SmartThings — Connected Living
Designing an IoT experience that disappears into daily life for Samsung's 250M connected-device platform
SmartThings connects 250 million Samsung devices — TVs, fridges, washing machines, lights, locks — but the app felt like a control panel for an aircraft carrier. Users who weren't tech-savvy gave up. Power users felt limited. The middle ground was abandoned.
The Brief
Samsung's 2024 goal was to make SmartThings the default smart-home layer for Galaxy devices — not just a companion app for enthusiasts. That meant designing for the 80% of users who had never created an automation rule, while not frustrating the 20% who had.
Room-Based Navigation
The previous app organised devices by category (lights, plugs, sensors). We rebuilt the home screen around rooms — the mental model people actually use. Navigating to 'Living Room' shows everything in that physical space, with device status presented as a room snapshot rather than a device list.
Home Snapshot
A single card at the top shows the current 'state of home': how many devices are on, any open doors, energy consumption vs. yesterday. One glance tells the whole story.
Suggested Automations
Bixby AI analyses 30 days of usage patterns and surfaces three 'suggested routines' per week. Users approve or reject with one tap — no manual rule-building required.
Life Modes
Pre-built mode templates (Morning, Away, Night, Guest) that configure 15–20 devices at once. Customisable but opinionated — gives non-technical users a starting point.
Energy Dashboard
Per-device and per-room energy consumption visualised as a daily/monthly trend. Surfaces 'always-on' appliances and estimates monthly cost impact — actionable rather than informational.
Onboarding Redesign
The previous onboarding asked users to connect all devices before seeing any value — a 15-step flow with a 40% drop-off. The redesigned onboarding follows a 'one device, one moment' philosophy: connect a single device, experience one automation working, then gradually expand.
The best smart home experience is the one you forget is there. That became our north star for every interaction.
— Atul Chhabra, Principal UX Designer
Discovery & Research
48 home visits, diary studies, competitive teardown of Matter / Apple Home / Google Home.
Concept & Testing
3 concept directions, 6 rounds of usability testing with 80+ participants across Korea, USA, and Germany.
Build & Handoff
Full interaction spec, component library extension, and engineering embedded reviews across 4 sprint teams.
Launch
Rolled out with One UI 7 and Galaxy AI feature set. Covered in The Verge, Engadget, and Samsung Newsroom.
