Glow
I contributed UX strategy and mobile app design for this revolutionary product, a device designed to help people track real-time data about their home’s energy usage.
PHYSICAL DEVICE: I enjoyed the challenges of designing an app that communicated with a physical object in the real-world. We studied how users would need to connect to the device, receive information, and troubleshoot connection issues. This was my introduction to the “Internet of Things.”
To better understand how the product worked, we constructed a rudimentary diagram of the technological flow. The homeowner’s mobile phone, computer, and sensor attached to the electrical reader would each communicate to the home’s wifi unit. Through wifi, these devices upload/download the latest home energy consumption data. We created a flow of how users would need to log into the app, connect to the device, and view real-time data on a dashboard.
Before I wireframe, I like to create exactly the number of blank artboards I’ll need to create an app. I number and label each artboard, and I place text on each artboard that corresponds to what information, navigation, or interaction lives on that artboard. This method helps me to better estimate the scope of work ahead and that I design for all the important states.
Once we had our artboards full of to-do items, we created the visual styles that define the UI. We wanted something minimal, airy, and lightweight. It should feel like a good companion to the Glow physical device. This aesthetic fit with Glow’s existing brand and felt fun to use.
I really enjoy representing data with graphics. Real-time data was vital to this project, but finding meaningful, attractive ways to represent it was a challenge. We wanted to draw the homeowner’s eye to critical information, like peaks in electrical usage. Glow’s app should help homeowners prevent electrical waste, and cut down on their energy bill. These dashboard metrics make this easy.
WHAT I LEARNED: I really enjoyed my first encounter with the “Internet of Things.” It has great potential to revolutionize many industries. I appreciated Glow’s goal of reducing unnecessary energy consumption, which benefits homeowners, communities, and the planet.