Boost shade sales by
expanding our smart automation
to new markets
Lutron Shade sales stalled because customers weren't seeing the value.
To address this, the Business plans to expand our shade automation from Residential Sites and Tilted Shade to Commercial Sites and Roller Shades.
2023
2024
Tilted Shades
Residential Setting
Roller Shades
Commercial Setting
Market Expansion for
Shade Automation Technology
Boosting shade sales by expanding into new markets
Lutron's shade sales had plateaued, with customers struggling to see the value in the product.
To address this, the business aimed to expand its successful shade automation technology—originally designed for residential sites and tilted shades—into commercial sites and roller shades. The team hypothesized that this expansion could triple the market for shades.
2023
2024
Tilted Shades
Residential Setting
Roller Shades
Commercial Setting
for Shade Automation
Were we overly relying on past success?
While the shade automation technology had proven effective in residential settings, I was concerned the expansion rested on generalized assumptions.
To advocate for the users, I raised the following critical points:
Bigger Natural Light Impact
Roller shades allow significantly more natural light in, which could lead to greater disruption compared to tilted shades.
Different Use Case
Residential and commercial sites have distinct scenarios and needs that must be addressed.
for Shade Automation
Harnessing new technology with a user-centered approach
To ensure the expansion would succeed, I proposed and executed a user-centered UX strategy, collaborating closely with Product Owners and PMs across the Residential and Commercial Shade businesses.
Step 1
Diary Study
Learn users' experience with an immersive study
Step 2
Vision Experience
Create a framework to guide decisions
Step 3
Product Strategy
Chunk down and influence strategy
Step 4
MVP Design
Design the MVP and guard the scalability
Harness the new technology
with a user-centered strategy
I successfully proposed a UX strategy to bring user voice into the product plan.
Throughout the process, I worked closely with my Product Owner and PMs in Commercial and Residential Shade Business.
Step 1
Diary Study
Learn users' experience with an immersive study
Step 2
Vision Experience
Create a framework to guide decisions
Step 3
Product Strategy
Chunk down and influence strategy
Step 4
MVP Design
Design the MVP and guard the scalability
UX Strategy
Trust is key to successful automation across scenarios
I set out to validate the expansion plan by evaluating the original shade automation design in both residential and commercial contexts.
Key questions I aimed to answer:
• Is the current design simple yet effective?
• What are the unique user needs across different markets?
After conducting the 2-week diary study at residential and commercial sites, I learned the different needs for commercial and residential sites lies in different scenarios that are area-based. Lighting requirements differ significantly between spaces like lobbies, conference rooms, and bedrooms.
But what strikes me more is the universal trust issues: users appreciated the automation's effect but lacked trust in it unless they felt informed and retained some control.
Feel Informed
Right Amount
of Control
Revelation from an
immersive study
I set the goal to evaluate the expansion of the original design to the desired market.
• Is the simple design good enough?
• User needs between different markets?
Market Expansion for Original Design
From the 2-week immersive study at residential and commercial markets I learned the scenarios for different markets.
Different Needs from Different Sites
But what strikes me more is not the possible difference but the similarity: People like the effect but they wont trust the automation without the followings.
Feel Informed
Right Amount
of Control
Design Principles for Trust
Crafting a vision for trustworthy automation
Using these insights, I persuaded stakeholders to think beyond shade automation and adopt a broader vision for automation as a whole.
Time Clock
Natural Show
Shade Automation
Third-party App
Manual from Others
To foster alignment and innovation, I led a design sprint and facilitated four workshops, resulting in the creation of an Automation Vision Framework. This framework emphasized storytelling to demonstrate how trust is essential to building a robust and user-centered automation system.
Readout
HMW
Ideation
Converge
“I love how my shades are already opened when I get up and go to my living room”
a homeowner at a single home family
“… my monitor is not washed out in the afternoon now …”
a office building tenant, young working professional
HMW
Build trust for users to automation as a whole?
