The Client

SmartThings

The Background

Designing the future of IoT Product Integration

Samsung SmartThings is a powerful IoT platform that allows users to connect and control a wide variety of smart devices from multiple manufacturers, creating a seamless and interconnected smart home experience. It’s a trusted platform for both consumers and developers due to its broad compatibility and advanced features that make integrating IoT devices both functional and flexible.

For developers and partners, the SmartThings ecosystem represents a huge opportunity. By certifying their devices on the platform, they gain access to millions of Samsung users and the ability to showcase their products as SmartThings-compatible (WWST or Works With Samsung SmartThings), expanding their market reach. However, before the introduction of the Certification Console, developers faced significant hurdles during the integration process. The original interface for certifying devices was clunky, outdated, and largely manual. There was no standardized workflow, and the process often involved navigating a fragmented system, sending emails back and forth with support teams, and dealing with unnecessary delays.

Not only did these issues frustrate product partners, but they also led to higher project costs and extended timelines as resources were consumed by troubleshooting and constant communication. This lack of a streamlined process meant developers were spending more time managing their certification rather than focusing on innovating or improving their products. As Samsung looked to improve the developer experience, the need for a more efficient and transparent solution became clear.

The Challenge

Addressing Partner/Developer Frustrations with a Fragmented Certification Process

Before the Certification Console, developers faced numerous challenges when attempting to integrate their products with the platform. The certification process was fragmented, lacked clear guidance, and required extensive back-and-forth communication between developers and support teams, this would inevitably lead to significant delays and frustration. The SmartThings team wanted to streamline this experience and provide a clear, self-service solution for our partners.

• Developers needed a tool that was easy to navigate, automated key steps, and allowed them to self-serve throughout most of the certification process.

Exploration

Transforming Pain Points through Efficiency

In the ideation phase, we explored several potential solutions to address these pain points. Key ideas included a step-by-step integration guide, real-time status updates, and automated feedback for error handling. We also considered integration with APIs that could simplify testing and certification. The overarching goal was to create a platform that reduced partners' reliance on customer support, while offering expanded functionality and empowering them to manage certification independently.

We considered:

• A self-service dashboard that would guide users step-by-step through certification.
• Automated error reporting to allow developers to troubleshoot issues independently.
• Real-time status tracking to give clear visibility of where each device stood in the certification pipeline.
• Improved documentation and the creation of new platform recources.

Strategy

Building an Empowering Certification Console

The Certification Console we developed had three main goals: transparency, automation, and simplicity. We built an intuitive dashboard that guided developers through each stage of the integration process, provided automated error messages and alerts, and offered real-time progress tracking. We also incorporated documentation and API support within the console to further assist developers. By simplifying complex workflows, we empowered developers to troubleshoot and resolve issues faster.

• Our strategic approach involved in-depth interviews with developers and partners, identifying key pain points such as lack of transparency, inadequate guidance, and insufficient real-time feedback during the certification process.
• We focused on streamlining communication channels within the console to ensure developers received timely notifications, improving engagement and reducing dependency on external support.

Results

The Standard for Smart Home Product Integration

Since its launch, the Certification Console has made a substantial impact on the SmartThings ecosystem. The tool has reduced the time it takes developers to complete the certification process by 40%. We also saw an over 50% reduction in the number of support tickets related to certification and general account management, which speaks to the self-sufficiency of the new system. Developer satisfaction surveys showed a 63% improvement in their overall experience integrating devices with SmartThings. One partner noted, “The Certification Console made the entire integration process much clearer. The real-time updates and error messages allowed us to troubleshoot quickly and reduced the back-and-forth between admin staff and support."

• Through rapid prototyping and usability testing, we continuously refined the console to ensure it balanced user-friendliness with the technical complexity required for our product partners to integrate their products onto the SmartThings Platform.
• Proactive collaboration with partners and streamlined feedback channels allowed for consistent improvement cycles before and after the initial launch.

Feedback

James Shurte — Senior Product Manager @ Leviton

Comparing this to other (platforms) we've dealt with, it's high up there. Maybe a 9 (out of 10). The new console is very easy to use and has a much more user-friendly interface.

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!

Feedback

Barry Holland — Director of Product & Growth (Services), Business Development Leader @ Samsung SmartThings

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!