Role
UX Lead · Project Lead · User Research · UX Design · Prototyping · User Testing
Overview
In the U.S., 14% of households use smart thermostats, and 25% of those users choose Google Nest, making it one of the most widely adopted smart thermostat brands.
As the UX Lead, I led the end-to-end redesign of the 3rd Generation Nest Thermostat scheduling experience, transforming a fragmented and complex system into a more intuitive, premium, and design-forward solution.
Timeline
Sep.2025 - Nov. 2025
Team
Danica Liu
Chance Zhang
Junyan Sun
Ian Chen
Tools
Figma, After Effects, Photoshop
Problem Statement
40–70% of Nest Thermostat (3rd Generation) users feel frustrated with scheduling and skip it because the interface is cumbersome.
Smart home devices are widely adopted, yet many users struggle with complex controls and rigid scheduling. Our research and observation identified key usability gaps that informed our redesign.
The challenge
Redesign a widely adopted smart thermostat within strict hardware constraints, transforming a fragmented scheduling system into a high-end, intuitive experience that feels effortless across both device and app:
2.0" circular display (480×480, 229ppi), limiting information density and requiring strong visual hierarchy
Only three physical inputs (rotate left, rotate right, press), no touch or swipe
Fixed hardware form factor that cannot be altered through software
Rotate left
Press
Rotate right
The Goal
Simplify complex scheduling logic
Modernize the visual language
Create a cohesive experience across device and APP
Thermostat
Refined Visual Identity
A refined style appeals to users who seek elegant, distinctive design through subtle visual hierarchy, restrained motion, and carefully considered details, creating an experience that feels polished, intentional, and premium.
Thermostat
Seamless Control
Users can easily review their schedule and adjust temperatures in place. The interface supports quick scanning, immediate feedback, and lightweight interaction, enabling confident, low-effort control.
Thermostat
Editable Schedules
Built-in edit and delete actions allow users to update or remove schedules without rebuilding them.
Manage & review all scheduled temperatures and update anytime
Outcome & Impact
The project delivered clear business value by improving efficiency, alignment, and decision clarity.
Within 10 weeks, a 5-member team completed the work with 1,150 total hours, representing an estimated $51,750 in UX value.
By simplifying system logic and reducing ambiguity, the design minimized rework and improved cross-functional collaboration. More importantly, tying design decisions to time, effort, and cost helped reposition UX as a measurable business investment rather than a subjective deliverable.
Team Size
5 Members
Total Hours
1170 hrs
Total Value
$52,650
$32,400
$11,250
Strategy & Decision Making
$9,000
20
200
720
250
$45/hr
$45/hr
$45/hr
72
25
Interaction & System Design
Product Ownership & Delivery
Role
HOURS/WEEK
TOTAL HOURS
HOURLY RATE
TOTAL VALUE
Project timeline
Deck Research
Smart thermostats are positioned as a core entry point into the smart home ecosystem, offering automation, energy efficiency, and convenient climate control. However, current Nest scheduling experiences reveal significant usability gaps that prevent users from confidently managing their temperature routines, leading to low engagement and underutilization.
89%
of programmable thermostat owners rarely or never use scheduling.
— Meier et al., ACEEE (2010)
40%
of users skip thermostat scheduling interfaces entirely because they are cumbersome or difficult to use.
— Consumer Reports
of users completely skip scheduling features due to usability barriers.
— Consumer Reports
70%
neog23
from reddit
“I don’t even see a schedule button anymore. The app is confusing.”
“Google Home isn’t intuitive at all. Finding schedule settings is painful.”
rednax208
from reddit
“I have to tap into each day and drag tiny dots for times/temps, it needs so much patience.”
chewydickens
from reddit
Reddit users frequently report that Nest scheduling is hard to configure, unintuitive, or missing in the app, highlighting real-world UX frustration with editing and reviewing schedules. Current frustration with scheduling isn’t just a small annoyance, it directly undermines the core value proposition of smart thermostats (comfort + energy savings).
Market value
The global smart thermostat market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by:
Smart Home Adoption
Intelligent Climate Control Demand
Design-Forward Living
In the U.S., current smart thermostat adoption stands at approximately 16–17% of internet households, signaling substantial untapped market potential. Among recent buyers, Google Nest and Honeywell Home lead brand preference, reflecting strong brand loyalty while underscoring intensifying competition centered on ecosystem integration, software experience, and premium user interaction design.
