Case Study: Can Design Thinking be used to Optimise your Balcony?

An attempt to enhance the balcony area of Indian households

The main goal of this project is to understand how people interact with their house balcony area, the discomforts they experience there, and then to assist them in bridging the gap between their current and ultimate balcony experience.

Imagine hanging out in the balcony with your friends post work, watching the setting sun, listening to some nice soul touching music. And suddenly something starts buzzing near your ear and the next voice you hear is ‘phatakk’. And you know it’s that time of the day. Your balcony now belongs to mosquitos and her friends.

Balcony is a versatile place especially in India. The way people use their balcony is very intriguing. From romanticising life with a tea/coffee to using it as a utility space to dry clothes, keep washing and cleaning machines or even extend the living area to the edge.

Before we even think about a solution, understanding and empathising with different users is important. So based on the Design Thinking process a plan of action was made.

Plan of Action

Empathise

To better understand the user’s interaction with this space I started noting down a few touch points.

Touchpoints

And based on these touch points a set of questionnaires was made for more qualitative data.

Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your family/housemates.

- How many balconies do you have? Can you draw the layouts for me?

- In which ways is the balcony a part of your everyday life? For both you and your family.

- How does weather and time of the day play a role in your balcony experience?

- Do you use your balcony as a personal space or functional space ie for drying clothes, storage etc

- Are birds and mosquitos a major issue?

- Does your balcony have a (railing/grill)? If yes, how much maintenance is needed?

- What all furniture items are present in your balcony? If no where do you fetch it from?

- Can your balcony be counted as a private space for some alone time? Yes/No, why?

- Do noise and neighbours/noisy neighbours hamper your time on the balcony? Yes/No, how?

- How well is the area ventilated?

- Do you have plants in this area? How are they taken care of?

- What kind of roof does your balcony have?

My first interview gave me the opportunity to develop my touch points and establish a flow.

As the interviews progressed the touch points, questions and in-depth discussions kept evolving.

For example, the addition of roof discussion in the interview happened after the first interview, where the discussion organically led to it. Which later on led to the source of light discussion and a problem in that area was identified.

The interviews started with a general chat as an ice breaker that helped with the interview flow and really opened the interviewees up.

Also to hold the conversation flow touchpoints helped me more than questions. A quick scan in between the conversation to understand which touchpoint can be covered next.

Based on the interviews the following user personas were created:

Define

During the interview some of the most common problems among the users were:

Dust

All the users talked about the dust problem and how more cleanliness has to be maintained in the balcony area

Privacy

Irrespective of population, balcony’s privacy was an issue

Mosquitos

During late hours and especially during harvest season balconies belong to the insects

Rains (Wet floors/Leakage)

Cross rains or tank overflows leading to wet balcony floors

A problem that the user describes during an interview can sometimes be very surface level. At this point the actual problem of the user was highlighted. Which was later dissected to find the root cause.

Example: User 2 was bothered by the increasing dust in the balcony area due to which the bamboo curtains had to be cleaned regularly.

Regular cleaning > Increased dust levels > Constant vehicle movement > Area Commercialisation

Some of the other problems faced by the users were:

• User 1 enjoys spending a lot of time with his family on the balcony, particularly during the winter months when they enjoy sunbathing and snacking on peanuts. However, in the summer, the heat from the sun and the AC unit make the balcony space intolerable.
• User 1 has to be mindful of the balcony door due to the wild monkeys present in their area.
• User 2 enjoys drinking tea or coffee with her family here but is unable to spend much time there due to the balcony’s narrow width and lack of appropriate seating.
• User 2 finds this one balcony corner uncomfortable because it always has bird droppings
• User 3 has to carry furniture from the living room to the balcony area especially during power cuts since there is no furniture present there.
• User 3 has a shoe rack in the balcony area way above the ground level which is invaded by birds to build nests and hatch eggs.
• During the rainy season, User 3’s iron shed makes a lot of noise.
• User 3 hangs out with friends in the balcony so likes to create a better ambience there and keep insects away from the lights.
• Since User 4 lives in a region with a harsh climate, she has to pay close attention to weather changes in order to protect the swing, hanging plants, and clothes drying area on the balcony.
• User 4 has to be mindful of her activities in both the common balcony as well as bedroom balcony since the area has a lot of open space which gives a direct view to the neighbours
• User 4 experiences wet and muddy floors as a result of heavy rains and tank overflows because the water struck the potted plants hard, spilling the mud on the balcony floor, and clogging the water outlet.
• User 4 wants to have a more aesthetic balcony area to click pictures and spend more time there.

