Beyond Vision ‘MYSA’: Transforming Daily Interactions 👓
The Story Behind Mysa Smart Glasses.
A UX Case Study: Transforming Home Office Experiences through Design Thinking
Short on time? ⌛ Skip the read and check out the 2-minute video case study on LinkedIn —faster than waiting for your coffee to brew ☕.
Hey, I’m Jyotipriya. In our recent design project, my mentor UX Anudeep threw us a curveball by assigning different residential spaces to explore. Excited by the challenge, I dove into the home office space. Curious to see how I transformed a mundane home office into a productive haven?
🚀 Join me as we dive into the process and the fascinating backstory that made it all possible.
🥁 Drumroll, please! Let’s discover how Mysa can transform your workday and make it more enjoyable.
💡 Everything Mysa Can Do
Smart Tech: Mysa seamlessly connects to your smartphone, providing haptic notifications, ‘Mysa’ voice assistance, call management, and media centre features.
Modular Speaker: The modular speaker design features adjustable built-in earpieces that allow you to enjoy your audio privately without disturbing those around you.
Adaptive Lenses: Mysa’s advanced technology enables faster and more stable colour transitions, ensuring optimal vision in any lighting condition.
Power up your day: The charging case features a green light indicator to show you the remaining battery life, providing up to 36 hours of power. The glasses hold a charge for up to 5 hours of use, and in just 20 minutes, you can recharge them and get back to play.
But first,
How did i name my product ‘Mysa’?
Derived from a Swedish word, it perfectly reflects the essence of these smart glasses — to relax and enjoy. The name encapsulates the vision of making work environments more comfortable and enjoyable, enhancing both well-being and productivity. But how did this vision take shape? What steps did I follow, and how did I validate my ideas along the way?
While i have more to discuss about the additional features. Let’s start from scratch. How did I come up with this project idea? What steps did I take, and and how did I test my ideas?
What to Expect from This Case Study
This case study will take you on a journey through the creation of Mysa Smart Glasses, capturing every step of the design process in real-world context. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how I transformed raw user insights into tangible solutions. This study showcases the unique paths I took to create a product that truly meets the needs of people who work long hours.
Perfect time for a story 🍿
Ever found yourself feeling lethargic and forgetful after a long day of work?
Ria, a dedicated professional, faced the same struggles. As the hours ticked by, she battled fatigue and eye strain from constantly switching between multiple screens and devices, making it tough to stay focused and on top of tasks.
Sound familiar? Let’s dive into Ria’s journey to discover how she tackled these challenges and transformed her productivity and well-being.
☄️ I identified a problem that needed solving
To gain a deeper understanding of users needs and challenges in the home office environment, I conducted empathy research.
My initial assumption was that setting up a home office would be simple. To gain a more accurate understanding, I conducted research and interviews to learn about users experiences. The interviews aimed to gather crucial insights into users home office experiences, focusing on:
➡️ The interviews aimed to gather below essential insights
- Their past experiences working from home.
- Challenges they encountered in past situations.
- The current methods they use to work efficiently and stay productive.
- Their personal experiences and stories about achieving daily goals.
- Key factors they consider when presented with multiple products, and how those products support their work.
I conducted interviews with five users from diverse backgrounds and experiences to understand their home office needs. These conversations revealed crucial insights and pinpointed important areas for enhancement.
➡️ I uncovered the following common pain points
I used these hypotheses to create hypothetical user journeys, helping me discover underlying problems or even deeper, root-level issues.
A Glimpse into Ria’s journey 👣
To define the core problem, I started by closely analysing the top pain points, gaps, and opportunities that users faced in a home office environment. Each of these issues contributes significantly to a negative work experience, affecting both productivity and overall well-being.
💡 Ideation Beyond Imagination
After identifying the core problems, I applied the Crazy 8 method to generate potential solutions. To avoid rushing into obvious solutions, I aimed to generate a wider range of ideas efficiently. Using the insights and pain points from my user research, I began iterating on various versions of the application, exploring different features and functionalities.
I explored 24 different ideas, such as ergonomic desk & chair setups, task managing devices, health, smart devices etc. that could integrate with the home office environment.
This expanded my thinking beyond surface-level, allowing me to explore new approaches to solving the problem at hand. I narrowed down to the top three most compelling ideas and iterated on them.
Out of the three solutions, I found smart glasses the most compelling because it seamlessly integrate technology into daily life, addressing multiple user pain points — focus, ergonomics, and connectivity — all within one device.
🔄 The process that helped me bring this vision to life.
Initially, I brainstormed all the key features I believed were relevant to the product. This approach helped me access whether these features effectively addressed the pain points and allowed me to explore the users potential goals.