2030
2020
2010
2024
$3.5B
<$1B
$4.99B
$13–30B
*Source: Parks Associates, Grand View Research
*Grand View Research — Smart Thermostat Market Size & Forecast
Competitive analysis
Instant Temperature Adjustment
High-end & Innovative Style
Intuitive Scheduling Flow
Flexible Schedule Editing
Clear Time–Temperature Mapping
Johnson Controls
Feature
Honeywell T10
Emerson Sensi
- Clean
- Utilitarian
- Multi-step process
- Hard to preview
- Heavy
- Fragmented
- Weak connection between time and temperature
- Quick access
- UI feels dense
- Direct controls
- Basic feedback
- Traditional
- Conservative
- Linear setup
- Limited overview
- Requires navigating multiple screens
- Minimal visual hierarchy
- Smooth touch interaction
- Modern hardware
- simple UI
- Relatively straightforward
- Easier edits
- Limited logic
- Basic mapping
- lacks timeline view
- Functional
- enterprise-style control
- Industrial aesthetic
- not consumer-focused
- Complex
- technical
- Not designed for frequent changes
- No clear consumer-friendly visualization
Ecobee
What competitors do well
Offer functional and straightforward interaction patterns that require little learning.
Support basic scheduling setup across platforms.
Maintain relatively clean layouts focused on core thermostat operations.
Where competitors fall short
Scheduling flows feel fragmented and require multiple steps, making plans hard to preview.
Visual design lacks a premium, design-forward experience.
Time–temperature relationships are unclear, with weak visual hierarchy.
Mood board
#High-end
#Innovative
Analysis process
Collected over 480 images
Narrow to 60 representative examples.
Analyze data in a spreadsheet to find key traits that define “high-end” and “innovative.”
UI card border
(Round=0 Small round=2 Medium round=3 Sharp=1)
Total=29 - 1=9; 2=13; 3=4; 0=0
Sharp or small round
Ctiteria
Result
HE-1
HE-2
HE-3
HE-4
HE-5
HE-6
HE-7
Primary color for UI
Total 32 - Blue 19; Purple 5; Gray 2; Yellow 6; Light Brown 1; Red 1
/
blue 3
gray
black; gray;white
black; white
Dark blue 3
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
3
3
0
0
1
3
1
3
0
5
0
2
0
0
2
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
/
/
/
/
/
/
0
/
/
2; black vs blue
2; black vs blue
2; black vs blue
/
/
/
/
web 5
web 3
web 3
web 4
1
2
0
/
3
2
Warm=7; Nature=13; Cold=40
Cold Temperature Color =66%
Total=43 - 0=31; 1=13
Dark theme=69.8%
0=20; 2=2; 3=2
Round Bottom Boarder
Total=39; 3=30; 2=8; 1=2
Bold=76%
Total=49; Color contrast level 2=39=79.6%; 1=10; 0=2; have strong color contrast 79.6%
Total=41; 5=5; 4=3; 2=3; 3=30
Colum=3=73%
Total=60; 1=56=93.33%; 0=4
Have strong focus point=93%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Color temp
(Warm=2 Medium=1 Color=0)
Background color
(Light theme=1 Dark theme=0)
UI bottom border
(Round=0 Small round=2 Medium round=3 Sharp=1
Title font weight in UI
(Thin=1 Regular=2 Bold=3)
Contrast for the color
(Strong=2 Nature=1 Less=0) and which two colors are the most contrast
Colum number of design
(need mention web or app)
Focus
(have a strong focus point=1 or not=0)
9
5
1
2
4
Design system
Primary
/
#000000
Secondary
/
#9FB5E9
Supporting color
#586DBD
#EFEFEF
#B1B1B1
#FFFFFF
#5E5C5C
#C22323
SF Pro
Designed by Apple Inc.
Font size
Font weight
Name
Headline1
Headline 2
Body
110 px
Semibold
36 px
24 px
Medium
Regular
Typography - Thermostat
Regular
16 px
Regular
16 px
Regular
16 px
Regular
16 px
SF Pro
Designed by Apple Inc.
Font size
Font weight
Name
Headline1
Headline 2
Body1
110 px
Semibold
24 px
24 px
Regular
Regular
Typography - APP
Body2
Button Label
Navigation Title
Tag Label
Component library
Iterative Design Process
3
4
1
Refined over
10 Weeks
Design iterations
9 Versions
User testing
Average sus score
Highest participant score
85.0
Lowest participant score
62.5
Within the Good-Excellent usabiliyu range
76.8 / 100
Excellent (85+)
Good (70-85)
Acceptable (50-70)
Poor (0-50)
Task-based prototype usability test (redesigned prototype)
Method
Participants
Students from undergraduate to graduate, with different frequency of using Google Thermostat
Tasks
Add a schedule entry and manage existing entries (edit / delete)
Feedbacks
“
”
“
”
It’s convenient to plan routines, especially for weekends and daily adjustments.
“
”
The interface feels clean and high-end, bold blocks and refined colors help me quickly understand what to do.
OVERVIEW
DELIVERY
RESEARCH
DEVELOPMENT
