RVMaster
Home automation for Recreational Vehicles.
Working together with the project manager and engineering team at BMPro, I was UX design lead and Design Sprint facilitator on this project, working with two designers and a software development team to bring a “home automation” product to life. We spent 8 months working at the Setec headquarters in Melbourne.
Activities
Design Sprint facilitation, user research and interviews, testing and interaction design.
Platform
An IoT product that incorporates an Android console, alongside iOS and Android apps. Product is currently used in American and Australia.
How could we make the RV experience effortless and stress free?
Holiday makers are able to control devices in their RV using Bluetooth and Internet when away from their vehicle.
Home automation refers to a system that allows a person to have remote control of the electronic devices in their home or in this case a Recreational Vehicle or caravan.
BMPro are specialists in power management and battery chargers. These devices are connected to the Internet, which essentially means I could turn on my lights, or heat up my water while out hiking.
The RV industry contributed $114 billion to the US economy in 2018.
The challenge
Understanding the key features of an IoT ecosystem
Over 11% of US households own a recreational vehicle. We consulted with RV or caravan owners throughout the project’s development, as well as working along side an engineering team for technical requirements and feasibility.
Who is this product for?
The average RV owner is male and 38-55, however, there is a rise of solo female RVers. Our end users ranged from young families to seasoned outdoorsmen and women.
The experience has to feel easy.
How would this product be used?
A wall-mounted touch screen, a standard Android 7 tablet was used as a platform for the control system. To protect the tablet in the moving caravan it needed a bumper cover that could be mounted or removed from the RV wall.
iOS and Android mobile and tablet apps.
How does this benefit the business?
The pilot product would be used as a catalyst in partnering with a leading caravan manufacturer in Australia and America.
It has to work and function as expected.
What did a RV owner need?
To get into the RV state of mind, we reached out to RV and caravan owners in Australia via Facebook groups. Through one-on-one interviews and an online survey, it became apparent what their immediate needs were:
Water and Energy.
The best way to display and manage these elements were the starting blocks for the product.
We learnt living in a RV is a process. A process with priorities.
To fully grasp the component and task flow of an RV system, without actually being in on, we did a full competitor analysis and break down of each system via card sorting.
The product had to allow for multiple communication protocols, including Bluetooth and wifi to allow additions from various suppliers.
Setting up and packing down an RV were identified as the most timely tasks, and included more complex scenarios like setting up the lighting Bluetooth.
User tasks were identified and broken down into stories.
The medial tasks like changing water tanks and opening vents didn’t have to be done in succession so were treated like interchangeable parts or modules that a user could come back to. Stories had a
Gain point: Green or a Pain point: Red
Design and Prototyping
From our ideation and Design Sprint artefacts, I turned sketches into rough prototypes to validate certain flows and requirements throughout the product journey.
Mobile prototype
User testing with RV and Caravan owners
Interviews
We ran user interviews and remote testing sessions in Australia and North America. We used usertesting.com to help facilitate and generate user feedback.
Test metrics that we included
Time on Task
Rating Scale
Multiple Choice, and/or Written Response Questions
UI Components
Were designed to encourage a flexible and scalable solution.
The user manual
Was produced to guide a user, as well product components on and offline.
Outcomes
After the pilot project went to market:
100%
Of customers use the system to check water tank and energy levels and status.
90%
Of caravan and RV owners believe the console to be an integral part of their van.
80%
Of users like the flexibility to use the console or app in a different location.
50%
Of RV owners use the hot water and slide out controls. 5% of customers are still struggling with the technology.
Available to download from the App Store and Google Play.
Following on from the success of the RVMaster, additional RV model consoles were designed and developed within the same system.
The Odyssey
Caravan management from touch screen display.
Vital caravan information at your fingertips
Effortless control over caravan power
Free camp with confidence
Harness the power of solar and lithium
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology
Australian designed and made by BMPRO
Available to download from the App Store
The JayCommand
A smart RV system.
Monitor: water tanks, temperature, battery and fuel.
Control: lighting, slide-outs, awnings, HVAC, generators.
Integrate: tire pressure monitor, propane sensor, and more.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology
Available to download from the App Store and Google Play.