Simplified property access for owners, staff, residents, and visitors
SECTOR
Security
ROLE
Lead Designer
TIMELINE
5 Weeks
TOOLS
Figma
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The current building access system necessitates residents to utilize two distinct applications, causing inconvenience and inefficiency. This setup overwhelms residents with multiple apps and restricts access for guests or delivery services. A new application is needed, one that integrates both functionalities to offer residents a seamless and comprehensive access control solution.
EMPATHIZE
What’s the background?
While the existing application enables users to unlock the main entrance, it fails to grant access to other doors in the building. This limitation creates frustration and confusion for residents who must toggle between two different apps to enter the building.
Residents require seamless and comprehensive access control solutions.
What’s the problem?
There is no option for residents to unlock doors beyond the main entrance via the mobile app. Specifically, there's an additional door required for access beyond the main floor, leading to residents having to leave their apartments to grant access or risk missing deliveries due to the lack of remote access capability.
The question is…
Is there a way to implement an access control solution that prioritizes security, efficiency, and user-friendliness, allowing residents to easily grant temporary access to guests and service workers while seamlessly unlocking all doors within the building?
A new access control system combines key pass and Apple Pay, simplifying temporary access for guests and service workers while ensuring secure, seamless door unlocking.
What’s the solution?
What are the goals?
Create a key pass system for guests, friends, and service workers to unlock and lock doors.
Enable door unlocking using the Apple Pay card feature for secure and convenient building access, reducing the need for physical keys.
DEFINE
RESEARCH
Competitive Audit
Two different home security apps were evaluated to determine the desired design features.
2. Survey
A survey was shared among building residents, resulting in a total of five responses
Survey Insights
01
Unified Access Method Preference
Residents strongly desire a single application allowing control over all doors and the creation of guest passes, a feature already available in other apartment applications.
iPhone users would like an additional feature enabling the use of a digital fob in their Apple Wallet to unlock doors, indicating a need for comprehensive and user-friendly access control solutions.
02
Interest in Additional iPhone Feature
PERSONA
Understanding our target persona—a city-dwelling young adult who values convenience and hosts friends—lets us tailor an access control app to address needs like remote floor access.
IDEATION and PROTOTYPING
SITE MAP
Several prototypes were explored during this process, including submitting a visit confirmation form, timecard, viewing calendar, profile, and study information.
WIREFRAMES
Reflecting on Research
How can the design prioritize convenience?
How will this effectively address the challenges faced by users?
How will this ensure a seamless user experience?
UI IDEATION
With the above questions in consideration, the next phase involved exploring various iterations to create an efficient and user-friendly interactive experience.
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Exploring Dark Mode
Building Variations
DESIGN CONCEPT
Icons and design guidelines for the final design were then developed for this project based on the ButterflyMX logo. This includes color palettes and typography.
Style Guide
EXECUTION
FINAL DESIGN
Adding a Guest Pass
Residents create guest keys for friends, family, or services and choose which doors to access and for how long. Clicking "create key" sends the pass automatically to the guest.
Add Key to Apple Wallet
By adding the digital key to Apple Wallet, users can quickly access all doors in the building by double-clicking the iPhone's power button near the door sensor.
Lock, Unlock, and Expand Key
As the door unlocks, the card fill empties, indicating access. Doors usually lock again after 5 seconds. Users can also tap on a card's name to reveal more details.
TAKEAWAYS
User testing is vital in confirming the application's effectiveness and user-friendliness. Time constraints hindered conducting the desired testing, but it would have been the next step in further developing the design
01
Value of User Testing
Such as concerns about safety liability regarding guest passes, were discovered during user research, providing further context beyond my initial assumptions about user expectations.
02
Insights from Resident Survey
Importance of User Research
User research revealed previously overlooked pain points and concerns, emphasizing its crucial role in design.
03