Almer Arc
Companion App

The Almer App serves as a companion to the AR headset, Almer Arc, offering users access to detailed settings and advanced features. As the Lead Product Designer, I was responsible for researching, designing, and testing both the UX/UI elements of the mobile application in, including hand-over to developers, within a small design team.

Services
Product Design, UX Research, User Interface Design

Company
Almer Technologies

Platform
Mobile, Android & iOS

Timeframe
May 2022 - Feb 2023

1 ––
Background

The Almer Arc, an AR headset, was launched and delivered to customers in September 2022. Three months prior, our user research revealed the need for a mobile app to give users access to settings and features, unattainable directly on the headset. Our design team crafted the design and handed it over to our internal developer team, continuing refinements even after launch on the Play and App Store.

2 ––
The Problem

– How do we get the user to combine a new type of AR headset with their familiar smartphone?

3 ––
Research

Applications for physical products are not a novel concept. Many B2C companies, such as GoPro, DJI, and Meta, offer companion apps for their devices. We initiated our project with a comprehensive analysis of some of the most popular apps that operate via Bluetooth as well. Furthermore, we conducted a thorough investigation of our direct competitors to understand today’s industry standard.

4 ––
User Flows

During the research phase, our design team worked closely with the software engineering team and encountered numerous technical challenges, particularly concerning Bluetooth connectivity. The user flow provided not only a solid foundation from a design standpoint but also unified the team around the identified issues.

5 ––
Wireframing

By creating low-fidelity wireframes for the Almer App, we aimed to visualize only the high-level functionality, helping us determine the core features necessary for the app to work effectively.

This step helped a lot to discover many connectivity edge cases together in discussion with the software team. It also helped to bring all stakeholders together to agree on the base functionality. Importantly, this process helped identify many features that were initially missing but were added subsequently.

6 ––
Testing

We tested the app's user-friendliness and accessibility of key features like WiFi and Bluetooth settings, and call link sharing.  Objective: Determine if participants understand what the app is about based and how it works together with the AR headset. We conducted a moderated test, involving a briefing, task execution on mobile and the AR headset, and a debriefing.

7 ––
Final Designs

The screens below were designed using Figma, in compliance with existing visual brand guidelines, and were ultimately handed over to the internal development team.

Connecting
Onboarding screens guide users through connecting to a nearby Almer Arc.

Overview
Users have access to the settings of an Almer Arc, including the ability to change the name of the device.

Screen sharing
The "Screen Sharing" feature enables users to view the headset's display and interact with it through touch

App switching
Users can switch apps on the AR headset directly from within the Almer App

Control center
Minor controls of the AR headset are accessible through a mini control center

Connect to Wifi
Users can connect to nearby Wi-Fi networks or use their phone as a hotspot

Connect to headphones
Users have the ability to connect to external headphones via Bluetooth.
 

8 ––
Learnings

– This was my first project where I was responsible for the entire product design process, leading a small design team. It started with problem definition and ended with a pixel-perfect UI solution. I learned extensively about team communication and how to achieve the maximum while maintaining flexibility in a startup environment.

– Developing user flows and wireframes, and conducting early testing, greatly helped to gain an outside perspective on the project and bring the design and engineering teams closer together.