Its main job is to sample an incredible quantity of energy data, pre-process them and efficiently send them over the ALLO cloud engine, where data are finally processed by the HOMIE’s Machine Learning algorithms.
MAKING VISIBLE WHAT IS NOT
The electricity by its nature is not visible, is intangible, odourless, and all our human sins cannot have perception of it (of course excluding unpleasant and dangerous accidents). We cannot directly see with our eyes the electricity that every day we use and which allows to perform the essential tasks and activity we usually do, giving them for granted. During the development of the HOMIE Hub we wanted to work exactly around this concept: with its transparencies, HOMIE Hub makes “visible” what naturally is not. Not only the technology inside the product, but thanks to its capabilities also the electricity that it is constantly measured and monitored by HOMIE Hub, becomes for the first time “visible” and more understandable.
We developed its forms with the target to simplify them, working in order to remove rather than add details.
The frontal part is made by a satiated and semitransparent plastic shell, that other than follows the golden ratio between upper and lower part, it allows to glimpse the electronic components inside the device. This intrinsically gives a feeling of “technology advancement” and in some way, with due proportion, showing the technological heart of the product it is like when the Ferrari shows the engine through the hood.
The HOMIE logo in the frontal upper part is exactly in the middle and its finishing and texture is fully transparent and lucid, allowing to see through the shell inside the device. With HOMIE we make visible what is not: the electricity we all use every day and the technology components who are at the core of our HOMIE Hub.
We have realised a product that can be easily fixed on the wall or alternatively placed on a surface like a shelf or a furniture we have in our homes near the electrical panel. The frontal shell is shaped in a way that the Hub can be positioned with an inclination of 2 degrees in order to maximise its stability when it is placed stand alone.
The cables go out from the device without disturbing its harmonious line, contributing to create a natural and useful counterbalance, both when it is placed on a plane surface or even when it is fixed to the wall.
FORM FACTOR
Forms and proportions born with a simple sketch, a natural balancing between the upper part (where the electronic is allocated and the HOMIE logo is shown) and the lower part (the pedestal who also hides the cables and connectors). This perfect proportion in fact recalls the golden ratio, and this explains also why from the very beginning we got the feeling of having a product extremely well balanced and harmonious in its form.
When we started, after the analysis of the market, we wanted to have an holistic approachbased on empathy. This means we had to empathise with the problems and the reasons that people have in the energy context we aimed to solve and improve, understanding their motivations, and the feelings in order to help in defining the best product possible.
The next natural step is the IDEATION of those solutions to then enter a cycle of PROTOTYPING (at different level of detail) and TESTING until the desired output is reached under every aspect. The Design Thinking approach is what we have used for every development of the HOMIE solution, i.e. for our mobile App, and Energy Portal other than for our HOMIE Hub.
IT IS NOT ALWAYS BLACK AND WHITE
In addition to the concept of making visible what is not, there is another valid reason for which we have chosen to adopt a semitransparent plastic shell. In the upper part of the electronic board, among other electronic components, it is present a multi-color LED useful to comunicate the home consumption status in real-time. Thanks to the satinated finishing of the frontal shell, the light is spread offering a direct channel of communication with the user. In this way the user can receive info and intuitive feedbacks, that can be highly effective even without having the smartphone at hand.
These feedbacks are extremely useful in all those cases where the user is a less digital and mobile oriented person, or even for example if the the user is a member of the same household but without the HOMIE App (both adults or children). Thanks to this feature, everyone can benefit from the real-time feedback of what is going on inside the house
Why we have chosen HOMIE? What’s behind this name?
HOMIE, in american slang, is a friend of your neighbourhood or town, a member of your group of people and peer. This is the reason. It means someone close to us, who lives where we live and shares our places and habits. HOMIE sounds friendly in many languages and it has the exact meaning we wanted to give to our solution.
INSTALLATION: WE MADE IT SIMPLE
HOMIE Hub has been developed to be installed in few minutes without requiring any kind of modification to the existing electrical system. No need of switching off anything, or remove or even worst cut any cables. HOMIE Hub allows you to monitor the entire home and its devices, without the need to apply additional sensors for each of the appliances.
The entire configuration and installation process has been designed in order to be completed in few minutes by the user itself, without requiring any specific knowledge, preparation or electrical background.
The user is guided by the mobile app trough the configuration and installation flow, where every step is easily explained with a dedicated screen with simple texts, icons and real pictures.
THE FIRST IMPRESSION COUNTS
We believe that user experience of a product starts from the very initial contact and this often means the packaging where the product is placed. The value and the perceived quality of the product are highly driven by these aspects, like a well designed and cured packaging, or even a personal message of thanks and welcoming.
When it is the end user to acquire and install HOMIE Hub, these aspects must be taken in high consideration, especially because the possibility of customisation and branding are huge and might have a positive impact for the user since the very first contact with HOMIE Hub.
