For both Google TV Streamer and the new Nest Thermostat, designers focused on the idea of making technology that fit into a home’s aesthetic. For example, Isabelle says, the streamer has a slight slant, making it appear thinner and lighter — this gives it a low profile below a television and doesn’t pull your attention away, regardless of the positioning of your TV. “So if someone has to have their television sit lower on the wall or on a table, the streamer isn’t in the way,” Isabelle says. “We have to consider all of the different ways a living room is set up.”
The thermostat also uses advanced sensors to activate the screen to wake up when it senses someone approaching. It feels magical as it lets you see the most important information from a distance, but as you get closer, it reveals a more detailed view, which is also completely customizable. “When you’re not using it, there’s an option to set up the thermostat to look like an analog clock,” Ivy says. “You wouldn’t realize what it is.”
Time in the design studio helped designers to make sure these devices would complement a home’s interior — but it wasn’t just any lab. “We have a garage devoted to testing home products and we have a living room setup there,” Ivy says. Designers — as well as user experience teams and other groups — used these garages to try to simulate how people would use their devices in real settings. And they took device prototypes into their own homes as well. “Context really matters!” Ivy explains. “We’ve even done experiments where people use a device in a more traditional lab space setting versus taking a device home, and the results are so different.”