LUTRON RADIORA 3
"Our current residential lighting system, Radio RA2 is not growing in sales and needs an overhaul."
Residential Product Manager, Lutron
BACKGROUND
RESEARCH
INTERACTION DESIGN
VISUAL DESIGN
MOTION DESIGN
BACKGROUND
In early 2020, one of Lutron’s residential product managers came to the UX team with a simple opportunity - to define the future of our high-end residential system because the current system has been stagnating in business growth. The current product was meant to be retro-fitted in mid to large sized homes and encompassed an entire smart home system with intelligent lights and shades.
A new system would not just equate to new lighting hardware but would also require an overhaul of the way it was sold, designed, setup and used by our customers.
Lutron's high-end residential system needed to be simplified to reduce the entry barrier for new installers.
PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES
Since this was an overhaul of entire business line and lighting system, there were a bunch of large features we needed to ship in a short time frame. I led a team of 2 other designers to help ship these features.
I was the Design Lead, helping guide research and leading a design team.
I used Lean UX to approach the problem.
Given the broad scope of the project and the relatively short timeline, we adopted a learn UX approach which involved building a hypothesis, testing it with real users and measuring success before iterating on improvements.
Introducing Radio RA3, Lutron's next generation residential lighting system.
PRODUCT FEATURES
I used the hypothesis testing to help prioritize and ship major features.
Besides doing the research, I also worked on the interaction design of some of the below features while leading a team of designers to ship other features.
New keypad & processor
The new Sunnata keypad offers a refined aesthetic while with the new RA3 Processor is powered by Ethernet and can easily be mounted on a wall or ceiling.
Start on desktop, finish in app
Installers can continue to use the existing desktop tool to create rooms, organize spaces and set initial light levels. They can then make tweaks using the app while in the home.
Remote changes through app
Installers don't need to drive to the job site to make changes. They can either do it remotely themselves or give a homeowner access to make changes.
Order engraved keypads from the beginning
Installers can order keypads with button names right from the desktop tool when creating their project. No more blank keypads & redemption certificates.
These features are expected to double the sales of RadioRA 3, compared to the older RA 2, over 3 years.
This new system was launched in 2022. With some of the UX decisions made, the initial product feedback was positive. However I left Lutron around the time this product was launched, so i don't have additional UX or product metrics.
HYPOTHESIS TESTING
With reference to the installer journey highlighted above, I used the Build > Measure > Learn methodology to test out key hypotheses for 4 key touch points:
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The system's overall value proposition
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The initial set up of the system
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The final installation and post-setup maintenance
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The ordering process of keypads with button names
I rapidly tested hypotheses using quick prototypes to help us finalize key product features.
Hypothesis 1
A new keypad design and new processor is the main value proposition installers are looking for
The PMs believed that launching with the Sunnata keypad design would make installers want to switch from the old RA2 to the new RA3 system
Learning
Partially true
Lutron's beautifully designed keypads are the only Lutron product that homeowners see and interact with on a daily basis. Hence it's an important selling point for installers. However it's not the only value proposition. They value ease of setup and reliability equally.
Learning: Not true
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Hypothesis 2
Using only a mobile app to setup and install the system will significantly improve installer satisfaction
The old RA2 system required a desktop tool to setup and install the system. The prevailing assumption was that if we let installers instead set up the entire system through the app it will easier to use, faster to set up and afford mobility.
Learning
False
Most installers sit at a desk and prefer a keyboard and mouse to quickly lay out the rooms and floor plan in advance. After this initial phase, they use an app to finish installation in the home. Taking away a desktop tool would actively drive installers away from RA3.
Hypothesis 1
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Hypothesis 3
Installers prefer to make changes to the system post setup, rather than let homeowners do it
The prevailing assumption was that installers look at each lighting system as a "work of art" and don't want homeowners to make changes to the programming without their approval.
Learning
Partially true
For installers, time is money. We learnt that installers would much rather let homeowners make minor tweaks themselves, rather than have to drive down to the homeowner's place to make changes. Even making changes remotely sometimes can take up time.
Hypothesis 1
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Hypothesis 4
Installers decide the name of keypad buttons only after the system is set up
For the old RadioRA 2 system, installers received blank keypads with an option to get one free keypad with button names. The assumption was that installers and homeowners decided button names a few months after the homeowner had used the keypad.
Learning
False
90% of homeowners don't change the button names suggested by installers. Installers would much rather receive keypads with their preferred button names and install them upfront.
Hypothesis 1
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DEFINING THE USER JOURNEY
As I begun the product design process, I realized that there were 2 key users for the system: The Homeowner and The Lutron-certified Installer, that sell the system to the homeowner and then set it up. Lutron system. Since the system is complex to understand and set up, most homeowners would just rely on the installer to recommend a Lutron system and deliver the best experience. Hence I worked with our product manager to focus on the installer’s journey and pain points.
We decided to focus on the installer, rather than the end customer.
Homeowner
How Might We make it more delightful to use the system?
Installer ✅
How Might we make it easier to sell, setup and troubleshoot the system?
Through the journey map, I narrowed on the problems to focus on.
I first mapped out the installer's journey to identify which problems we wanted to solve.
Through user research, an understanding of engineering constraints as well as business impact, we gleaned that four phases in the journey needed the most attention.
