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8 weeks (2021)
Interaction Lead, Embedded (circular) User Interface Designer, Visual Designer, UX Researcher
Matt Ahrens, Jess Lam, Aliya Walton, Sean Griffith
Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Rhino, Keyshot
With the rise in smart home technology, cyber security is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. There are perks in using smart devices but there’s a well-warranted lack of trust created by the inaccessibility to knowledge on the best practices to keep their home and information safe.
Cyberus is a hybrid smart home security tool created for people in the modern city, bridging the gap between security and users by informing and educating them about their smart home security system. Cyberus offers transparency, knowledge, and management tools in both digital and physical way, giving user’s the full control, full access of the information that they need to keep themselves safe against cyber hacking and device failures in the ever-growth smart home era.
With the rise in smart home technology, but also rising the rate of cyber hacking against our most sensitive privacy, online security is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Report showing that smart home devices may suffer from 10,000 hacking attempts every week. There are perks in using smart devices but there’s a well-warranted lack of trust created by the inaccessibility to knowledge on the best practices to keep their home and information safe.
Psychological needs place a huge role in what motivates humans, focusing specifically on the role security psychologically as a human factor, we created Cyberus based on the need of the feeling of secure in the new and developing age of smart home technology.
To discover key concerns for safety among smart home users and their cognitive behaviors on cyber security.
Our survey has received 60 responses from smart home users mainly from 22-30 years old.
To dive deeper into smart home users’ mental model: what is their value of security, and what makes them feel safe in mind?
User interviews were conducted in both individual and focus group formats on smart home users.
From our interviews, we found that smart home users value their comfort over security when using a smart home device. For example, people tend not to use their passwords correctly, oftentimes people reuse the same password pattern over and over again that could be a potential threat to their cyber security.
Feeling protected is a common sentiment in human factor. In our research, we set to find out what could make smart home users feel safe when using their smart technologies. Our interviewees believed that knowledge can make them feel protected as well as a good awareness can make them feel in control. They would like to gain knowledge on their cyber security system and a product or service that can spot out the problem before things happen.
Smart home users believe that security system in a hybrid mode (in both digital and physical) can give them more flexibility and the power of control, rather than just being an app. Participants in our research see a physcial, tangible device as the sense of secure, solid, and protective to their smart home. It is find out that an app alone isn’t a solution to the problem, but can be a medium to aid the physical solution for a better flexibility.
To bridge the gap between smart home security and their users to protect smart homes from the risk of cyber threats.
Empower smart home users to the importance of smart home security.
Establish trust between users and their smart appliances.
Demystify the world of cyber security and make it accessible to average users.
Dived into the competitive market of smart home security systems from popular brands like the Google Nest, Vivint Home System, and Amazon Ring. We identified the key features of each products, as well as their business value and feature complexity, to help us uncover design opportunities for our solution.
We developed a digital prototype, the Cyberus App; and a physical product prototype, the Cyberus Hub, that is embedded with a non-touch screen and a circular user interface on the top of the device, controlled by the dial and button built on the side.
Low-fidelity app prototype of the key features of Cyberus
Physical product prototype and embedded (circular) user interface
To uncover user’s mental model and how their domain knowledge is structured, and it serves to create an information architecture and labeling system that matches users’ expectations.
To identify which version a design approach is better when multiple versions are created at the same time. The test measures which one performed better with our users.
To validate the overall interactions, visual identity, and experience of the digital and physical prototypes through mission-oriented usability testings.
Labeling and Information Architecture tested with card sorting
Cyberus Hub protects users from cyber threats by offering transparency, knowledge, and accessibility to their smart home security.
Users reported that knowledge can make them feel protected; awareness and transparency can make them feel in control.
A product embedded with a circular user interface, control by using the dial and button built around the device.
Connected to user’s smart home system to detect cyber threats and suspicious behavior that may occur.
Full access to important data, full control over smart home devices, let’s make cyber security easy.
Cyberus is a hybrid smart home security tool designed to protect smart home users from cyber threats and bridge the gap between security and homeowners by informing and educating them about their smart home security system.
Cyberus offers transparency, knowledge, and management tools in both digital (Cyberus App) and physical way (Cyberus Hub), giving user’s the full control, full access of the information that they need to keep themselves safe against cyber hacking and device failures in the ever-growth smart home era.
Turn the dial on the side of Cyberus Hub to control the embedded circular user interface, unique design, intuitive control, and easy to use.
Cyberus is designed to allow users to control and oversee what’s in their network manager and be able to add any additional networks into the system.
Smart home users can control the devices and view the devices currently in their network and control any smart home devices’ functions in the network.
To aid in educating and informing, users are allowed to see reports on how their home security system is scored and allow them to view detailed descriptions on how they can improve network system for security.
Get alerts when suspicious behavior and cyber threats are detected, and take action to prevent them before it harms the smart home system.
colincheng1028@gmail.com
+1 (347) 827 5445