Ideate

After listening and empathising with all the users finally sat down with all the identified problems to ideate solutions.

With the help of crazy8 technique some of the shortlisted solutions were:

• An exhaust fan that’ll push hot air from the AC unit further away
• Pullout translucent blinds to protect balcony from dust as well as used for privacy whenever needed
• Foldable blinds that can be used for privacy or to keep away insects as well as can be used as sun protection
• Use of mosquito repellent liquid vaporisers near the railing area in an absorbent (example: mud diya)
• Foldable light and compact furniture to easily carry around.
• Foldable table hinged to the wall at different heights so that it can be used for different purpose
• Transparent shower curtains to prevent rain from entering as well as allowing user to enjoy the view
• Hydraulic door stoppers so that the user won’t need to worry about invasion or privacy
• In order to deter birds from the place where they deposit their droppings, add some house decor with reflecting surfaces.
• A drop down bamboo curtain can protect shoe rack or loft from birds
• Sound proofing the metal roof with rubber
• A foldable stool ladder to easily climb up and secure hanging plants during extreme weather
• Rod with a hook to secure hanging plants during extreme weather
• A light source that can provide light as well as repel insects at the same time
• Extending the water outlet pipe towards downstairs to decrease the height of waterfall

For all these solutions the top 3 ideas were:

Idea 1: An exhaust fan that’ll push hot air from the AC unit further away

Reason: Summers in India can be pretty brutal and we also have summer vacations. So to make a pleasant atmosphere in the balcony where almost all the users hangout with family and friends.

Idea 2: A light source that can provide light as well as repel insects at the same time

Reason: Some of the users want to hangout in the balcony during late hours but are bothered by insects which are attracted by the lights in the balcony area. So a light source that can provide light as well as keep the insects away can help

Idea 3: Foldable blinds that can be used for privacy or to keep away insects

Reason: Big foldable sunshade-like blinds that can be multipurpose in use. Sometimes to provide privacy from neighbours or sometimes to protect the balcony area from outdoor insects

Prototype

Inspired by the insect light I wanted to design something that would provide a source of light as well as create an ambiance and at the same time not kill the insects.

The unit can be controlled via app or Alexa which will enable users to select light settings of their choice.

The high speed silently operating exhaust fan at the backside of this unit will not only keep the insects away but will also keep the balcony area cool. Both the light and fan can be used individually or together.

It can be hung towards the corner and fixated from 2 sides to make it more sturdy during heavy winds. Or can also be placed aligned to the AC unit to make sure the exhaled hot air is thrown further away from the balcony area

Since almost all the users spend time on the balcony with friends and family and indulge in some quality time especially in the evening, I decided to add in speakers as well to elevate the overall experience.

Test

The following feedback was given once this model was presented to the users:

• Birds may be at risk if the exhaust fan side of the model is left uncovered (without grills).
• Not every ac unit is located on the upper portion; occasionally, they are located midway.
• There is a considerable likelihood that the air will circulate if the user fails to hang the device in the right location.

Some of the adjustments made as a result of the input were:

• If the exhaust fan side of the model is open (without grills) it can be dangerous for birds

A grill and net added over the exhaust fan to make sure curious birds will be safe as well as adding net over it for extra protection.

• Not all the ac units are placed in the top portion sometimes they are placed somewhere in between

Added an external stand to the kit for such cases.

• There is a considerable likelihood that the air will end up circulating if the user is unable to position the device in an appropriate location.

The exhaust fan now has a function that allows it to fixate at an upright angle. In this manner, the air is directly pushed upward by the unit, preventing horizontal air circulation.

Key Learnings and Takeaways:

• How to interact with users, keep the conversation going and at the same time empathise with their problems.
• Evolving and understanding more with each interview.
• Keeping my personal biases aside while empathising with the user.
• Not thinking of instant solutions during the interviews.
• The solution applies to a large group, not to a single person or a particular circumstance.
• How testing gives instant feedback and lowers the product risk before launching it in the market.

Wondering what would the app interface of the unit look like? What further changes would be needed if this unit was going to be released soon? Would the 2.0 version be a compact light+fan unit as a decorative, functional pieces across the balcony area?

This project was done under the mentorship of UX Anudeep and immense support of our UXM Community.

I hope you read something interesting. Would love to know your views and feedback below. Feel free to connect on LinkedIn or reach out via email simplysaylee@gmail.com to discuss further, Thank you.