Unblocking Roomba users with auto-
customized maps
In 2023, iRobot kicked off an initiative to learn key attributes of users’ homes, automatically.
One of the first improvements was the Roomba's ability to automatically identify room types.
This enabled us to offer user auto-customized maps, which simplified the path to map-based features.
ROLE + TEAM
Sr. Product Designer; Led UX on a feature team of UI & visual designers, a copywriter, developers & engineers
TOOLS
FigJam, Figma, Usertesting.com
SKILLS
Research (User Interviews, Prototype testing), Wireframing
DELIVERABLES
New feature, Auto Room Naming, released in 2023. Delivered full UX Flows and expected behavior for MVP Feature, vett as feasible with mobile, cloud engineers & robotics
CONTEXT
A cumbersome map customization flow was blocking Roomba users from key map-based features. As a result, only 20% were engaging with these features because getting an accurate home map was complex and time consuming.
This was problematic since we know users approach cleaning by space, and our experience was becoming increasingly centered around the home map.
In 2023, new Roombas came equipped with the ability to identify room types. This meant we could offer users automatically customized home maps, unlocking map-based features early, and with little to no user input.
DISCOVERY
We conducted a diary study where 8 participants recorded their experience with the new, automatically customized maps using the current map editing interface.
The goals of this research were:
-
Understand users' comprehension of their automatically customized maps
-
Highlight areas of the current map editing flow that were confusing, or unnecessary given the back end improvements
-
Learn how early map access effects users ability to successfully complete a directed room clean
WEEK 1
1st mission + map customization with new algorithm
WEEK 2
Interview: Map Viewing + Feedback
WEEK 3
Record observations and thoughts, make map edits
WEeK 4
Use Robot as desired, final thoughts + exit survey
The flow we tested was the same flow we use for manually customizing maps today. This flow requires users to make edits to their map before saving it and starting a directed room clean — which made sense for uncustomized maps.
UX APPROACH
This testing proved that for customized maps, the original flow was too lengthy and cumbersome, especially for users who were happy with their maps, so we decided to adjust the front end to match our improved capabilities, and help users start cleaning with a customized map sooner and with less friction.
Here's the approach we took for this new flow:
01
For users who are happy with their maps, don't burden them with editing options at all.
02
For users who are not happy with their initial map, offer simple editing, without extra steps.
03
Remove zone adding and editing all together - these are more advanced features, and it is too early for most users to realize value from them yet.
Simplifying this flow required very close collaboration with engineering to get it right. There were a handful of details to work though - like what confidence level in room label do we need to automatically name it vs. leaving it Unnamed. How do we handle mission initiation if there are more than one unnamed room?
Below you can see some variations addressing some of these edgier cases, as well as variation in optionality for the user.
INTRODUCING: AUTO ROOM NAMING
Automatically identifies rooms and labels them for you after just one run.
Quick context to set users up for success
Before presenting the first home map, we added an educational screen to provide some basic map comprehension support and context for the upcoming map review flow.
Streamlining the happy path
For users who were happy with their initial map, no editing options were necessary at all.
Simplified map editing
For users who were not happy with their initial map, editing options were made very simple.
We removed zone adding & editing all together, pushing those prompts later in the user journey.
Below, you can see the original map editing flow, with mandatory steps side by side with the new flow, offering optional editing with removed zone creation.
ALPHA TEST RESULTS
We tested the new experience with over 200 alpha users and the results were positive:
OVERALL
EXPERIENCE
4.33
out of 5
LABEL
ACCURACY
4.09
out of 5
MAP
COMPREHENSION
97%
of users understood
their map immediately
after mapping run
USERS GAINED ACCESS TO CUSTOMIZED MAPS
7x faster
AND with no input
from the user
"Great work. Best mapping part of any robotic device I've used to date. Thorough and easy to use."
RESULTS @ 6 MONTHS POST PRODUCTION RELEASE
After 6 months in the hands of real users, we saw a leap in early map customization, beyond our initial expectations:
MAPS CUSTOMIZED WITHIN 5 RUNS
+62%
MAPS LEARNED WITHIN FIRST RUN
+25%
USERS WITH 1+ CUSTOMIZED MAPS
+14%
MEDIAN MISSIONS BEFORE MAP EDIT
-50%
WHAT'S NEXT?
As we moved forward with a more a more intelligent, home-centric app, easy access to a customized map has become key to the iRobot experience.
Forced Mapping Run
In early 2024, we released forced mapping, which makes map review mandatory to even enter the app experience.
This feature solidifies maps as an essential piece of the overall Roomba experience.
Continual Map Improvements
In Q1 2025, we will release improved maps with automatic detection of furniture, floor type and other way finders in the home to work towards this goal.
