Connected Microwave Case Study
Dyson - Lead Role Design Task
My Role
Lead Experience Designer
Skills & Processes Used
Visual Design, User Experience Design, Research, User Flows, User Journey, UX Strategy, Rapid Wire-framing, Rapid Prototyping, Branding
During my time at Dyson, there have been some organisational changes. One of these included app designers joining a new team, as part of that, there was an opportunity available for a Lead Experience Design role. I saw the amazing opportunity and as part of this process to move into this role, I had to complete a design task.
The design task was to be completed and then presented in 48hrs from when it was initially assigned. The brief was simple, but intentionally left very open ended to leave room for interpretation. This added to the complexity and challenge I was excited to work on. This included having to know and discover the problem I was solving as well as creating a concept, working prototype, and final designs, along with my vision of what the future of this solution could look like.
To note, the concept is not a real product and was made up purposefully for this exercise.
The Task
“Imagine you’ve been asked to design an interface for a connected microwave, what might the interface look like?”
Problem & Opportunities
How might we…
“Imagine you’ve been asked to design an interface for a connected microwave, what might the interface look like?”
User Persona
Hanna Brooks
35 yrs old | Art Director in London
Married with young children
Interests & Values
Values time with family and friends
Cooking is her love language
Health and fitness conscious
Tech savvy, early adopter of new tech
Needs
Ability to control oven remotely
Visually check on food remotely
Reminder when food will be done
Recipe inspiration with guided instructions
Suggestions of cooking settings and times
Goals
To cook food inline with her health and fitness goals
Spend more valuable time with family and friends
Know the meals she makes are properly made and safe for her family
Rely on her smart appliances to make her day to day life easier
Pain Points
Spends too much time finding recipes
Unsure which settings would be best depending on what she makes
Checking on food multiple times
Unsure if meal is properly cooked through
Research & Discovery
User Journey
Before Cooking
What do I want to cook
Search for a recipe
How much time will it take
Do I have the right ingredients
Do I need to go shopping
Does the meal match my health goals
01
Cooking Set-Up
Have recipe open
Have all ingredients out & visible
Start to prep any food/ingredients
Does anything need to be pre-heated
What settings will I need to use
How much time do I need to make this
02
While Cooking
Put meal in microwave oven, start to cook meal
Start timer, double check settings are correct
Start any other prep work needed
Check timer, does it look done
Add on any extra time to make sure it’s properly cooked through
03
After Cooking
Is everyone ready to eat
Do I need to keep the meal warm
Did I save the recipe
How does it taste, do others enjoy the meal as well
What temperature and time do I need to set to reheat leftovers
04
Core User Needs
Ability to control remotely
Being able to control her microwave oven remotely, she’s able to gain some valuable family time back. This also gives her the freedom to check in on meals from a distance.
Health tracking and accomplishments
Linking up health conscious motivations with the feeling satisfaction of achieving goals in the app. She’s able to reach her goals and wanting to come back to the app to find healthy meals.
Data informed/Smart technology
Leaning on the data and technology of machine and app, she’s able to trust she’s cooking with the best performance to result in a safe and healthy meal. Easing her fears and gaining trust int the Dyson brand.
Design Decisions
Design Principles
Intuitive
Designs that just make sense. Purposeful and instinctual interactions. Designing for the best experiences.
Minimalist
Timeless design with purpose. Reduce cognitive overload with simplicity, allowing focus on what’s most important.
Captivating
Bring the user in with pleasing designs. Keeping their attention on what matters most and have them wanting to come back for more.
Branding
Final Designs
Next Steps
If this were a real product at Dyson
Partner with Research & Data
Work with our research and data teams to gain further insights through surveys, in-depth competitive research, user interviews and looking at past products to better inform user needs and pain points.
Senior stakeholder interviews
Meet with senior stakeholders to make sure the concept, product and features are inline with the business needs and are furthering our team and company goals.
Show work early & often
Present app framework and concept in reviews in the early stages of ideation to fail fast and gain approval and direction. Continuing to communicate updates to keep aligned and on track with project timelines and goals.
Inclusive & Accessible
Regularly check we are designing inclusive and accessible experiences by identifying our assumptions, using inclusive and accessible focused use cases and through continuous trialing of our concepts.
Usability trialing
Work with the research team to trial our concepts during the concept phase and design finalisation phase to gain user feedback. See what we may be missing or what is unclear.
Iterative approach
Take an iterative approach to both design and development to ship the product. Continue to trial post-launch and make continuous improvements and use this data to better inform any incoming features or products.
Further ideation & opportunities
AI - Smart detect
Could we use the microwave oven camera to detect what type of food, food temperature, and weight of the item that’s been placed inside and make smart recommendations on cooking mode, oven temperature, cook time and if it needs to be defrosted, etc?
-
Data input / AI - Personalisation
Can we link the app with other health apps to gain and link data to make a tailored experience for the user. Providing recipes, cooking classes, healthy eating habits and learning opportunities that match their health goals.
-
Monetisation opportunities
Provide purchasing opportunities throughout the app. This could include selling cooking accessories and tools, add-ons like food thermometer, meal subscriptions, premium and tailored recipe through pro versions of the app.
-
Brand & business partnerships
Could we partner with services and companies to offer a full experience to include meal delivery, grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking classes, etc? Promote small businesses for fresh, healthy food and workshops?
-
Dyson orbit
Incorporate the microwave oven into the Dyson orbit by connecting it with other Dyson machines. This allows for a true, full Dyson experience for every area of life with easy smart home integration and capabilities.