High tech smart locks with a delightful user experience

About

Coming from one of Australia's longest standing and respected lock manufacturers, Verroo's smart lock only allows users to access the lock through Bluetooth, creating a much more secure system than similar locks that rely on wi-fi. Multiple users, multiple features, one hell of a secure lock.

Details

Native iOS App

10 Week Partnership

Product Redesign

Verroo App Store

Initial stages

A few discovery sessions, and a couple of hours playing with the lock itself, uncovered these key challenges:

Designing within the limitations of Bluetooth and the physical product
Creating an immersive and interactive user experience
Creating a design system for future growth
Communicating complex information in simple language

Designing software for hardware

With a fully digital product, there is absolute flexibility for us designers. But as soon as some hardware is introduced, we need to be careful to only design a user experience that compliments the physical device itself. For this particular project it was important that we considered the user journey as a whole, including how this was effected by the physical location and workings of the lock itself, and worked closely with the product owner before we even pulled together a wireframe.

A functional and minimal user interface

Verroo's smart lock needed to feel secure, but it also needed to be intuitive and approachable. The UI design looked to compliment rather than complicate the project. This meant removing any elements that could be a distraction and, based on user testing, even opting for simple text instruction over graphic depictions in some instances.

An immersive experience

Functionality of the application relies on the geographic location of the user. The UI design helps users visually see as they approach a lock and exactly when it has been successfully unlocked.

Communicating complex information in simple language

With applications like Verroo, every word counts. Instructional sentences in the onboarding process are just as important as the words chosen for buttons. As well as serving this functional purpose, the copy speaks the language and tone of the brand. A direct and reliable tone did the job, polished and refined with a little more user testing.

A design system for future growth

The application had three main environments: unlocking a lock, selecting from multiple locks, and giving other users access to a lock. Each environment needed to be distinct but connected. Careful utilisation of the brand colour palette allowed us to indicate when users were navigating to different sections and interacting with different functions.