Nest was one of the first and most prominent companies in the smart home product space. Founded by Tony Fadell, the "father of the iPod", Nest's mission was to revolutionize overlooked household devices by making them more attuned to users' needs for comfort, safety, and energy conservation.
From 2013 to 2019, I led hardware UX and UI design for multiple Nest hardware products. This role involved close collaboration with cross-functional groups, extensive prototyping, and rapid iteration of designs based on feedback and testing. Together, we shipped successful products like Nest Protect (smoke alarm), Nest Secure (security system), and Nest Hello (doorbell camera).
Device UX/UI
I was hired after Nest had shipped the first Learning Thermostat, the UI for which was designed by the very talented Mike Matas. The success of the thermostat established Nest's reputation for products with straightforward, easy-to-use interfaces.
Working with Tony and many talented people in product, industrial design and engineering teams, I designed the user interfaces and UX logic for multiple Nest hardware products that followed. This involved an incredible amount of collaboration and coordination with multiple teams. Each product required extensive research, design conceptualization, prototyping, testing, and iterative refinement before being deemed ready to ship.
Nest Protect
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm
2013
Contributions: Light ring UI, device UX
ID: Bould Design, Rocky Jacob
Hardware UX/UI
I was hired after Nest had shipped the first Learning Thermostat, the UI for which was designed by the very talented Mike Matas. The success of the thermostat established Nest's reputation for products with straightforward, easy-to-use interfaces.
Working with Tony and many talented people in product, industrial design, and engineering teams, I designed the user interfaces and UX logic for multiple Nest hardware products that followed. This involved an incredible amount of collaboration and coordination with multiple teams. Each product required extensive research, design conceptualization, prototyping, testing, and iterative refinement before being deemed ready to ship.
Nest Protect
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, 2013
Contributions: Device UX, light ring UI
ID: Bould Design, Rocky Jacob
Nest Secure
Home security system, 2017
Contributions:
Device and system UX,
LED UI, keypad, iconography
ID: Rocky Jacob, Mark Huang
Nest Cameras
Indoor and outdoor security cameras, 2014–2018
Contributions: Device UX, LED UI
ID: Rocky Jacob, Tristin Kim, Oli Mueller
Nest × Yale Lock
Connected front door lock, 2018
Contributions: Touchscreen UI
UX: JJ Nold
ID: Rocky Jacob
Nest Hello
Doorbell camera, 2018
Contributions:
Device UX, LED UI, installation instructions (app)
ID: Rhea Jeong
Designing the experience
We invested significant time and effort into understanding core problems and user needs to ensure a great user experience. My role involved collaborating closely with the product team, exploring various solutions, and conducting interviews with people outside the company. During the design phase, I translated product requirements into detailed specifications for user-facing features, defining how devices and systems would communicate, how interfaces would behave, and how users would interact with the hardware.
This was a highly iterative process that required intense collaboration with multiple teams. To ensure clarity, I established a straightforward visual format for my documentation, making sure everyone understood the logic and behavior to be implemented. As features were finalized, I worked closely with engineering and QA teams to ensure accurate implementation.
Visual language
Nest products use LED lights to convey important information without using a screen. I designed the shared visual language of colors and animations that make this communication possible.
As the product ecosystem evolved, I expanded and refined this language to enhance clarity, consistency, and coherence across all devices.
Visual language
Nest products use LED lights to convey important information without using a screen. I designed the shared visual language of colors and animations that make this communication possible. As the product ecosystem evolved, I expanded and refined this language to enhance clarity, consistency, and coherence across all devices.
LED Animation framework
The visual language of LED colors and animations was designed in Adobe After Effects. Early on, I needed a solution to transfer these designs from my screen to the hardware for testing and production.
I worked with firmware engineers to establish methods for easily translating screen-based animations to hardware code, which shortened our feedback loop and made it possible to deploy more complex and visually appealing animations in product interfaces.
