1. Executive Summary#
Miele is a family-owned and operated global brand founded in Germany, producing high-end domestic appliances and commercial equipment. They pride themselves on delivering premium, best-in-class products for performance, reliability, and quality. The company also emphasizes personalized customer service worldwide.
Miele’s smart fridge application, Miele@Home, was created to help users manage their refrigerators remotely. However, it suffered from multiple usability challenges, including poor navigation, hidden features, and the lack of an inventory tracking system.
User reviews and online sentiment towards the app were largely neutral or negative, while similar offerings from other brands were rated much higher. The goal of this redesign was to improve user retention and enhance the overall experience by reworking the application’s structure, introducing an inventory tracking system, and making key features more accessible.
Key Metrics & Highlights#
- Improved Feature discoverability
- Task completion efficiency improved by 40%
- Increased user engagement with recipes and shopping lists
- Streamlined navigation with direct access to core functionalities
2. Background & Context#
Project Background#
Miele smart devices do not feature interactive screens, so the companion app is the primary interface for users. The original app struggled with issues of usability, accessibility, and lack of necessary features.
Research indicated that Miele’s competitors, particularly LG and Bosch, had much stronger smart appliance applications. Miele’s app lacked an inventory management system, requiring users to manually track their fridge contents or rely on memory, leading to food wastage and redundant purchases.
Business & User Goals#
- Improve user experience by simplifying navigation and feature access
- Increase engagement by making the app more useful in daily life
- Provide better inventory tracking to help reduce food waste
- Align the app’s branding and design with Miele’s premium reputation
Project Scope & Constraints#
- The app redesign had to maintain Miele’s branding
- Features had to be implemented within existing smart fridge capabilities
- Inventory tracking needed to work with available hardware, such as in-fridge cameras
3. Problem Definition#
The Core Challenge#
Miele@Home suffered from a lack of usability and engagement due to:
- Confusing navigation, with core functions hidden behind multiple menus
- No inventory tracking, making it difficult for users to know what they had in their fridge
- A cluttered interface that overwhelmed users with too much information at once
User Pain Points & Needs#
- Feature discoverability was low, leading to frustration
- Cognitive overload due to poor UI structure
- Users had to rely on memory or third-party apps to track their groceries
Impact on Business#
Without improvements, Miele risked:
- Losing users to competitors with more feature-rich apps
- Low engagement with the smart fridge features
- Negative user sentiment damaging the brand’s reputation
4. Research & Discovery#
Methodology#
The research phase included:
- User interviews to gather qualitative feedback on existing pain points
- Competitive analysis of Bosch and LG’s smart appliance apps
- Usability testing to observe where users encountered difficulties
Key Insights & Findings#
- LG’s ThinQ app provided a more user-friendly smart fridge management experience
- Bosch’s Home Connect app had an intuitive inventory tracking system
- Users struggled to find recipes, manage groceries, and adjust fridge settings in Miele@Home
Personas & Empathy Mapping#
Three key user groups were identified:
- Enterprising Professionals: Tech-savvy individuals who value convenience and premium products
- Uptown Renters: Young professionals living in rented apartments who spend on lifestyle and technology
- Urban Families: Households with children, prioritizing convenience and efficiency in meal planning
User Journey Mapping#
The existing app forced users through unnecessary steps, making tasks like checking fridge contents or finding recipes more time-consuming than necessary. The redesign aimed to streamline these workflows and prioritize frequently used features.
5. Heuristic Evaluation#
Findings from Heuristic Analysis#
- User control: The app was broken into three tabs—Start, Recipes, and Profile—offering better organization
- Accommodation: The app lacked flexibility for different user needs, such as alternative color schemes for accessibility
- Linguistic clarity: Text on buttons and recipes was simplified to be more user-friendly
- Aesthetic integrity: The previous black-and-orange design felt disconnected from Miele’s branding
- Simplicity: Many unnecessary UI elements were removed for a cleaner, more intuitive experience
- Predictability: The new design introduced consistent UI patterns for easier learning
- Accuracy: Button differentiation was improved to reduce confusion
6. Design Process & Iterations#
High-Fidelity Visual Design#
The redesigned app introduced:
- A refined, minimalist UI that aligns with Miele’s premium branding
- A centralized dashboard for quick access to inventory, recipes, and fridge settings
- A streamlined interface that removes unnecessary friction
Interaction & Micro-Interactions#
- Real-time inventory updates synced with in-fridge cameras
- Recipe suggestions based on available ingredients
- Shopping list auto-generation for meal planning
Usability Testing & Iterative Improvements#
- Feature discoverability improved by 60%
- Navigation time reduced by 40%
- Users reported greater satisfaction with inventory tracking
7. Implementation & Collaboration#
Developer Handoff#
A structured design handoff package was prepared, including:
- Annotated prototypes with detailed design specifications
- A style guide ensuring UI consistency
- UX guidelines for responsive layouts
Technical Considerations & Accessibility#
- Dark mode support for improved accessibility
- Mobile-first design to ensure a smooth experience across devices
8. Results & Impact#
Final Outcome Showcase#
The new Miele@Home app now provides:
- A more user-friendly and feature-rich interface
- Better inventory tracking capabilities
- Seamless integration with recipes and shopping lists
Metrics & Qualitative Feedback#
- Inventory tracking adoption rate significantly increased
- More users engaged with recipes and shopping lists
- Positive feedback on UI clarity and feature discoverability
9. Reflections & Future Directions#
Lessons Learned#
- Early usability testing was crucial in identifying major pain points
- Iterative design improved engagement and reduced cognitive load
- Competitive analysis highlighted features users expected from a smart fridge app
Opportunities for Future Improvements#
- AI-powered meal planning based on fridge contents
- Voice integration for hands-free control
- Expanded connectivity with other smart home devices
Final Thoughts#
This project reinforced the importance of user-driven design in creating an intuitive, engaging, and efficient app experience.