Miles Nasta

Closing the awareness gap: Enhancing engagement for a smart living app

Context and Challenge

Role:
‍- UX Design
- User Research
- Graphic Design
‍Timeline:
‍8 weeks
‍Users:
- Apartment leasing teams
- Apartment renters

📱 A Functional but Overlooked App:

The app was designed to control robotic furniture, allowing residents to change configurations, adjust lighting, and set up voice commands. It also served as a contact point for onboarding and customer support. While the app functioned as intended, downloads were low, meaning renters missed out on essential features. Internally, this also resulted in a lack of critical system information, firmware updates, and customer support insights. Something had to change.

🤔 The Mystery of Low Downloads:

The issue wasn’t just usability—it was engagement. If renters weren’t using the app, they weren’t experiencing its value. But why? I led an investigation to uncover the barriers, starting with user interviews.

🕵️ Digging for Answers:

Tasks

- I created an interview guide to align all stakeholders on outcomes, expectations, and biases.

- I conducted 19 qualitative 1:1 interviews with residents using robotic furniture systems across the country. These were conducted in a “think out loud” format, with all sessions recorded (video and audio). Participants were encouraged to share their screens and demonstrate how they interacted with their system whenever possible.

- Using an affinity map format to analyze interview insights, I identified key user pains and highlighted two critical findings:

‍1️⃣ Lack of Awareness: Over 50% of residents didn’t know the app existed.
2️⃣ Unrealized Value: The app addressed major renter pain points, but without awareness, its benefits remained untapped.

👨‍💻 Strategizing:

Tasks

After uncovering these insights, I developed a framework to establish and prioritize awareness solutions while laying the groundwork for long-term usability improvements.

🔨 Creating the Fix

Tasks

- In a previous project, we implemented QR codes on each system after installation. These allowed internal teams to track QAQC checks and determine whether apartments required additional attention before leasing.

- Building on this, once installations were marked as complete, the link from the QR code was updated to direct the user to download the app on iOS or Android. This ensured residents could easily access the app and take advantage of its features right from the start.

✏️ Designing the Callout Sticker and Portal:

Tasks

- To ensure renters became aware of the app and its benefits, I designed an app callout sticker placed near the robotic system’s controller interface.

- Interviews revealed that previous printed onboarding materials were often ignored or never placed in apartments, creating a gap in awareness. The sticker addressed this issue by providing renters and leasing teams with essential information in a more visible and accessible way.

- Since internal teams valued the QR code system and wanted to keep the awareness sticker separate from their existing process, I designed it to be added only after installation was complete, ensuring seamless integration into the resident experience without disrupting internal workflows.

Results:

Tasks

✅ 42% increase in mobile app downloads within first 6 months‍‍

🤔 Final Thoughts:

This initiative significantly increased awareness and engagement, solidifying the app’s role in the resident experience. It provided an immediate boost in app visibility and onboarding fluency, while additional awareness projects and app updates continued to improve adoption in future iterations.

Tools used

Wireframing

Prototyping

Usability testing

Affinity map

Tools used

Wireframing

Prototyping

Usability testing

Affinity map

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