Herman Miller
Case Study
Role: Senior UX Designer
- iOS & Android app designs and prototype
- Admin dashboard designs and prototype
- Admin installation app designs and prototype
- AppleTV presentation tool
- Setup instructional design
- Usability & A/B Testing
The Problem
The longstanding furniture company, with a legacy of revolutionary design, needed a change along with its users. The industry and its customers had suffered from ambiguous and unsustainable analytics in space management. Concurrently, decades of office workers had been constrained to sitting for unhealthy periods of time. Herman Miller approached our team with an important business question.
How can we educate and improve our employees health by creating an experience that is helpful without additional daily noise?
The Solution
LiveOS is an experience that connects furnishings with people, encourages the well-being of employees and enables improved learnings for workspace strategies. The ecosystem includes:
- Sit-to-Stand Desk
- Administrative Dashboard
- iOS & Android App
- Admin Installation App
- Interactive Showcase Presentation Tool via AppleTV
The Process
Herman Miller came to us initially with an emerging sit-to-stand desk that was sleek, minimal and unobtrusive. The challenge then became creating a mobile app experience that complimented and worked harmoniously with the furnishings without adding noise to one’s day.
Our goal with the application was simple:
Create an experience that was genuine, delightful, simplistic in purpose and educated the user about their sitting/standing activity.
Outside of myself, the team included key stakeholders, external Industrial
Design firms, copywriters, developers and a consistent base of users to constantly ensure our ideas were validated and verified.
The design journey, which led us down a long road full of valuable learnings, began with wireframes and user testing. The first concepts were largely influenced by another well-known firm due to their outstanding relationship. However, multiple rounds of testing proved that the initial approach was not working and more importantly, confusing. In turn, the engagement transitioned into our full control.
The wireframes were dissected. Successful features remained (albeit with improvements) while the rest of the app was scrapped. A new path had been blazed and it tested well.
Designs were produced to visually tell the story and validate with a base of customers through varying tests including A/B and Usability Testing.
Feedback was crucial as people’s major concerns were around privacy.
To alleviate dubious impressions, we changed the cognitive flow and design of the app. Trust was established at the outset as a result and explicit copy enforced trustworthy behavior.
Creating consistencies between Android and iOS applications is a difficult task. Fortunately we were able to work with a wonderfully talented group of developers who maintained patience and an open mind. The collaborative efforts produced beautiful interactions.
The Ecosystem
“Finishing” mobile applications (we all know it’s never finished),
the team uncovered additional value this idea offered. It wasn’t just an app. <It almost never is> It had legs. Long legs. Due to its sensor capabilities, the data was invaluable to space management teams and Herman Miller alike. These insights led to administrative dashboards where data/analytics became paramount to effective office solutions and sales relationships with Herman Miller’s customers.
But, we had to tell this story somehow at NeoCon (the annual industry exposition — think AutoShow but for furniture). Static screens wouldn’t be impactful or immersive. The solution was an interactive presentation tool.
We designed a tvOS app that paired the iPhone with a LiveOS desk.
From there, the sales team could control individual presentations, and desk features, whereas Herman Miller customers could experience the LiveOS suite and all of its physical properties. The tool was so well received, they are now rolling it out into dealer showrooms.
Lastly, we created an admin app built for installation crews. I was even able to design setup materials for showroom instruction.
Outcome
The product was an overwhelming success. Literally. Herman Miller quickly received multiple pilot offers, a number of initial sales, and wonderful press reviews. One memorable quote from HM’s Executive leadership summed up the journey quite well:
“This is outstanding. We need more of this. Thank you!”
I’m more than thankful to have helped with this product’s life cycle.
It was an invaluable experience building from conception to an ever-growing product. LiveOS reaffirmed how important communication and constant user testing is to a product. Without those two integral pieces, the experience suffers and impactful ideas are lost.