Nest Protect
Nest Protect is the world's most advanced smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. It provides early warning in case of a fire or carbon monoxide leak, and offers features such as voice alerts, mobile notifications, and smart home integration.
I designed the interface behavior, interactions, and user experience logic for Protect's core features. Much of this effort centered around the product's innovative light ring UI around the button, which played a central role in enhancing the user experience. Given that Protect is a home safety product, my work had to adhere to strict regulatory standards more stringent than those applied to most consumer products.
ID: Bould Design, 2013
ID: Rocky Jacob, 2015
Reinventing the smoke alarm
Given that smoke alarms were an unloved and overlooked product category, we were determined to make Nest Protect as useful as possible by introducing some truly innovative features.
Working with Tony and the product team through multiple iterations, I defined the UI behavior and UX logic that realized these features on the device.
Reinventing the smoke alarm
Given that smoke alarms were an unloved and overlooked product category, we were determined to make Nest Protect as useful as possible by introducing some truly innovative features.
Working with Tony and the product team through multiple iterations, I defined the UI behavior and UX logic that realized these features on the device.
Nest Secure
Nest Secure is a smart home security system that includes remote sensors, key fobs, and a central hub with alarm capabilities. Our goal was to create a smart home security system that was both technically sophisticated and easy to use. This proved to be a significant challenge and took longer than expected to get right.
I was responsible for designing the device interfaces and UX logic, which required working at the service, system, and device levels. This was far more complex than designing for a single device, due to the many use cases and interactions between multiple components.
ID: Rocky Jacob, Mark Huang
2017
Nest Secure
Nest Secure is a smart home security system that includes remote sensors, key fobs, and a central hub with alarm capabilities. Our goal was to create a smart home security system that was both technically sophisticated and easy to use. This proved to be a significant challenge and took longer than expected to get right.
I was responsible for designing the device interfaces and UX logic, which required working at the service, system, and device levels. This was far more complex than designing for a single device, due to the many use cases and interactions between multiple components.
ID: Rocky Jacob, Mark Huang
2017
Nest Hello
Nest Hello is a smart video doorbell that lets homeowners see, hear, and speak with visitors at their door from anywhere using their phone.
The biggest UX challenge with this product was the fact that physical installation required rewiring your existing doorbell, which can be complicated and difficult. We had to make it easy enough for all users to complete successfully, which meant providing extemely clear instructions for every supported doorbell type.
Working closely with the UX Research team, I created visual step-by-step instructions that guide users through the entire installation process. After many rounds of testing and refinement, we managed to virtually eliminate installation failures.
ID: Rhea Jeong
2018
Nest Hello
Nest Hello is a smart video doorbell that lets homeowners see, hear, and speak with visitors at their door from anywhere using their phone.
The biggest UX challenge with this product was the fact that physical installation required rewiring your existing doorbell, which can be complicated and difficult. We had to make it easy enough for all users to complete successfully, which meant providing extremely clear instructions for every supported doorbell type.
Working closely with the UX Research team, I created visual step-by-step instructions that guide users through the entire installation process. After many rounds of testing and refinement, we managed to virtually eliminate installation failures.
ID: Rhea Jeong
2018
Awards and recognition
More information
I'm thankful to have played a small role in helping design, build, and ship these innovative products alongside many talented people. Here are some of the most notable awards they received.
- Nest ProtectTime Magazine 25 Best Inventions of the Year 2013
- Nest Cam IQ IndoorRed Dot Design Award 2018
- Nest SecureRed Dot Design Award 2018
- Nest HelloRed Dot Design Award 2018
Nest was acquired by Google in 2014, and the Nest brand was fully integrated into Google's hardware product line in 2019.
Nest.com (archived)
Awards and recognition
I'm thankful to have played a small role in helping design, build, and ship these innovative products alongside many talented people. Here are some of the most notable awards they received.
Nest Protect
Nest Cam IQ Indoor
Nest Secure
Nest Hello
More information
Nest was acquired by Google in 2014, and the Nest brand was fully integrated into Google's hardware product line in 2019.
Nest.com (archived)
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