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​Airclock
Smart air purifier App

Airclock is a wall-mount air purifier which fits small room space, for example, a small studio room. It saves the space also serves as a piece of furniture like a clock.​The Airclock is designed to have a related App.

Type

UI/UX Design
Self-Initiate Project

Role

Wireframe
Prototype
User Testing
​Visual UI

Starts with Smart home

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Background

The project started with a list of investigations on "The next generation home appliances" where I worked on investing trends and generate hypothesis renders for KruzKruz Design. By the time 2015, "Smart Home" is on the horizon of the Chinese market. People feel more comfortable accepting more function home appliances into their house and smartphone usage has reached a peak(about 7 in 10 people), media is estimating 10,000,000 users in the field in 2020.  It's a great time to think about how wireless technology can create new interactions in everyday life.

Product + APP

See the product

User

The statistic shows that there are more than 1 million single young professionals in China just in the city of Beijing and Shanghai, about 30 percent of them tend to live alone in a single studio apartment. They're the main consumers in the smart home market for their pursuit of high-quality life, and without the concern of family, they're more willing to pay for technology devices.

Airclock is one of the most rememberable products in the "Future Smart home" list. It's a wall-mount air-purifier for young professionals' single apartments. It distinguishes from the heavy-duty old fashion air purifier for it's lightweight, elegant and can blend in the home environment like a piece of furniture. Also, it gets rid of the old controller, use smartphone app as the control.

Design process

In this project, I'm both the Industrial and product designer, so the process involves a lot of back and forth.

Move on to the Airclock App

Contextual Inquiry

The on time for a purifier, in a week

To understand more about people's habit of using air purifiers. I asked an air-purifier user to record the on and off time in a week. I found out the use of the machine is not consistent. That means instead of leave it on all the time, people need to constantly check and control the machine.

Interview

Apart from the product research, I did on the air-purifier, I also conduct research specifically for app features. I ask friends and colleges how they would want the app to conclude. Here are the take-aways I got from interviews.

"I just think it's kind of funny how you come home from work, and have to wait for 30 minutes for your home to come clean then you can finally breathe."

One of my co-worker pointed out that if people buy the air purifier based on the fear they had for air quality, then the home should always be clean no matter when. Therefore, an app must be able to control the machine remotely.

"I personally don't really believe in most air purifier unless you show me the dirty filter or actual number to prove it."

The interview also expressed his concern about the idea "Air-purifying", since it's a pretty new concept and not, at that time, a common way to control air, he said he has to see some visible improvement.

"Most people don't want (or know how to) maintain their home appliance, it's like toothbrush, few people never changes(filter)."

During the research, I also find out from the report the company did on the user before, that user doesn't get accustomed to change their own purifiers' filters.

User Journey

The first step is matching the app from the machine. In this stage users are pretty excited to receive the new product and ready to take time to learn about how to assumble/use it.

User can control their device remotely. Before coming back home, user turns on the machine so that he comes home to the clean air.

When it's a clear day and there's no need of using purifier, the app would have a pop-up for the user to check the data again, deciding whether to open the window

When the filter's expiring, the app would have a push notification so that the user can go into the merchandise to buy a new filter.

The Goal

From the research I got 3 main takeaways to start design. Alongside the regular feature, the app should fulfill these 3 goals. ​The Goal of Airclock is for the user to be able to check the air quality while being able to control the device, also they are able to use the product for a long time which means the app can bridge to its filter change.

Control

Compare

Sustain

App on the phone must be able to replace what a traditional remote do to allow control.

People worried about air quality and skeptical about the difference the purifier can make, there must be data shown the change

After one or two years, filters need to be changed, the user needs to be able to buy replacement easily.

Wireframe

User Testing

After producing the wireframe, I test it with friends and colleagues (5 people). Judging from the result that I got, almost  60 percent of people find it's hard to find the control button since I hide it in the setting section. And all of them checked the data section and think it is an import feature. Base on the feedback, I also modify the purchase process base on the feedback.

Based on the feedback, these are the older versions that I designed in 2016. I made it in photoshop and use an online tool to make it a working prototype.

Final Screen

Re-design In 2019

Looking Back

Think critically in the year 2019, this project has limitations also possibilities:

• Since concept, like google home, is well-accepted and installed, The app could be a part of the general home appliance section instead of a separate app.
• Instead of selling filters, it seems more convenient for the app could sell services that enable staff to come and fix the machine.
• By combining AI to the experience, the user can even have auto-mode for the purifier, so it almost becomes invisible.

Screen

Login

Login pages allow the user to match their devices with the app by scanning the barcode that's located on the back of the product. The big round icon in the middle indicates the airclock machine. In those pages, I tried to make the whole login process simple and seamless, also friendly and humanly so that user can project that feeling into the physical product.
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Homepage

The homepage allows users to turn on/off the machine by pressing the icon. It also presents the data detected by the sensor inside the machine. Air quality can be measured by PM, CO2, No2, etc, by listing different values, users can be more convinced by the function of the machine.( Red condition means the air quality has not yet met the standard). Also in the night, the user can use dark mode.​

Data

Data page shows history within a week, it's a feature that encourages the user to form the habit of using the device. Also, it gives an insight into the improvement of the living condition, it creates feedback so the device can serve better as a smart home appliance. 
hamburger menu helps to get access to devise profile ( information like warranty period, maintenance).​

Buy Filter

The shopping section allows people to buy filters, which will need to be changed every half-full year. Many users are not familiar with the resource or the need for changing the filters, this function allowing the sustainable use of the product and make it easier for users.​

Moving on

Though airclock is a passion project, I still want to picture how it's success would be measure. I want to measure it in x ways:

• User acquisition, see how many sales does the product hit.
• Retention, measure in a half-year circle of how many users still actively using the product/app
• Task complete time, see how many filter orders have been placed after the app