ecobee installation guide
Objective
In order to improve the ecobee thermostat installation experience and reduce pressure on the support team, our team redesigned the printed installation guide that customers receive in the box with their ecobee thermostats.
A successful redesign required three things: The printed install guide must deliver the right information at the right time, always considering where the user is in the install process. It must replicate the step-by-step process executed in the ecobee mobile installation app. Lastly, the install guide must address multiple HVAC scenarios, for homes with different systems and wiring.
outcome
I worked closely with a product manager to review customer feedback and pain points collected from previous installations. We highlighted key areas for improvement and organized a design charrette with employees throughout the company to brainstorm new concepts that would address these pain points.
I developed the concepts from the design charette into 2 prototype booklet designs that we A/B tested through internal user testing. After validating and revising, I tested again. This time with external users.
The final version was a tabbed booklet that followed a ‘choose your own adventure’ model: Start at the beginning, then continue to a different tabbed section in the booklet depending on your system requirements. The booklet also introduced visual cues and colour coding to help readers quickly navigate the book and recognize key information.
This format for the install guide has continued to be used in following ecobee thermostat generations, and many insights from this projects have been applied to the rest of ecobee’s product line as well.
