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Ember Thermostat
A smart thermostat whose dial and app told two different stories. We redesigned both sides of the conversation so hardware and software finally agree.
01 — Overview
Two truths, one temperature
Users turned the dial to 21°, opened the app, and saw 19.5° “eco hold”. Both were technically correct. Both felt broken.
We rebuilt the mental model around a single schedule both surfaces render — the dial shows now, the app shows why.
02 — Approach
What the engagement covered
- Home visits with eleven households, watching people argue with their hallway.
- A unified schedule model shared by firmware, app and voice integrations.
- Dial-display UI redesigned for 2-bit contrast: big number, one reason line.
- App flows for schedules, away mode and energy history across iOS and Android.
- Packaging and quick-start card so install day needs no electrician vocabulary.
03 — Outcome
Support tickets melted
“Wrong temperature” support tickets fell 78% after the update rolled out. App-store rating climbed from 3.1 to 4.6 stars in two release cycles.
Ember now briefs every hardware feature with its app screen attached — a process change that outlasted our engagement.
04 — Related work
Keep exploring
Pulse Finance — another glanceable interface, this time for money.
Atlas Travel Planner — complex state, kept simple.
Your turn
Shipping hardware with software?
We design both sides of the conversation. Bring us the mismatch.
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