The ABB-free@home app Next has won the prestigious Red Dot Award for the outstanding design of its user interface. This makes it a record third Red Dot Award of 2020 for ABB Smart Buildings.
Till Martensmeier, head of UX/UI Design, ABB Smart Buildings, said: “Winning this Red Dot for our work on user experience design underlines how ABB is leading the way in smart home and building technology. The clarity and consistency of ABB’s design principles are what makes our interface so intuitive. The ABB-free@home app Next smart home app demonstrates how our user-centric design process and extensive research are able to turn technological innovations into products that people love to use.”
Red Dot Design Awards recognise outstanding achievements in product and communication design. This year, the Red Dot Jury’s panel of international design experts placed a special focus on revolutionary designs, highlighting design work that best demonstrates progressive interactivity.
The ABB-free@home app Next gives homeowners total control of their smart home solutions from a mobile device, from checking if windows have been left open, to switching off lights or turning up room temperatures. The app’s design makes it faster and more intuitive for users to manage the full suite of ABB-free@home applications from any mobile device.
The free@home app offers additional features such as colour lighting and music control, and integration of home appliances including coffee makers, ovens and washing machines. The user experience is further enhanced by a voice control functionality that supports reputed voice control devices.
The home screen ensures users have all the information they need at a glance. The beautifully designed interface enables users to manage and automate daily routines, controlling timers, scenes, and filter functionalities – all with a single tap of their smartphone.
ABB-free@home makes it simpler and quicker to operate individual devices as well as complete systems. Its user-focused design combines clarity, simplicity and speed, making key functions such as lighting, shading, temperature control and entertainment, convenient and natural.
Oliver Iltisberger, managing director of ABB’s Smart Buildings Division, comments: “These new additions make life with smart homes even more comfortable and convenient. The user experience design that makes the ABB-free@home app Next so intuitive is the result of listening to customers and understanding their needs. It is part of ABB’s broader vision for smarter living, where technology works in partnership with consumers to create energy and user efficient spaces for the future.”
Demand for smart home solutions is expected to grow strongly in the next five years. Home safety, energy efficiency and digital lifestyles are key drivers for ABB’s smart home advances. With more than five million ABB-free@home components already installed in homes worldwide, ABB is designing user experiences that enable smart buildings to make the integration of Internet of Things technology smoother and simpler.
