Work at GE Appliances
Design & iterate on a broad scope of projects including smart home apps, screen-based appliances, service design & AR experience.
Duration
June 2021 - Present (6 months)
Tool Used
Figma, Adobe Creative Suites
My Work
User Flows
Interaction Design
Visual Design
Prototyping for Usability Testing
Feasibility Study
Work directly with
2 UX Researcher
6 Product Designer
2 Project Manager
3 Engineers
3 External Consulting Team
My experience
I have already developed & improved...
5
Appliances Experiences
5
Smart Home Features
4
Hi-Fi Prototypes for Testing
Or more specifically...
I led 2 appliances control panel redesign, deliver with 3 design iterations in 2 months;
I led multiple research including 3 feasibility studies, 1 competitive analysis, and 1 usability study;
I also actively contributed to 5 mobile app features, 1 usability testing, and many brainstorm sessions with further ideation exploration.
A sneak peek of my contributions
Highlight 1
DFS Thermostat ft. Smart HQ
2 month with 3 design iterations
What did I do
Collaborating with Haier and redesigning their management system for the 5 inch LCD screen as the lead designer.
I transformed a clunky air conditioning system into a versatile control center that works both for enterprise & consumer.
Impact
Our proposal will be shipped with Haier’s thermostats when it is launched in the US market.
Previous homepage
Improved homepage
Highlight 2
Advantium 7-in-1 Oven
6 month with 1competetive analysis, 1 feasibility study, 5 design iteration and 1 usability testing.
What did I do
Designing for the next gen oven with complicated heating elements.
I transformed a confusing pro cooking experience into a novice friendly cooking exploration.
Previous control page
Impact
My proposal improve the menu structure & custom cook panel and will be shipped with the new product.
Improved control page
Highlight 3
Highlight 3
Smart HQ 2.0 Improvement
3 month with 3 feature implementation, 2 visual improvement, 1 technical improvement & 1 usability testing
What did I do
Designing and improving the consumer IoT mobile app. From an anti-latency strategy to a hi-fi prototype for usability testing, I actively contribute ongoing iterations for the heart of all our smart appliances.
Impact
My proposal to reduce app browsing latency was adopted and I created realistic prototypes for 11 user flow(13 in total) that substantially helps our usability testing and get more efficient feedback.
My Takeaway
Takeaway 1
Designing Product For An Unfamiliar Domain
Working for an appliances company, learning how things work can substantially help me better deliver useful and friendly solutions, especially when it comes to advanced features.
To do so, I usually take time to go through previous project documents to learn about the product. Other than that, I also scheduled an appropriate amount of meetings with the project engineers to catch up with their latest progress. With that knowledge, I substantially help our team deliver solutions and features that are not only within the engineer’s capabilities but also useful to our users.
Takeaway 2
Communication With Crossfunctional Teams
The product development process at GEA is much more formal and complicated when compared to a school project or my previous startup experiences.
Therefore, to better deliver proposals and communicate with different teams, I always spend some extra minutes adjusting my narrative when presenting to different teams and making sure that everyone in the meeting is on the same page by starting my presentation with a few introductory slides including the context and the meeting agenda.
Takeaway 3
Accessibility Over Aesthetics
At GEA, I realized that designing for appliances requires more attention in accessible design considering our users come from almost all age groups.
In regards, when making hi-fi prototypes for testing or handoff, I always check previous practices to make sure that font size, colors, and style are appropriate. Other than that, I take advantage of the weekly design sharing session and ask more experienced designers in the group to improve accessibilities.
Interested?
Let’s talk about it in an interview XD