Project: Digital Life Android App
Client: AT&T
When: Q2 2011
Role: Information Architecture, Prototyping, Interaction, App Development
The Story
With the purchase of a small security company called Xanboo, AT&T started the creation of a home security system. Razorfish was brought in to do the overall visual design, iOS application and web portal.
Internally AT&T would develop the native Android application. A part of this, AT&T brought in myself along with one other IA and the visual designer from Xanboo to provide Razorfish guidance and ensure the native Android application truly was built for Android users.
The Work
Taking an application designed for iOS and making it compatible with an android experience requires an understand for details such as...
- Transition Animations
- In app navigation
- Touch point sizing standards
Each of which provides an experience which is catered for the operating system itself, providing the best experience no matter the device.
However a large issue is found in how to support the multiple screen sizes, resolutions and pixel densities of Android device. Going outside of my role taking responsibility for the development of the layouts themselves in the applications layout XML.
An overlay of the supported Android screen sizes to the iOS Application Design
An example of the Android Application XML
“...When we began our android development efforts, James provided more than graphics. He jumped in and learned how to develop and maintain Android layouts and brought a polished and professional look to our applications...”
“...During the time we worked together James took initiative and took on new skill sets to help the team meet deadlines while delivery high quality design for our Android platform...”
Beyond Launch
Looking into experimentation for the future was the main goal behind the internal UX team at Digital Life. Here we were able to look into how our product could be expanded and optimized. Such as building an expanded line for the "Living in Place" generation, allowing adults to take care of their senior parents without being invasive.
From a sketch session on Living in Place interactions
Understanding Rules
The cornerstone of modern security system is automation, most of when is done through a system of simple rules. The team prepared different methods of experimenting with the creation of rules, mainly using plain text and sentence structures to simplify the process.
A New Keypad
Proposal to Product on a digital keypad interface making use of a vendor's Android tablet installed with a simplified version of the app.