I presented the initial prototype product to my peers, and their feedback played a crucial role in refining the final iterations of the product.
During the discussion, several important concerns and questions were raised about
- Defining niche at the micro level: Instead of targeting the general consumer, who is your specific target audience?
- Charging Case functionality: When charging the earphones, the copper end points on the bottom align with the charging points in the case. Does the glass have similar charging points?
- Sensor functionality: Will the music continue to play if the user removes the smart glasses while they are in use?
- Adaptive lenses: Can the user choose the colour of the tint, in addition to the automatic darkening or lightening based on sunshine?
- Modular leg functionality: Could the extended modular leg potentially hurt the ears, as it resembles a stick? How can we ensure comfort and avoid discomfort?
- Privacy: How can we guarantee complete privacy for the user while speaking, considering the design of the earbuds and their placement?
The feedback prompted me to rethink my target audience, their needs, and how they would use the product. My goal was to create a versatile product that met the needs of a wider range of users within the project constraints. I focused on three key user groups:
Tech-Savvy Working Professionals
Addressing their need for improved focus, reduced eye strain, and enhanced productivity.
Style-Conscious Cosplayers
Offering adaptive lens options for effortless style changes and a fashionable design.
Active Multitaskers
For users who are constantly on the move, Mysa can provide adjustable headsets for clear audio, touch controls for easy music and call management, and a lightweight design for comfortable everyday use.
Additionally, I added the feature of sensor functionality, a smart detection for wear proximity sensors that accurately detect when the glasses are being worn, ensuring optimal performance and battery management.
I incorporated the Mysa into hypotheses to re-create hypothetical user journeys, allowing me to re-discover —
Ria’s journey with the product in action 👣
🆘 Strategic Choices: Shaping the Design Process
I began the iterative process with divergence, exploring a broad range of ideas, such as versatile frames for fashion and functionality, a blue lens filter with photochromic technology, and an AR float display. This exploration revealed that iterations could simplify the design.
During the convergence phase, I decided to eliminate the versatile frames to avoid making the product bulky. I also recognised that integrating both technologies wasn’t feasible, so I focused on the photochromic lens for better outdoor usability. The AR float display was also removed due to time constraints and the need for further exploration. Instead of a wired charger, I opted for a casing charger to mitigate the hassle of frequent recharging and limited access to power sources. Additionally, secondary research highlighted a lack of privacy features in similar products, leading to the introduction of a modular leg to ensure complete privacy for users during calls.
While these key decisions help me iterate multiple times, the decisions played a fundamental role in shaping the final design of the product.
🌱 Throughout the project, several critical decisions were made. Let’s discuss these key milestones
1. Here is why I changed my interview questionnaire multiple times when I interviewed users.
I realised early on that my original questions were unintentionally leading users to confirm my own assumptions rather than revealing their true thoughts and behaviours.
Example: “ What challenges or frustrations do you face in your daily work environment?” or “Do you have any concerns about your posture or ergonomics while working from home?”
After conducting two interviews, I noticed that these questions were too generic and only resulted in surface-level responses. These answers didn’t give me much insight into how participants actually behaved in their environments or made decisions.
To address this, I revised my approach midway. I removed any suggestive questions and replaced them with open-ended ones that encouraged users to share more in-depth insights.
Example: “Tell me about a time when you felt particularly overworked while you were working for long hours.” or “Can you share a story about a time when working from home affected how you felt physically throughout the day? What was your experience like?”
I also focused more on understanding their past experiences and decision-making processes to get a clearer picture of their real behaviour. These tweaks helped me dig up the hidden pain points users didn’t even know were bothering them.
2. Here’s why i redefined problem statements
During the user interviews, several recurring issues emerged, such as discomfort and fatigue, poor ergonomics, clutter from managing multiple devices and struggling with organisation, leading to a lack of productivity.
For instance, Arpita, a 24-year-old programmer from Bangalore, highlighted the household noise and missed important calls while working from home. These concerns were echoed in multiple interviews.
Initially, my problem statement was:
“To design a workspace that ensures prolonged comfort and productivity during long work hours.”
However, I realised that a more targeted approach was needed. I refined this statement to:
“To improve the experience for individuals working long hours from home, ensuring they can maintain comfort throughout the week without exerting additional efforts. The focus is on creating solutions that enhance comfort during extended work periods while also supporting long-term health and well-being.”
By concentrating on these specific pain points, I was able to develop actionable insights and solutions that directly address the most pressing user needs, such as reducing discomfort, managing clutter, and improving overall work-from-home efficiency.
3. Ideas That Seemed Great Initially Untill They Weren’t
A built-in camera seemed like a genius idea until privacy concerns made it clear it wasn’t. The last thing I wanted was to create spy glasses! So, I ditched the camera and focused on what users actually needed: simplicity and impact.
