Canary.is is an IoT security company that provides intuitive, reliable products and services. I worked at Canary as a UX Design Intern during the summer of 2020.

OVERVIEW  I led several rounds of usability testing sessions, gathered and presented insights, and directly contributed to updated design decisions.

DURATION  Summer 2020

TYPE  Mobile UX Research & Design

My Role

As a remote UX Design Intern, I partnered with the Canary Product, Engineering, and Marketing teams to lead relevant, meaningful user research to strengthen the launch of a new product offering. My contributions focused on organizing, conducting, and analyzing usability testing sessions. I then synthesized findings into design recommendations with the Product Design team for final interface designs in Figma.

Company Background

Canary.is was a pioneer in the iOT home security market and still remains an independent startup today. The Canary HD video camera, coupled with the mobile app gives users live and direct access to their home from anywhere. Canary is committed to intuitive and intelligent technology that allows users to live life in the know.

Project 1: User Research

The majority of my work was to help gain insights on a key new service launch, Canary Professional Monitoring.

Problem statement and context

PROBLEM Canary users cannot constantly check their device notifications when they are away, leaving them unable to respond to real emergencies in their home if they occur.

To address this problem, Pro Monitoring allows on-call experts to react to an emergency at home in case the user misses an alert on their device. It operates with a unique “video verification” feature that forwards captured footage to authorities for immediate and accurate emergency identification, reducing the overall response time.

Prior to my arrival, the Product Team had developed preliminary designs based on findings from a competitive analysis of existing Professional Monitoring services. However, the team needed to know how well these designs solved the problem observed in Canary users. This is where I come in.

Since the Pro Monitoring service would be added to the existing app interface, it was important to measure the success of the designs developed before launch to make sure they were well-integrated. This would help the team refine designs and prevent usability issues.

How do we seamlessly integrate Canary Professional Monitoring into the current in-app user experience?

Usability testing

Upon the completion of the initial mockups for the in-app service experience, I conducted two rounds of beta user testing for Canary’s new product offering:

1) The Onboarding Flow. Getting the user set up with the new service on the pre-existing app interface.

2) The Product Interaction. Letting the user interact with the new service interface in relevant contexts.

THE GOAL To gather feedback on the in-app functionality and to ensure that it is as seamless, intuitive, and effective as possible.

After aligning the overarching goal of usability testing with the needs of both Product and Engineering teams, the following objectives were specified:

  • Identify any friction points, pain points, and/or points of confusion

  • Understand user expectations and observe if they are met

  • Verify logical hierarchy of information, messaging, CTA, and icons

  • Recognize areas of delight

I initiated the research process by creating a usability testing plan, consisting of an interview script, task scenarios, and a set of follow-up questions relevant to our usability testing goals. I developed the task scenarios and questions with the Product team to ensure the testing of relevant user interactions for the new product feature.

Additionally, I revised the testing plan based on feedback given during critique sessions with the Product team.

I then coordinated and scheduled Zoom meetings with Canary beta testers to get feedback on initial prototypes. 

However, we encountered a problem: based on the tight timeline developed for the launch of the new service, not enough beta testers agreed to participate in the usability sessions.

To address this problem as well as expand the use cases observed (Canary experts and newbies), I recruited friends and family to test the new product feature. I also asked my Product Design teammates to recruit at least one friend or family member.

With this approach, we reached our goal of testing 6 users for each round and ended up establishing a more diverse group that would inform a comprehensive understanding of the user experience. 

I routinely communicated progress in the usability testing timeline to the Product, Marketing, and Engineering teams via Google Calendar updates, emails, and meetings.

Usability Testing session with Product Team

During each testing session, I took steps to prevent bias in the user’s interaction so the observations could accurately inform future redesigns. This meant refraining from prescriptive directions in the cognitive walkthroughs and avoiding leading questions in the user interviews.

Based on the results of user interviews and testing, which I transcribed and organized in Google Sheets, I identified patterns and themes of user interactions. I then participated in the Product Design team brainstorming sessions by presenting my findings and helping to ideate potential design solutions based on these findings.

key takeaways

Key patterns identified that directly informed the redesign:

1) Placement. Many users expected certain buttons in other locations, which made the user flow less efficient.

2) Hierarchy. Functionality was often hidden, disabling users from completing a task.

3) Entry Points. There were multiple feature entry points that confused the user.

4) Privacy Issues. Users were concerned about the extent of the video footage shared with on-call experts.

To communicate the high-level research outcomes and takeaways to the Marketing, Product, and Engineering teams, I compiled slide decks. I specifically outlined pain points observed, design suggestions, and the Product Design team’s approach moving forward.

THE RESULT 4 crucial UI updates in the feature design, making the in-app experience more intuitive and functional for users. 

Here is a look into the updates informed by user research initiatives for the new product interaction:

Project 2: Site Design Updates

I was also responsible for the redesign of Canary’s internal and external sites based on key insights gained. I collaborated with the Product and Marketing teams, keeping them routinely updated with my progress through emails, shared documents, and meetings.

1. CE PANEL (INTERNAL)

My redesign of Canary’s Customer Experience panel consisted of constant communication with the Engineering and Customer Service teams to ensure the redesign was both functional and effective for the user. Specifically, I updated the CE Panel to reflect recent product changes, removed irrelevant content, and increased overall usability. 

THE GOAL Maximize the Customer Service team’s efficiency. 

To ensure that this goal was met, I led several meetings with the Customer Service team to understand what iterations best suited the users’ needs. I also met with Engineering to align my designs with the current functionality of the site.

After analyzing the feedback from Customer Service and Engineering, I created mockups in Figma that tended to the users’ needs. These designs were assessed in a meeting with Engineering and Customer Service and then further refined for launch.

THE RESULT 20% reduction in customer service time spent on tickets.

2. SHOPPING CART (EXTERNAL)

This process began with the assembly of key insights on checkout journey metrics by investigating heatmaps, interpreting user recordings, and administering/analyzing surveys to inform and redesign a streamlined checkout flow. 

THE GOAL Transition the design from the current static shopping cart to a dynamic shopping cart that is more user friendly.

I created mockups in Figma that were native to the Canary site and addressed my key research findings.

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