Restructuring Gate Labs
Gate Labs came to us with the first camera-equipped smart lock, a plan to launch in October, and a desire to find a distinctive voice before they brought their product to market.
I worked on a team of three as a UX designer with a primary focus on project management, research, information architecture, and business strategy. This project lasted three weeks.
Thanks to extensive user and market research we determined Gate’s new experience principles should focus on optimizing intelligence, convenience, and reliability.
In our remaining time, we put together mobile wireframes imbued with these values that would offer customers a better sense of control.
To ensure our suggested ideal experience principles represented the full scope of the Gate eco-system we spoke to three different groups with varying exposure to the smart lock: the product team, the beta testers, and users who’d never seen it before.
How does Gate see themselves?
This competitive research grid, pulled directly from the Gate Indiegogo page, advertises their product as a functional juggernaut. If you quantify metrics like video, audio and motion detection, Gate outpaces competitors like August and Kevo by a considerable margin. This competitive graph does a nice job showing the functional advantages of the smart lock, but lacks the personality that makes a person pick a product up, and the trust that makes them keep it.
How is Gate seen by those who know it?
Our beta tester interviews can be refined to the following statement: users expected more control than they actually received. Many testers expressed concerns about the lock’s inconsistent performance, or high-quantity of worrisome notifications. Others simply wished the product did a better job meeting the expectations produced by their promotional video. No matter who you were talking to, it was clear there were improvements to be made.
How is Gate seen by those who aren’t familiar with it?
We also wanted to figure out how a normal, everyday consumer might see the product. Was it flashy? What might they expect it to do? Would they see a purpose for it in their home or business? For highlights from these interviews, you can watch the video above, but the main takeaways were these:
The product looks secure, but expensive. Price could be a barrier to entry for multiple parties.
Most people think they have a medium to high tech tolerance. In other words, they might not immediately know what a product is supposed to do or how they’re supposed to use it, but they can pick things up quickly with the aid of clear instructions. This is important for the onboarding process, which Gate admits is tedious. Simple instructions, bread crumbs, and active encouragement can create a positive first impression of the product and set the tone for future interactions.
Trust is a next step for this audience. If the product is easy-to-use and reliable for an extended period of time, that trust should appear, but the video above makes clear it isn’t immediately there.
“The less I have to worry about, the happier I am!”
-On-the-go Gloria, our primary persona
Proposed Experience Principles
Most user feedback had to do with one of the following descriptors: modern, informative, non-intrusive, versatile, secure, and consistent, and whether or not Gate was currently meeting the expectation for that descriptor. If we assume these adjectives are product desires, we can assume Gate customers (i.e. the core persona) will be satisfied when the product is doing these things well. In our final edit, we further compartmentalize these descriptors into three core experience principles:
Intelligence
Gate relays essential information through a modern and intuitive design. This all-in-one device allows you to see visuals, hear audio, and find a track record of the people who’ve visited your front door so you can feel like you’re there, even when you aren’t.
Convenience
Information is conveyed through a mobile app that emphasizes versatility and non- intrusiveness. Dashboards show the information you want to see, and only at the times you want to see it. No more floods of unimportant notifications or high-maintenance care. This new device only requires the same attention as your old deadbolt but gives you a host of intelligence you’ll be surprised you ever lived without.
Reliability
Gate is more than just a lock. It’s the peace of mind that your home or business is okay when you’re not there. The intelligence and convenience of the Gate SmartLock fosters a sense of trust between itself and the homeowner, so the product’s consistency and security is paramount. Gate is doing its job when you’re not worried about it, and it’s delivery partnerships with ensure access is only granted to the right people.
These new experience principles will not only meet needs of a core persona, but also give Gate the ability to differentiate themselves from competitors and comparators.
Mobile Prototype
Beta testers and Gate staff identified the mobile app as the platform that offered the greatest opportunity for impact within this three-week period. Here’s a look at how we modified screens from different chapters of the app to best exemplify these new principles of intelligence, convenience, and reliability.
Next steps
The Gate team’s reaction to our final designs and deliverables was overwhelmingly positive. Multiple team members said we helped them “step outside (their) box” to explore exciting new options, and expressed interest in reaching out for future design engagements.
The next steps for the Gate team will be to prioritize these recommendations, estimate engineering effort, and then apply the same experience principles to the lock and e-commerce site.
“Ryland is a fantastic UX/UI designer. He can take a holistic understanding of the user story and translate it into a design strategy any company would be proud to implement. Ryland and his team handled everything from researching users’ needs to synthesizing their findings into a core challenge, to creating a prototype that took their strategic suggestions and turned them into interactive visuals. While you will be thrilled with all of Ryland’s skills, it is his caring and dedication that set him apart from everyone else.”
— Dariya Smailova, Head of Marketing at Gate Labs