Digital Key Chain Integration & Control Solution
TIMELINE
Fall 2021
5 Weeks
YEAR
2021
FOCUSING AREAS
UI Design
Hardware Interaction
User Research
TOOLS
Figma
Sketch
Photoshop
Solidworks
Overview
Key+ is an innovative app developed to address the challenges associated with conventional key usage, providing users with enhanced functionalities beyond the capabilities of traditional keys.
Key+ offers an integrated digital key management platform, enabling users to operate various systems such as cars, community access, smart homes, and security systems through a single software. Additionally, we have developed a specialized hardware component that upgrades older vehicles with smart capabilities, seamlessly incorporating them into our electronic keychain ecosystem.
OBSERVATION
Based on daily observations, it's evident that despite advanced technology, practical usage is often hindered by various limitations. For instance, controlling cars, smart homes, and community doors through smart devices like mobile phones is theoretically possible, but in reality, users face challenges like needing to toggle between different apps for various brands and types of smart homes. Additionally, older cars may lack internet connectivity, preventing them from integrating with these modern functionalities.
Research
Qualitative Research
For our qualitative research, we selected three distinct users to ensure a diverse and representative user base. Our choices included an individual over 40 with a family and children, a 20-year-old student from an affluent background studying abroad, and a 19-year-old student from a more modest family attending a regular university in China.
Based on this qualitative research, we found that users usually experience problems in these areas:
Quantitative Research
Based on the areas we have clarified, we continue to do quantitative research with a questionnaire that include over 60 participants, and here are the highlighted information:
82%
Feel worry and anxiety
In my research, over 80% of all participants feel worry and anxiety about their car when they lend their car to others.
95%
Not able to use smart features
According to my survey, 57 participants has traditional car, which means they are not able to use smart features like digital car key.
75%
Hired a cleaner
Most of participants would hire a cleaner to clean their house. In most cases, they choose to clean once every two weeks.
100%
Need Health Code
All participants needs to show health code every time they enter the community during the pandemic.
Problem Statement
How might we improve the experience of using keys?
How might we attract users to use digital controls?
How might we enable smart device control for older cars without internet capabilities?
How might we overcome differing technology standards in smart devices for a unified user experience?
Creating a unified and secure solution is essential for users to effortlessly share access to their homes, enhance their cars with smart features, manage all smart devices from a single application, and gain remote control over their homes without the complexity and security concerns of current systems.
Personas
Name: David
Age: 24
Quote: “The community need me to show my health code everytime I enter the gate, which is not convient and efficient. ”
Goals: Find efficient way to pass the access control system of the community.
Motivation: He needs to show his health code every time he enter the community, which means he needs to open WeChat, open the mini-app, find the health code, and then wait for it to load. This will take a lot of time. When there are too many people, he even need to line up one by one to enter the community.
Pain point: There is no effective way to keep the risk of Covid infection low while make it more convenient and efficient to enter the community at the same time.
Name: Catalina
Age: 22
Quote: “I sometimes forget to bring my car key when I am already in front of the car.”
Goals: Need to find a way to avoid forgeting to bring keys.
Motivation: She always forgets to bring her keys, and it takes too much time to get them home.
Pain point: There is no efficient way to remind her to bring her keys. Her car is so old that did not support digital car keys.
Name: Alex
Age: 21
Quote: “I sometimes need to share my car with my roommates, but she always forget to give my car key back to me. ”
Goals: Need a effective way to share car with others.
Motivation: When she needs to lend her car to her roommate, she wants to know where her car is, what's around her car, and needs an effective way to get it back.
Pain point: There is no way for people to lend their cars to others while knowing the status like location of the car. There is also no effective way to temporarily share their car key with others, once you share it with others, you completely lose control of your car.
Name: Jessica
Age: 40
Quote: “when an outsider such as a cleaner needs to enter, they are required to call me and hand it over to security guard to prove that they are authorized to enter, which is too complex. And I have to wait in my house, but I don’t have time to wait for them during workdays.”
Goals: The cleaning staff can do the cleaning when she is not at home.
Motivation: She have to stay at home to wait for cleaning staff, but cleaning staffs only work during weekdays, which means she cannot go to work that day.
Pain point: There is no efficient way to give service staffs(like cleaning or repairing staffs) access to both community and house.
Key Features
Based on the problem statement, I mainly focus on three core features
Transform your loved car into a smart ride.
Introducing Smart Connector
The new Smart Connector feature allows users to enjoy smart car functions in older models. It involves pairing a hardware device(we called smart connector) with user’s phone, placing the car key on the Smart Connector, and cloning the key's signal using phone instructions. Once cloned, the connector stays in the car, enabling users to unlock it directly through their phone without needing to carry the traditional car keys.
Smart Connector Working Schematic Diagram
A Digital Key Chain
Our app serves as a key chain for smart device management by utilizing open APIs to link with other software, thus enabling users to control a wide array of devices and their permissions through one interface. This streamlined approach simplifies the user experience, allowing comprehensive control over their home automation, security, and other smart functionalities, all in a single app.
A Key Chain for Smart Car
Our app offers seamless integration with smart cars featuring remote start or proprietary apps such as Tesla. Users can connect our app to these smart car apps, granting them access and control from a well-designed and organized key chain. This feature enhances the user experience and simplifies the management of different type of keys.
Home key
Our app offers seamless integration with smart home apps like Apple Home or aquara home, providing users with complete access and control over their smart hardware such as smart locks and lights. In addition, we've carefully designed the functions and shortcuts on the main page of the key to enhance the user experience and streamline the management of keys.
Apartment community key
Our app also offers a variety of shortcuts that are spcially deisgned for keys used in gated communities with a main gate. These shortcuts provide a quick and convenient solution for users to access and manage their community keys, streamlining the process and saving valuable time.
A Way to Share with Confidence
Key Share: Effortless, Secure, Personalized.
Drawing upon extensive research and data analysis, I have created customized sharing settings for various types of keys, recognizing the diverse demands of users when sharing keys with others. These tailored sharing settings offer an intuitive and secure solution for users to share car keys, community keys, and house keys with ease and peace of mind.
Information Architecture
Prototypes
Design System
Prototype Flow 1
Prototype Flow 2 & 3
Prototype with user Scenario
Next Step