The Client
Samsung / SmartThings
The Background
Smart Living, Simplified
SmartThings is Samsung’s versatile and far-reaching multi-device platform, connecting over 285 million users globally and supporting 196 devices from 48 partner brands. With SmartThings, users can manage energy consumption through SmartThings Energy, find misplaced devices with SmartThings Find, and even plan meals using Samsung Food. The platform adapts by learning from user behavior, providing a highly personalized and customizable experience. Samsung continues to expand and refine SmartThings, using AI and advanced technology to further enhance its ecosystem.
The Challenge
Bringing Smart Home Control Home
The challenge was to expand the reach of SmartThings beyond its traditional smartphone application and introduce it to a broader Samsung audience. We aimed to drive brand awareness and engagement by leveraging Samsung’s existing strengths—particularly its high adoption rate across devices and appliances. By tapping into this established presence, we sought to present SmartThings as a compelling option for smart home management. The goal was to create a seamless and accessible entry point for users, making SmartThings more visible and appealing without relying solely on mobile devices.
With over 34 million smart TVs in U.S. households (75M+ globally) and a 32% market share in the TV industry, Samsung’s vast presence offered an opportunity to introduce SmartThings to millions of potential users.
Additional thoughts: As the sole designer assigned to this task, I collaborated closely with senior leadership to shape the user experience and take full ownership of the visual and high-fidelity design concepts. It was a highly collaborative process, requiring me to align design strategies with business goals.
Exploration
Redefining Smart Home Access
Recognizing the existing reach of Samsung’s TV products as a significant strength, we set out to leverage this widespread presence to enhance SmartThings adoption. The solution involved addressing two key aspects:
First, we needed to introduce the average TV owner to the SmartThings ecosystem in a way that was seamless and inviting, making IoT technology accessible and appealing.
Second, we aimed to utilize the TV’s screen real estate effectively to provide smart home controls. This required designing an interface that integrated SmartThings features without interrupting or detracting from the viewing experience. Our goal was to balance visibility and functionality, ensuring that SmartThings was introduced effectively while keeping the interface intuitive and unobtrusive.
Additional thoughts: Since this was a novel concept without prior design frameworks from Samsung, I had to create new components and design elements grounded in SmartThings and Samsung’s existing UX/UI. I also leveraged my expertise in motion design to showcase interactive prototypes, ensuring the ease of use was front and center in our presentations.
Strategy
Reimagining The Living Room
To achieve this, we explored several innovative approaches for embedding SmartThings into the TV experience. We considered leveraging ambient or standby modes to subtly display SmartThings controls and device statuses, ensuring they were accessible yet unobtrusive.
We also aimed to provide users with clear, simple interactions for managing their smart home devices directly from their TV screens. By focusing on a clean and straightforward interface, we sought to make the transition to using SmartThings as effortless as possible.
In the end, our solution was designed to seamlessly incorporate SmartThings into the everyday use of Samsung TVs via a revolutionary new Home View and Smart Ambience mode.
Additional thoughts: Using Figma and FigJam for ideation and design, I led several review cycles with senior leadership, refining high-fidelity assets for external presentations. The project demanded both a visionary approach and technical precision, especially as we introduced 3D elements for Home View to enhance how users interact with their smart home in this new context.
Results
Elevating home control with Home View and Smart Ambience
Through various rounds of initial beta tests and user interviews with 200 participants, 84% found Smart Ambience intuitive and useful for managing their smart home devices. Among participants, there was a 30% increase in SmartThings key-feature engagement. Additionally, 72% of users said Smart Ambience improved their overall TV experience, particularly when managing household devices like lighting and security.
The results indicated strong potential and a positive trend in both SmartThings app installations and user engagement. The integration proved intuitive and added significant value, allowing users to manage their smart devices easily from their TV screen. By focusing on efficient design and simplicity, we ensured that users could benefit from increased functionality without compromising their enjoyment of Samsung’s TV content.
Overall, Smart Ambience demonstrated its potential to enhance user experience while promoting greater adoption of SmartThings.
Additional thoughts: Samsung’s leadership was highly impressed with our rapid and thorough research and implementation, especially on the design side. The project not only met but exceeded expectations, proving the strength of both the concept and methods of execution for what we now know as Map View and SmartThings Pro.
Tools Used
Figma
Photoshop
Blender
After Effects
Skills Used
UX & UI Design
Interaction Design
UX Research
Motion Design
Art Direction
Feedback
Barry Holland — Director of Product & Growth (Services), Business Development Leader @ Samsung SmartThing
Nathaniel is an exceptional Senior UX Designer who consistently delivered innovative and user-centered solutions during our time working together. His ability to transform complex requirements into intuitive designs is remarkable, always ensuring a seamless user experience. Nathaniel is a proactive team player, bringing creativity, attention to detail, and his energy and enthusiasm is infectious on every project that he works on. His contributions greatly enhanced our product’s usability and overall success. I would highly recommend Nathaniel for any team looking for top-notch UX designer
Feedback
Kyle Sporre — Engineering Leader and Product Manager @ Samsung SmartThings + Board Member of the CSA (Connectivity Standards Alliance) & Thread Group
I worked with Nathaniel for over two years at SmartThings. I can tell you that his work output is incredibly creative, polished, and practical. I specifically recall a high-visibility proposal he made for some UI innovations to Android on Samsung Galaxy that was extremely creative, well documented, well presented, and professional. The output blew our entire team away. I would recommend Nathaniel as a top-shelf creative talent for anything in his wheel house. And maybe most importantly, he is so pleasant, humble, energetic, and easy to work with! I hope I get to work with him again in the future!
Feedback
Sandra Martocchia — Senior Product Manager @ Samsung SmartThings
I had the pleasure of working closely with Nathaniel during our time at SmartThings. He continually impressed me with his ability to stay current with industry standards, ensuring his designs were always modern and aligned with the latest UI/UX trends. His attention to detail resulted in UI designs that were consistently polished and cohesive. Nathaniel is also a great collaborator. While he has a clear vision for his work, he's always open to feedback and negotiation. To top it off, he’s a joy to work with!