Children Home Security
Home security apps are used everyday to control different devices in our homes. The issue that arises with these apps is the accessibility for young children. Once children reach the age where they can be left at home alone, parents want them to be able to control their security system. With existing apps being too complex, there needed to be a straightforward solution.
Major Screens
App Prototype
My research began by looking at the current available security apps. I wanted to answer a couple questions myself: what are the most important devices security apps can access, how easy the app is to navigate, and what is missing from the app that I can tell right away? After taking note of these problem areas, I needed to decide on my target audience for the proceeding interviews. It was important to interview homeowners that have children to keep relevancy with my topic.
Initial Research
Through my interviews, I was able to hone in on three key concerns:
Child Safety
Comprehensive App
Parent Peace of Mind
After seeing these concerns, I conducted follow-up interviews with the same homeowners that aimed specifically to the functionality and features of the app idea itself. The most important concepts I gained from these interviews were:
Children begin to be left home around the age of 8-12 (target age-range)
Children can easily control security devices (specifically locks and cameras)
Large, bold controls
Ability to contact emergency hotlines
Interviews
The initial sketches I made used a 2D layout of the house with buttons where each lock would be located in the home. The cameras and light fixtures would then be separate tabs at the bottom of the screen.
Refined Sketches
After making my initial sketches, I consulted the same interviewees and their children to see what changes could be made. It turned out the current layout I had come up with wasn’t much better than the existing apps, it was too similar in complexity. This is where I went back to the drawing board and explored some options that used a 3D model in the layout. I got this idea from one of the interviewees when they said, “keep it literal…make it as if they were playing a video game and looking at our house…how would they see it literally.”
As I made more sketches, I began to see something better coming together. For my final sketches, I combined the 3D and 2D based layouts to create a cohesive design.