Position Personalization
Override Alert
Flexible Time
Event Editor
Activity Log
Timer for All
Event Editor
Natural Show Integration
Time Clock +
Automation by Area
Automation
Manual
Automation Vision
Effortless light and shade experience
combining Automation and Manual
I convinced the stakeholders to expand the project from shade automation to all automation, by storytelling how trust can't be built without thinking automation as a whole.
Time Clock
Natural Show
Shade Automation
Third-party App
Manual from Others
Automation Vision
I conducted a design sprint to create a Automation Vision Framework through hosting 5+ workshop sessions to help the team empathize and innovate.
Readout
HMW
Ideation
Converge
“I love how my shades are already opened when I get up and go to my living room”
a homeowner at a single home family
“… my monitor is not washed out in the afternoon now …”
a office building tenant, young working professional
HMW
Build trust for users to automation as a whole?
Position Personalization
Override Alert
Flexible Time
Event Editor
Activity Log
Timer for All
Event Editor
Natural Show Integration
Time Clock +
Automation by Area
Automation
Manual
Design Sprint Process
Activity Viewer
The Activity Viewer became the foundational feature in this vision. Designed as the first step in building trust, it empowers users by:
• Providing detailed information about automation activities.
• Giving users a sense of ultimate control over the system.
This feature embodies the broader automation strategy, bridging the gap between user skepticism and a seamless, trustworthy experience.
Automation Framework
Laid the groundwork for a smoother control for users
I created a simple visualization to communicate and align with stakeholders on how manual and automated controls work. The graphic representation enabled discussion with not just pms but architect.
Area-based Navigation
Enhance sense of control
Scalability for large sites
I proposed to alter the previous "one-fit-all" navigation to an "area-based" navigation, as, from the research, users across commercial and residential showed a area-based mental model when thinking about control.
Visualization for Automation System
Visualization for Automation System
New Design
Area-based Navigation
Previous Design
Project-based Navigation
Data Structure Update
Should the team invest in the data structure update to enable the area-based navigation?
I worked closely with business and development leaders in investigating the cost effectiveness in this investment. Through storytelling the user stories and design opportunities, the team decided to embark the investment
Scope Down to Shade-first
Carve time for data structure to ensure an on-time delivery of the business goal
I worked with the team to chunk the original plan of allowing both light and shade to react to natural light down to shade first. This allow us to meet the business goal to enable the shade expansion
Previous Data Structure
Project-based
New Data Structure
Area-based
Scope Down
Scope Down
Meaningful Shade Group
Help users navigate through large amount of devices fast
Instead of controlling shades as device, I grouped shades into meaningful groups. This help users contextualize the control, and enables scalability for larger commercial sites with large-amount of shades.
Intuitive Visualization
Familiarize users with numeric information by Timeline Design and Openness Icon
I designed the timeline to simplify automation and created shade openness icons based on user feedback to improve clarity of the numerical details.
Meaningful Shade Groups
Timeline Design
Openness Icon
Paused Movement
Boost trust by giving considerate information
Make users feel safe that the automation is not going to interrupt their attempt.
Disabled Toast
Feel informed when area automation is disabled
From the diary study, I see the need of flexibility to temporarily pause an area and the worry that if the pause is effective.
Paused Movement
Disabled Toast
Personalize automation previously available only for professionals
Simplified time and openness tweak
I stacked essential information in one view to help hotel managers pinpoint causes. Research shows that before dispatching staff to address a request, managers need to investigate historical room data, which is often scattered.
Tweak Openness for single shade device
From the diary study
Impact
During the project I demonstrated these skillset to achieve the impacts
• System Thinking: Strategize complex architecture across features
• Interpersonal Skill: Navigate new concepts through working closely with developers, PMs, and managements
• Boundary-pushing: Advocate for users
53%
app satisfaction rate
To learn how useful activity viewer is for shade automation
3
new project
Formed a 0-1 Vision that elicits more projects
On Time
MVP delivery
Launched a steady first step into the automation vision