device and want to connect to the app
Exploring the app
User don't have device and want to check what's inside
How do competitors get users onboard?
I analysed 10+ other smart home apps including Google Home, Apple Home, Ikea Smart Home, Xiaomi Home, Philips Hue, Huawei AI Life, etc, and got some inspirations by investgating differences between products.
Only SmartThings offers 'Life service'.
The “Life” service in SmartThings is a unique feature designed from device-centered to lifestyle-oriented. It introduces lifestyle services that cater to users’ daily routines and interests. By integrating devices and functions, “Life” service provides raises users’ awareness of the ecosystem, and also provides emotional value..
Reflections on the project
The research was written in a delicate report and the design proposal was affirmed by the product owner. Unfortunately, due to the NDA, I’m unable to share the research and designs I worked on at Samsung Electronics.
However, the experience of working in such a large corporation made me more used to collaborate with cross-functional teams and to communicate ideas effectively with presentations. It also brought me a lot of insights about IoT products and got me deeper understanding of cutting-edge technologies used in the industry.
xueqi qu
©DESIGNED IN 2024
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