Vive App
Company Lutron
Project Duration 6 months
My Role
UI Design & Testing
The Team
1 User Researcher
1 UX & UI Designer (me)
1 Visual Designer
1 Product Manager
1 Project Leader
10+ Engineers
What is the Vive App?
The Vive App is a step-by-step setup app for electrical contractors to configure Lutron’s wireless smart building system and handoff the installation to their clients.
The Motivation
Vive is Lutron’s first major smart building system that follows a stock-and-flow distribution model. That means contractors can purchase a kit from a distributor and configure the system by themselves without needing a Lutron tech. However, this also means that Lutron loses track of its customer base. The purpose of this project was to collect information about our installers and our end customers for the purpose of sending out security notices & new product offerings and also to help target the right users during marketing campaigns.
The Challenge
Our experience goal was to gather the desired information without burdening our users with registration forms that provide little return value. Installers already used our app to setup Vive systems, and we did not want to deteriorate the experience of getting their job done quickly. Therefore, any added steps to the workflow needed to have a clear return value for their time.
The Outcome
We designed two registration touchpoints to collect the installer and customer information. When the installer downloads the app, he is prompted to create an account. By creating an account, he can now store projects and revisit them when his clients have questions. The second touchpoint is a formal invitation to the client welcoming them to their new smart building system along with help materials to get started. The installer enters his customer’s information to send this invitation, and in return, he benefits from delivering a polished handoff experience to his clients.
The Process
User Research
STakeholder interviews
As a first step, we talked with internal business stakeholders to understand what kind of data was absolutely necessary to collect versus what data was a nice-to-have. Since we are asking for our users time and effort, it was important to collect only what was needed. Furthermore, by writing out the needs, it was clear that some of the desired data could be automatically extracted either from the database or from logging the information.
Target users
Electrical Contractors
In the new stock-and-flow model, electrical contractors are third party businesses that will purchase Lutron product from distributors and install them at customer sites during construction & renovation projects. We were interested in an electrical contractor’s journey to understand when in the process they might be motivated to provide their information.
Facility Managers
Commercial businesses employ facility managers to maintain and adjust various building systems after installation. Similarly, we needed to understand why a customer might be motivated to provide their information.
User Research Methods
Observations
We did 4 observation sessions of electrical contractors during installation, programming and handoff to get a clear understanding of their journey.
Interviews
We also did 4 interviews with more senior members of electrical contracting firms to understand their business needs and to understand how they first learn about Lutron products. We also did 2 interviews with facility managers to understand their experience after Lutron systems are installed.
Research Summary
From the observations and interviews, we were able to synthesize themes into a fairly common workflow, an shown below.
Journey Map
We overlaid opportunities on top of a journey map to identify when our users would be most motivated to provide us information in exchange for value.
Solution Design
Brainstorming Solutions
We held an ideation session with a cross functional group of business members, engineers and designers to generate ideas based on the research findings. Some common idea themes emerged, as shown below.
Storyboarding the solution
At this point in the project, I began driving the solution design. We sketched a storyboard that illustrated the most desired experience from beginning to end. These drawings served to first provide context for any UI designs that would be created later.
Awareness & Acquaintance
Programming a Customer Site
Handing Off to the Facility Manager
Inviting Others to the Project
Detailing Out The Task Flow
After gaining confidence in the experience via the storyboard, we then detailed out the high-level workflow. This provided a more detailed foundation for the content that would be needed for the UI designs.
Preparing for A Project at the Office
Programming & Handing Off to the Client
UI Design & Testing
Coming soon…