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holder
timeline
Aug 2021 - Jan 2022
(6 months)
(6 months)
role
UX Designer
team
UX Researcher / 1
Product manager / 1
Software engineer / 2
Sales & Marketing / 2
Product manager / 1
Software engineer / 2
Sales & Marketing / 2
overview
context
pixsee @ Compal Electronics
pixsee is a smart baby monitor that provides an array of crucial child-caring features, such as cry detection and temperature monitoring, catering to parents' concerns. However, we're also dedicated to highlighting the softer, yet equally meaningful aspect of our service: the AI auto-capture photo feature.
Project overview
Designing AI-Driven Highlight Reels to enliven child-caring moments
The AI auto-capture feature addresses users' common frustrations of missing key moments while recording child-care experiences. However, solely displaying photos didn't engage users or boost usage. To enhance this, I focused on transforming these auto-captured photos into captivating highlight reels to elevate user engagement.
What was I working on?
In this project, I contributed to the preliminary user flow designs and mockups for the face filter feature within the AI highlight reel system. The face filter enables users to locate and include photos of specific individuals, allowing for a more personalized touch.
Problem context
Call from users: Need a powerful tool to select photos efficiently
Users receive up to 12 photos daily, but with accumulation over time, this abundance can lead to information overload while selecting photos. Furthermore, the survey reveals that users are often more willing to subscribe to a service when its features take proactive steps to streamline tasks for them.
Business partnership with Microsoft Face API
The team has established a business partnership with Microsoft Face API service, enabling us to tap into Microsoft's extensive marketing resources to promote pixsee upon integrating their service. Consequently, the VP has tasked the team with exploring potential opportunities for integration.
Product roadmap: Bringing the entire family into the child-care experience.
Based on our research, we've discovered that family members, such as grandparents and close family friends, play a significant role in babies' lives. Integrating them into the highlight reels feature adds value for parents.
Additionally, our goal is to involve not only parents but the entire family in using pixsee. pixsee offers multiple user features, allowing parents to invite others to use the app without sharing passwords. The face filters enable different family members to include themselves in the highlight reels, creating more personalized memories.
Additionally, our goal is to involve not only parents but the entire family in using pixsee. pixsee offers multiple user features, allowing parents to invite others to use the app without sharing passwords. The face filters enable different family members to include themselves in the highlight reels, creating more personalized memories.
design process & reasoning
Create highlight reels with face filters
Identifies specific family members in photos using AI for customization and effortless photo management
design reasoning
Balancing selection efficiency and information overload
We aim to enable users to filter photos that capture interactions between babies and family members, as these are among the most engaging for users. Therefore, the face filters will prioritize photos containing selected faces. However, should we also include photos featuring only one member's face in the filtering results to streamline selection? For instance, if users select both the baby and mom, should we show photos featuring only the baby or only the mom?
Our final design decision is to display only photos that include all selected individuals. This ensures that users are presented with cohesive sets of photos, preventing them from becoming overwhelmed by a large quantity of images.
Our final design decision is to display only photos that include all selected individuals. This ensures that users are presented with cohesive sets of photos, preventing them from becoming overwhelmed by a large quantity of images.
new challenge followed
How to display photos that contain the interactions
The auto-captured photos are sized at 4 x 6. To ensure users can view photo details, we default to zooming into people's faces. However, for photos categorized as interactions, where should we zoom in?
Our final design prioritizes human faces in the preview view to prevent confusion upon first glance, while still allowing users to view the entire 4 x 6 photo to see the full interaction picture.
Our final design prioritizes human faces in the preview view to prevent confusion upon first glance, while still allowing users to view the entire 4 x 6 photo to see the full interaction picture.
iteration
Emotion Filters: Feature highlight, but where to add?
The Face API can detect emotions like happiness and surprise. We aim to integrate these capabilities into filters to offer users more personalized photos. However, integrating extra filters in a mobile interface is challenging, especially when face filters should be the main ones displayed on the home screen. Managing its progressive nature complicates user flow.
Initially, emotional filters are presented alongside face filters to ensure users are aware of this feature. However, we aim to maintain user flexibility by making the emotional filter optional rather than mandatory. To achieve this, we've chosen to leverage iconography, presenting it as an advanced filter that will appear after users select a face.
Initially, emotional filters are presented alongside face filters to ensure users are aware of this feature. However, we aim to maintain user flexibility by making the emotional filter optional rather than mandatory. To achieve this, we've chosen to leverage iconography, presenting it as an advanced filter that will appear after users select a face.
iteration
Clear Instructions Functionalities
The original design lacked clarity in informing users about the functionality of uploading their own photos to the reels, leading to user unawareness. However, we found that users value this feature. Therefore, in the new iterations, I enhanced clarity by using clearer iconography and text to explicitly display this functionality to users.
impacts
- Launched a new product feature through end-to-end design, bringing a win-win situation for both users and our business.
- Collaborated with product managers, software engineers, the sales and marketing team, and third-party service providers to implement features.
lessons learned
- Turn high-level research insights into simple, elegant, and practical solutions.I learned how to address high-level research questions in the industry setting, defining precious moments for parents and using technology to meet their needs.
- Cooperate cross-functionally to implement features.Communicating with product managers, UI designers, and software engineers is an important skill I gained from the project. While advocating for users, I learned when and when not to implement changes in my designs based on how my perspective meshes with those of the other teams.
- Generate design strategies by integrating perspectives from different stakeholders.I set up cross-functional communication in this 5-months long project. Besides collaborating with the engineering team to develop pixsee, I further involved the sales and marketing teams in our design process to generate more holistic product decisions.
