Amoeba: Integrated Solution for Sustainable Workspace
Amoeba
A modular floor system designed for sustainable workspace.
Project Overview
Inspiration
As an office space interior designer, I've observed significant wire waste during relocations, incurring high costs and environmental impact. To tackle this, I merged industrial and digital product design, creating a sustainable modular raised floor system. As both researcher and designer, I prioritized research mid-project, conducting user interviews and usability tests to enhance Amoeba's usability.
About Amoeba
Amoeba is a modular floor system that transforms the traditional office into a sustainable workspace. Leveraging seamless software and hardware integration, this eco-friendly working environment can be moved and reused. Meetings can be held anywhere, and workstations can be placed in various locations, delivering a superior experience for modern society.
Project Duration
Industrial design: 2023/01-2023/03
App design: 2023/06-2023/07/18
My role
Industrial designer
UI/UX designer
Situation
Even in the post-pandemic era, hybrid office types (Hybrid) are still a trend. It has been recognized that offices will enhance flexibility for better use of space while maintaining office workflow requirements.
Constraint
Since this project involves a combination of hardware and digital products, it was difficult to identify a direct competitor in the market. After conducting research, an indirect competitor with the same product line, which includes furniture or space planning software, was selected. It is important to note that the main user of this project may not necessarily be the buyer, as the buyer could be the company's administrative or purchasing department. Users with different roles will focus on different product properties and needs when using the same product.
01. Empathy
What's the issue?
Environmental issues caused by Current Electrical System
Lack of Flexibility
The position of outlets is fixed during the initial installation, limiting staff to use their laptops only in certain locations.
Sustainability Concern
Traditional renovation processes generate countless waste wires, posing environmental problems.
Financial Concern
If staff requires additional or relocated outlets to suit their electronic needs, they may need to go through administrative procedures to have workers perform the changes. The company incurs expenses each time workers need to add or move outlets.
User research
Summary
My observation during being an office interior designer was used as my main inspiration. Therefore, I did a competitive audit for research. After the competitive audit, I interviewed different roles of staff, such as designer and administrative assistant.
I assumed that people would put things back when they borrow things from somewhere, but after conducting research, I found that people tend to leave things without putting things back.
Competitive audit
Browse competitive audit research
Pain points
Fixed outlets Limit people’s mobility because people rely on charging everything, and low-power mode makes them anxious.
Sustainable issue Office renovation causes countless electronic waste
Financial concern Move or renovating the office would cost a lot to rearrange electronic wire
02. Define
Personas 1
Name: Claire Gomez
User story
As a senior designer, I want to quickly jot down ideas and discuss them on Zoom with my partners whenever I'm in the office so that I can stay productive and creative.
Problem statement
Claire is a busy senior designer who needs an efficient way to jot down ideas and Zoom meetings with her coworkers on her laptop because she wants to record her inspirations and share them with her coworkers promptly.
Personas 2
Name: Julia Smith
User story
As an administrative assistant, I want to shorten the administrative procedure and easily manage company properties so that I can stay high efficiency and productivity.
Problem statement
Julia is an administrative assistant who needs a smarter solution to shorten the administrative procedure and manage company properties easily because she wants to save more time.
Empathy map
User journey map
03. Ideate
How might we...?
Keywords: flexible, reusable, smart
How might we minimalize electronic waste? → How might we reuse electronic waste?
How might we make all the sockets movable? → Then, how to solve the electronic need → How might we make the floor electrified?
Solution
Maximize office flexibility - Staff can use movable sockets wherever they need electricity, allowing them to charge their devices anywhere in the office.
AR simulation effect - Simulating the product's effect in a real office environment can reduce anxiety toward the new product.
Easy to manage - As the product would be a part of the company's properties, it should be easy to manage and detect faults when necessary.
Amoeba solutions
Modular floor units: provide electronic needs and can be reused for office renovation
Movable socket: Magnetic DC connector plays as a movable socket
App solutions
Use AR to demonstrate how the units look in reality, letting users feel reliable.
Easily buy module units by themselves
Assist staff to assemble/disassemble units
Manage units easily
Show the position of the problem unit
Features
Purchase
Our Ameoba will let users purchase new units which will affect users who need new units by letting them easily purchase units. We will measure effectiveness by reading user reviews and tracking user experience.
Move
Our Ameoba will let users manage purchased units which will affect users who need to move to their new office by letting them easily manage purchased units. We will measure effectiveness by reading user reviews and tracking user experience.
Information architecture
User flow
Sketch
Lo-Fi wireframe
04. Prototype
Check this out: prototype
Mockup
05. Test
Usability study
Findings
Unintuitive name definition Unclear Creative/AR association.
There are not many Tutorial videos, no need to do a special search.
The process of creating floors in AR is not intuitive.
The distance between the icons is too close to increase the risk of accidental touch.
AR entry click button is too small.
The icon color of the same level of the Map should be the same.
Conclusion
Impact
I am deeply honored by Amoeba's achievement as a finalist in the Red Dot Design Award 2023, which stands as a testament to the project's strong emphasis on sustainability. This recognition reinforces the importance of our commitment to creating designs that not only excel in aesthetics but also contribute positively to the environment.
Furthermore, I am grateful for the opportunity to leverage Amoeba as a proposal with the potential to bring about meaningful benefits to society. It's a privilege to be able to advocate for innovative solutions that address real-world challenges and promote a more sustainable and user-centered future.
What I learned from this project
Through the journey of this project, one of the most profound lessons I've internalized is the significance of adopting a user-centric approach. I've transitioned from being absorbed solely in my design realm to consistently considering the user's perspective. This shift in mindset has been instrumental in shaping the project's success.
Moreover, I've honed in creating designs that boast a heightened level of self-explanatory elements. This skill allows users to seamlessly navigate through the interface without necessitating extensive guidance. The principle of "increased self-explainability" has not only streamlined the user experience but has also provided a sense of empowerment to users as they can effortlessly comprehend and engage with the design.
Let's connect 😃
Hey there! Your thoughts and insights are incredibly valuable to me.
I'm genuinely excited to learn from your perspective and continue the conversation. Let's connect and exchange ideas:)
Feel free to reach out and let's embark on this journey of collaboration together. Looking forward to hearing your comments and connecting with you!