The result? A sleeker design that stayed true to the core purpose without overcomplicating things.
During secondary research, users voiced concerns about privacy in shared spaces. They didn’t want to share their audio with the world. This feedback led to the modular built-in leg—a smart, discreet solution for private listening without the hassle of traditional headphones.
It became the MVP because it addressed a real need: staying connected without compromising privacy. By listening closely to Arpita and others, I ensured Mysa could fit in anywhere—whether you’re working from home, in a café, or on the go.
4. Here are key decisions in the prototyping phase
The AR floating display seemed like a futuristic dream, but reality hit hard. It was cool in theory, but with resource constraints, tight deadlines, and the need for more research, it just didn’t make the cut.
I had to prioritise what really mattered, so it was time to let it go and focus on making the core features shine.
I’ll admit, there were moments when I seriously questioned the modular headset design. Would it really solve the privacy concerns without making the glasses complicated?
One of the early testers, Sam, initially mentioned, “I’m not sure if I want something extra sticking out of my glasses—it might be uncomfortable.” That feedback made me rethink the design, but I didn’t give up on it just yet. Through multiple rounds of iteration & testing, I refined the shape and placement, ensuring it was discreet and comfortable.
But during the peer testing, Sam’s hesitation turned into approval when she said, “The redesigned curved edge didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore, but I still have reservations about the sound leaks.” Due to time constraints, I couldn’t fully address the sound leak issue at this stage, but I kept it as a priority for future improvements
This feedback reminded me that while progress was made, there were still areas to refine in the next iteration. Ultimately, the modular headset proved to be the right choice for the product, even as I plan further enhancements down the line.
5. A Pivotal Moment in Prototyping
After receiving peer feedback, I realised the design needed to be fine-tuned to better address user concerns while staying within our constraints.
One significant issue emerged when Anushka asked, “If the user removes the smart glasses while they are in use, will the music continue to play — will this waste my battery?” This question highlighted a critical concern about battery efficiency when the glasses were removed.
To address this, I revisited the design and decided to integrate proximity sensors. These sensors detect when the glasses are taken off and can pause audio playback automatically, helping conserve battery life.
Implementing this feature was a strategic move that balanced functionality and user needs within our project timeline. This feedback moment was pivotal. It underscored the importance of continuous refinement and responsiveness to user concerns, even when immediate fixes aren’t possible.
By tackling this with a clever fix like proximity sensors, I boosted the glasses’ smarts and battery life, all while setting the stage for more tweaks and upgrades down the line.
🚀 Opportunities for Future Improvements
Design is a continuous journey of improvement, driven by feedback and iteration. Keeping this in mind, here are some areas I’m excited to explore for future product development
Material optimisation: Enhance the overall durability and comfort of the smart glasses. Research on the use of lighter, more resilient materials that reduce the product’s weight without compromising strength. This would make the glasses more comfortable for long-term wear while also increasing their longevity and resistance to wear and tear.
Lens Technology: Improve eye protection and users experience. Research and integrate advanced lens options such as blue light filtering to reduce eye strain during prolonged screen time and photochromic lenses that automatically adjust to lighting conditions. Explore ways to offer users greater control over their lenses so they could manually change the lens tints. These enhancements would offer users greater comfort and adaptability in various environments.
AI-Enhanced AR: Integrate AI for personalised content, real-time features, and interactive elements in the AR floating display
🔍 A Look Back: Lessons Learned
Empathy is not just a buzzword; it’s a fundamental principle. By actively listening to users’ stories and observing their behaviours, we can design products that truly address their needs.
Design thinking is not a linear process; it’s a journey of exploration and refinement. Through iteration, we can uncover new insights and create solutions that truly meet user needs.
To really get to the heart of users struggles, it’s essential to go beyond surface-level questions. By encouraging open-ended discussions and observing their behaviour, we can uncover hidden pain points that may not be immediately obvious.
To think of great ideas, you need to use both divergent and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking lets us dream big with as many ideas as possible. Convergent thinking is when you choose the best ones
📣 Looking for your feedback to help me make improvements.
Your feedback is crucial (and yes, I’m hanging on to every word)! Please let me know:
- Did I nail the problem, or did I miss the mark?
- How well did the solution meet your expectations?
- What’s your overall take on this case study? Could the presentation be improved in any way?”
Thank you for sticking around to the end! If this article hit the spot, a round of applause would be much appreciated. And if you’ve got more thoughts to share, drop them in the comments or slide into my DMs on social media 🤍
💬 Share your thoughts!
🔗 Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jyotipriyacreativemisfit/
