Home for iOS

A concept that brings home-kit to reality

At this year’s WWDC, Apple brought some ground-breaking technologies to the table. One among them was the HomeKit, which allows smart home appliances and other devices to connect to iOS devices. This opens the door to endless possibilities, bringing control to the user in the palm of his hands. Here, I present to you a concept that demonstrates this experience and is close to what Apple might come up with in the near future.

Home

New Home, a revolutionary way to Connect, Configure and Control the devices in your house with just one tap from your smart Phone.

This design contains two major hierarchy of navigation: Devices and Security.

Devices

Every room in your house is unique, right from the colours to decors. This was the inspiration for the interface which changes colour based on the colour of the room. The room colour or typically assigned based on the basic room types like kitchen, Living room. This gives the user something to relate to. These rooms are typically created initially based on proximity of devices and connection between them.

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1. Card navigation: Home lists your favourite rooms—the rooms your spend lot of time using—as cards in top section. Additionally you can pin your favourite rooms in the top section. The Top section cards use the colours which affects the colour the list items below. Cards show the quick information of what is happening in the room. Appliances show what they are doing currently. You can click on the info icon to get full view of the room, or Simply shutdown a room.
2. New card when entering room: When you enter the room, Top section will feature that room as first card. This gives fast access to the devices of that room.
3. Bottom section: Bottom section in the devices lists all the rooms in the proximity of appearance. So when you actually scroll longer, it means the room is away from you. This helps in maintaining the concept of just controlling the devices that you have visual radar of where it is. You can change the order in settings to chronological or alphabetical order.

1.1 Explore Indicator

1. Explore icon: People are comfortable using AirDrop to share things because it works and its fast. Like AirDrop, there is Explore for home. The explore icon indicator(1.1) is on the top right corner of the devices screen. Since Explore uses Bluetooth and WiFi technologies to discover the devices, its battery heavy. So Home makes Explore inactive when its not in usage. Explore indicator shows whether its active or not.
2. Explore screen: The Explore view offers the faster way of knowing the devices available in the current room. Taping on them let you control and customise them. This emphasise on the traditional way of connecting to a device like a remote control for Tv — you go near them and control if you would like to.
3. Room View: The Room view literally means the view of your room. It lists the devices that are available in the room and lets you know what they are currently doing.

When you pull down the screen in room view

From anywhere in the devices, you can access the individual applications of devices. Through App extension this feature can bring thousands of apps to Home. This way you don’t have to install a separate application to control your thermostat, but home will offer an app extension for it.

Security

The next big thing is to secure your house. Home helps in simple way to control your home security in just few taps. Unlike devices, Security is Global and not room based.

1. Security: The top section offers the immediate access to doors as cards. Flip the cards to access the doors based on proximity when you are inside the house. When you go outside the Main door will be automatically listed as first card. The bottom section lists all the security services as list.
2. Authentication: The Door cards in the top section offers the slide to unlock facility. This brings the authentication as either PIN number or Touch ID based. Making biometrics for doors in a simple and affordable way to common people.
3. Security devices: Lists the security devices that can be controlled for now. you can check the status, configure them and put them offline also when not in need. This includes checking your door camera when some one knocks on your door, even when you are miles away

Search

This most important functionality is closely integrated with the home and thus enabling users to search things they desire. Users can search for rooms, devices in the rooms, tags, device name or company name etc.

1. Blank state: Gives users a quick tips on searching.
2. Search Devices: Search for device type — TV is searched and Tv in two rooms are listed. Now the search view shows the device and what they device is doing currently.
3. Search Rooms: Search for Rooms. Based on your search, the search view will change. Now the search results shows whether the rooms are offline or online and how long they were online.

Siri

Siri-Home integration is the favourite part of all the features. Siri will now enable to voice control your entire home. Devices, room, security and much more. Siri will finally become your personal home assistant.

“Get ready for bed,” a smart home could automatically dim its lights and lock its doors. — Craig Federighi

Siri

If successfully implemented, Apple can just bring a revolution in home automation world and there by giving way to build next generation of smart homes.

Inspired by Home Kit, iOS 8. Icons used : Icon8. Special thanks to Teehan+Lax iOS UI kit.

Thanks for taking a look at Home Concept. High resolution screenshots available at Flickr.