Automatic updates
+35% users with updated software
The Smarthub is the core of our system. I led a project to redesign how we deliver hub updates, successfully increasing software adoption by 35% and drastically reducing the number of users who needed manual support help.
Company
Futurehome
Role
Product Designer
Team
Year
2024
💡 The Core Challenge
Around 50% of userbase on 1+ year old software
At the start, about half of our user base was running software more than a year old. This created big problems: users missed out on new features, saw more bugs, and spent more time calling support. Critically, support agents had to manually update the hub in 60% of cases, draining our resources.
User Problem
Users wanted updates but didn't know they were available and preferred automatic options.
Operational Conflict
We needed to update users faster, but rolling out updates too quickly risked instability and major system crashes.
💥 Trade-Offs & Decisions
Introducing automatic updates
The core decision was finding a safe path to widespread adoption that still allowed us to control stability and leverage our beta testers better.
The Decision
We redesigned the experience to give users clear control over their update pace, which gave us a safer framework for rollouts.
The Approach
Instead of a single "update now" option, we created two clear paths: a "Recommended" (stable) track for most users and a "Beta" track for advanced users. This solved the dual problem of finding beta testers and mitigating risk for the general population.
Mitigating Risk
We added an immediate rollback option to reduce the risk associated with unstable (beta) updates, directly addressing the fear of system instability.
🛠️ Solution & Initiative
About the process
I worked closely with the Product, Design, and Support teams to create a balanced update experience that maximized user control while minimizing operational load.
User-Centric Flow Design: I defined the new update flow based directly on user research, focusing on clear opt-in settings, update preferences, and notifications (in-app messages and push alerts).
Reducing Support Dependency: I specifically collaborated with the Support team to design communication and flow patterns that eliminated the need for manual agent intervention in most cases.
Process Improvement: I designed communication patterns for both regular and beta updates, making sure users understood the risk and benefit of their chosen option.
✅ Impact & Results
Adoption success
Adoption Success: We increased the number of users with updated software by +35%.
Operational Savings: The redesigned flow significantly reduced the number of users needing manual help, cutting the support team's need to update hubs in 60% of their cases, which freed up significant support time and reduced operational costs.
Product Health: We stabilized the overall product ecosystem by getting the vast majority of users onto recent, secure, and feature-rich software.