The A. O. Smith App
Project Overview
For the first time, A. O. Smith will be expanding into the residential market and will acquire an entirely new set of users - homeowners. In addition to redesigning the app with some entirely new features, it must continue to serve the professional users while accounting for the new homeowner user base across 5 brands - A. O. Smith, State, iCOMM (American, Reliance, and U.S. Craftmaster). The experience within the app will be segmented based on user type since professionals and homeowners have different needs.
New features and technology to be introduced included the ability for users to add a Time-of-Use rate plan, opt in to Demand Response, and connect to a water heater via Bluetooth.
Role & Responsibilities
Lead UX Designer - User research, app architecture, developing wireframes, interaction design, creating user flows, building prototypes, conducting user testing, and delivering final designs to development.
Users
Plumbing professionals and homeowners
Client
A. O. Smith
User Research
First things first, we needed to talk to the end user. We used both quantitative and qualitative research methods by sending out surveys to registered A. O. Smith water heater owners in California and recruiting about 20 owners to speak directly to us. We needed to talk to homeowners to find out if they were aware of changing legislation in California requiring new water heaters to be Wi-Fi enabled, if they were familiar with Time-of-Use rate plans, if they understood what a Demand Response system is, and discover how users felt about granting their utility to have remote control over their water heater.
User Flows & Wireframes
Due to an aggressive timeline and a fast approaching launch date, we had to start developing user flows and wireframes for new features while user research was being conducted. One of the most challenging technical aspects was getting a phone to connect to a water heater via Bluetooth. We had to work closely with an A. O. Smith development team in China.
App Architecture
We didn’t just build one application but, in a sense, seven. The app offers two slightly different experiences based on role - professional or homeowner. Additionally, A. O. Smith owns other brands. Some are on an equal level while others are smaller. The client let us know that the sub-brands wanted their own branded experience too. So, instead of creating one app to rule them all, A. O. Smith and State got their own apps while the smaller sub-brands had one app that served them all.
User Testing
User testing isn’t always an easy sell on the agency side. I developed a plan that wouldn’t add cost or scope to the project and shared it with the client. We knew testing needed to be done to validate new features but we had to do it fast.
Defined criteria for recruiting users
Recruited internally
Provided users with a set of tasks to complete as they tested new features
Sessions were recorded with my iPhone and a mic stand
Testing revealed a few pain points that we were able to fix quickly
Distilled findings and shared with the client
Final Designs
Selection of some screens from the app.
Outcome
The new A. O. Smith app launched in 2019.
Feedback from the client and users was positive.
We continue to maintain the app.
Currently ~5,000 users across all apps.