Introduction
Cleanr is a bloat-free app prototype designed to manage and control your washing machine. It offers a simple and clean home interface that shows the current status of your machine. Users can pause, resume, or stop a wash and view the remaining time if a wash is in progress. Cleanr also lets users start a new wash, but it offers a different, more situational use case for that feature. Finally, Cleanr helps users monitor their water and electricity consumption.
Process
Cleanr was designed during a Web Design course at the IUAV University of Venice. Many IoT apps simply aim to give users full control over the target device from a phone, replicating the device’s functionality with a different medium. Cleanr explicitly tries to reject this principle: It aims to showcase restraint and conceptual minimalism, offering companion functionality instead. For instance, Cleanr assumes that starting a wash should nearly always occur using the washing machine itself, especially since physical proximity is necessary. Consequently, Cleanr offers a "start washing" experience that is tied to specific scenarios, like when the right settings are unclear and guidance is preferred.
Activities
Concept Development:
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Emphasized a minimalist approach, both graphically and conceptually, to avoid inducing decision fatigue
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Designed the interface to prioritize observable factors of the laundry (e.g., type of clothes, dirt level, preferred time) rather than technical settings
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Conducted user research in the form of interviews to understand use cases
Design & Prototyping:
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Designed the user interface using Adobe XD
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Utilized Affinity Designer for creating detailed vector illustrations, such as the washing machine on the home screen
Reflection and Future Improvements
Cleanr exemplifies my belief that design should be about more than just visual simplicity. The balance between simplicity and functionality is crucial and can be challenging to achieve. Working on Cleanr reinforced my belief that restraint is a core principle of good design.