Nanoleaf Room Control
A redesign of Nanoleaf’s dashboard to make multi-device management faster, clearer and more accessible.
TURNING SMART LIGHTING INTO SECOND NATURE
Reimagining how 120,000+ users control their lights, rooms, and smart devices as the Lead Mobile Product Designer.
ROLE
Sole Product Designer and Prototyper
Conducted end-to-end research, prototyping, and testing
Presented design strategy to CEO and Director of Product
Contributed new AI components to Nanoleaf’s Colour Wheel Magic Maker, which automatically configures a colour palette based on the user’s mood
PAINPOINT
The Nanoleaf app was powerful—but underused.
Despite 100k+ active users, data showed that only ~7% were using Room Control, one of the app’s core features. Feedback consistently pointed to a confusing dashboard, hidden functionality, and a steep learning curve.
This wasn’t just a UI problem. It was a discovery problem. A usability problem. A trust problem.
USER TESTING
Uncovering the Root Frictions
To understand why Room Control adoption was only 7% among 117,000 active users, we combined analytics with usability testing. This revealed three core pain points that consistently slowed or frustrated users.
01. Cognitive Overload: “It shouldn’t take this many taps to turn on a light.”
Users faced unnecessary complexity for simple actions — an average of 7+ taps to complete everyday tasks, resulting in increased abandonment rate for multi-device adjustments.
02. Individual vs. Group Control: “Am I changing just this light, or the whole room?”
The UI made it unclear whether actions applied to one device or all devices in a space. This mismatch between the system’s model and the user’s mental model created hesitation and errors, resulting in higher error rates and increased time-on-task (Baseline: ~58s).
03. Device Selection: “Why do I need to pick the room before I can dim the lights?”
Device selection required multiple modal steps before control, adding friction to quick interactions, resulting in users deferring adjustments or avoiding Room Control entirely.
EXPLORATIONS
Analyzing Third-Party Ecosystem Use
When Room Control fell short, users didn’t abandon smart home control — they simply went elsewhere. Interviews and usage logs revealed a pattern: users leaned on established third-party apps for faster, more predictable experiences. This highlighted competitive strengths and critical design gaps in our flow.
01. Google Home: “I just say it and it works”
Users liked it due to its voice-first control, instant responsiveness and precise device grouping mechanism. During testing, it was benchmarked as the fastest route for multi-device adjustments — often completing in half the time of Nanoleaf’s Room Control.
02. Philips Hue: “The scenes make it so easy.”
Users liked it due to its highly visual scene selection and intuitive group lighting controls. During testing, it demonstrated the value of having preconfigured modes and one-tap room-wide changes.
03. Cross-Ecosystem Habits: “I keep everything in Apple Home so it’s all in one place.”
Users liked it due to its unified dashboard for multiple brands, reduced app-switching, and deeper integration with other Apple devices. During testing, it showed that interoperability isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a primary driver of ecosystem loyalty.
SOLUTION
LIGHTING, SIMPLIFIED
A redesign that brings multi-device smart lighting controls to the forefront — making adjustments faster, clearer, and more accessible.
Our research revealed that surfacing controls directly on the dashboard would eliminate unnecessary steps and encourage more frequent use. With the new changes, we reduced interaction time by over 40% and aligned the experience with user mental models from other smart home apps.
USER INSIGHTS & KEY FEATURES
Turning Principles Into Real Features
01. Instant At-a-Glance Status
The dashboard card now shows live device states — including on/off, brightness levels, and connectivity — without opening additional menus. This reduces guesswork and allows users to take action only when needed.
02. Intuitive Device Icons
Icons now reflect real-world metaphors (e.g., bulb for lights, fan icon for airflow) to improve recognition speed and reduce cognitive load.
03. Accessible by Design
Implementation of WCAG-compliant contrast and readability was necessary, ensuring all text and iconography remain legible across light and dark modes.
DESIGN DECISIONS
Information Architecture
The redesigned Room Control had to balance clarity with scalability. We restructured the information hierarchy so users can move fluidly between rooms, devices, and controls without confusion. The architecture reduces cognitive load while ensuring that multi-device management remains intuitive.
Reducing Multi-Step Friction
We eliminated unnecessary modal steps by inlining key adjustments. Users can now group, ungroup, and edit devices without leaving the main control view — saving time and reducing drop-offs.
One-Tap Access to Groups
Groups — previously buried in submenus — are now accessible directly from the dashboard card. This allows users to adjust multiple devices with a single tap, making whole-room changes as quick as individual device controls.
GET IN TOUCH
Curious about the behind-the-scenes?
This redesign had everything — aha moments, usability test plot twists, and a few “wait… what if we did it this way instead?” pivots.
If you’re curious about the early sketches, scrappy prototypes, or the weirdest user feedback we got (yes, someone asked if it could make coffee), I’m happy to spill all the tea. Let’s chat.