Smart Thermostat Redesign & Positioning
My Role:
Competitive analysis
Prototype testing protocol development
Focus group moderation
Product positioning development
Industrial Design Partner: Pensa
Duration: 6 weeks
Date: 2018/2019
Background
Modern digital experiences and new entrants were shifting consumer expectations of hardware designed for the home, pushing Carrier, a legacy HVAC company, to reconsider the design and functionality of its thermostats to appeal to a new tech-savvy, design-minded consumer.
Objective
Conduct research to refine the design, functionality, and positioning of a next generation smart thermostat that is desirable to an evolving customer base and helps Carrier sell to new audience segments.
Approach
Quantitative Survey Management
Partnered with a vendor to survey 750+ homeowners using max-diff methodology to prioritize product features that would incentivize purchase of a new thermostat.
Competitive Audit
Used secondary sources to audit legacy thermostat brands and new entrants, capturing in market trends and patterns, to develop a perspective on positioning and go-to-market strategy for a new thermostat.
Prototype Testing Focus Groups
Designed and moderated focus groups with a total of 20+ homeowners to elicit feedback on interim thermostat concepts and reveal benefits and challenges of different designs.
User Insights & Design Recommendations
Synthesized feedback from quantitative and qualitative research to surface important findings and generate design principles to inform our industrial design partner’s thermostat prototype.
See full user insights synthesis and design recommendations here.
Results
Outcome
Used research-based evidence to support the choice of a final design direction and initial prototype for a new smart thermostat most desirable to the target audience.
Impact
Helped establish a foundation for a new industrial design system extensible across the business’ entire HVAC hardware portfolio and revealed important insights about consumer’s changing preferences.