Hygge Home
Creating a cozy living space with AI-driven design
Project Role:
Solo UX and UI designer of the project
Context:
October 2022 - April 2023 Personal project for Springboard Bootcamp
Project Responsibilities:
User Research: secondary research, competitive analysis, survey, user interviews, affinity mapping.
UX and UI Design: sketching, wireframing, prototyping, guerilla and prototype usability testing.
Tools:
Figma, Miro, Google Suite
Designing for Well-being: Personal Space Shapes Your Mood and Energy
The pandemic situation has caused people to spend more time at home, and for many working from home has become the new norm.
It is scientifically proven that a cluttered and disorganized space can create feelings of stress, anxiety, and fatigue, while a clean and well-organized home can promote a sense of calmness, relaxation, and productivity.
Lots of people struggle to organize their homes. While trying to find solutions, they feel overwhelmed by the vast amount of information available.
Solution
Hygge Home offers personalized AI-driven solutions using the Danish concept of simple coziness, implemented through small progress steps.
Receive personalized solutions after an easy scanning process
The object recognition enables fast and accurate 3D modeling of an area without a need for cleaning, saving time and energy.
Users are presented with two structured sections based on the 3D model: organization and decoration, enabling them to easily find solutions tailored to their needs.
Experience Hygge
The app allows smooth introduction to Danish philosophy by providing Hygge activities that could be easily incorporated in a daily routine.
Users get unlimited inspiring personalized ideas that do not require significant furniture changes.
Utilize your spare 30 minutes to make a small change
The step-by-step video instructions and additional tips guide users through the process.
Setting reminders for each step streamlines time management and expedites project completion.
Problem Space
A home office of one of the respondents
“On average we spend one year of our lives looking for lost items. That’s over 8,700 hours looking for lost or misplaced things!”
-National Association of Professional Organizers
Challenges in improving home organization
Secondary research and survey helped identify the main challenges that people face when it comes to home organization:
Research Methodology
Goal:
To dive deeper, I needed to understand people’s needs, how they organize their homes, what solutions they use, as well as pain points linked to those solutions. The letter would allow me to differentiate my potential solution. Based on that, I came up with the primary research methods.
Methods:
Semi-structured interviews. I interviewed 7 people about their living space and methods they use to keep it clean.
Competitive analysis. I analyzed 4 mobile apps, their strengths and weaknesses, technology used, and their user reviews.
Technology research. I researched the new developments in the sphere of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR).
Research Insights
Interviews
One of the main insights for me was a realization that respondents feel embarrassed of having their homes cluttered and disorganized, as well as of talking about this issue with others. The main thing they want is to feel satisfied about their living spaces and themselves.
What do potential users want?
Finding relevant information fast and easy.
One place to go for ideas and information.
Motivation to organize things.
Creative solutions for small and rental spaces.
Assistance in decluttering.
Competitive analysis
User Personas
Ideation
Hygge Concept
Thinking of how I can maintain users’ motivation, I was looking for an additional dimension that could be aligned with the main functionality of the project.
During user interviews and usability test, I asked respondents the same question: what makes you feel cozy at home? Surprisingly, people gave me the same answers - warm light and wall colors, home plants and pets, art, favorite things, etc. which were perfectly aligned with the concept of Hygge, that can be defined as “a practical way of creating sanctuary in the middle of very real life”.
MVE
Defining the minimal viable experience (MVE) scope was a significant challenge for me due to potential users' diverse living situations, pain points, and needs. As a result, I decided to keep things simple and concentrate on a minimal amount of user stories to finish each red road.
Sketches and Wireframes
*Note: for the best experience please view this section on laptop device instead of mobile.
Design System and Branding
Creating this design system, I wanted users to feel cozy, warm, and relaxed, yet at the same time, to be inspired to make a change at home. I aimed to reflect the Hygge concept through simplicity and authenticity.
Usability Test
Two rounds of usability testing revealed areas for improvement. Here are three major changes I made:
Emphasizing CTA for better navigation
Users experienced difficulties in moving forward through the project steps since they didn’t notice the CTA button at the bottom.
As a result, I decided to enlarge the CTA button and place it in a highly visible spot, right after the video element.
Changing layout to avoid cognitive overload
During testing sessions, users sometimes got lost at the screen with suggested ideas.
I changed the layout of the screen, enlarging projects and adding negative space, so that users can see one idea at a time while scrolling.
Highlighting the result
Users were glad to see the before and after pictures. However, the initial design didn’t show enough of the difference between those stages.
I changed the initial screen to the one with a mask animation effect.
High Fidelity Screens and Prototype
Things that I learned and would change next time:
1. Keeping an open mindset while working on the project. Since Hygge Home is my first UX project, my work was entirely a learning experience. I realized it is crucial to keep an open mindset throughout all steps - be open to new ideas, new problem angles and problem reframing, changes, new perspectives and feedback, as it helps delve deeper into the problem and remain close to users.
2. Filtering feedback. I learned that while feedback is valuable, it should be filtered and prioritized. During guerilla usability testing as well as testing of high-fidelity prototype, I received suggestions for additional features, which I decided not to include to avoid scope creep.
3. Defining my limitations. As my project is heavily based on a technological solution, one of the most difficult parts for me was to understand the technology constraints. For that, I researched new developments in the sphere of AR and AI and talked to experts to make sure that my project solution idea is viable.
4. More iterations. Now, when my project work concludes, I recognize several opportunities for improvement. With more time, I would conduct additional rounds of usability testing and iterate the design accordingly.