Smart Home Design + Real-Time Walkthrough

Overview

SOREAL is an immersive home design and visualization platform that allows users to customize and explore their living spaces in real-time. Operated via a tablet connected to a large screen, SOREAL enables homeowners, interior designers, and real estate professionals to modify furniture layouts, finishes, wiring paths, and even simulate sunlight orientation — all through an intuitive, joystick-like interface. As the lead product designer, I was responsible for crafting a system that combined 3D walkthroughs with real-time interaction in a way that felt seamless, accessible, and engaging for all types of users.

Prototyping

Spatial Interaction Console (Tablet Controller): Click Here

Challenge

Designing an interface that blends 3D architectural visualization with intuitive user control posed a unique challenge. Users needed to visualize complex interior changes — like partition removal, bed repositioning, or wiring adjustments — while actively navigating through the space. The system had to balance realism with usability, accommodate both professionals and casual users, and maintain performance across devices while rendering high-detail environments in real time.

My Design Approach

🔥 Understanding the Users

• Interviewed homeowners, interior designers, and showroom staff to understand varying design goals and technical familiarity
• Mapped key user goals like layout experimentation, lighting planning, and walkthrough navigation

• Created personas to represent tech-savvy designers and casual home buyers alike

🎨 Information Architecture & Wireframing

• Defined core flows for "Design", "Explore", and "Visualize"
• Developed a two-screen interaction model — with the tablet as controller and the TV as display

• Designed contextual toolbars and iconography to keep the UI lightweight during walkthroughs

🤝 Visual Design & Interaction

• Built a 3D-friendly UI with large touch targets and minimal overlays
• Used soft neutrals and high-contrast accents to highlight active elements in the space
• Incorporated real-time lighting effects and smooth transition animations

• Developed joystick-inspired controls for intuitive room navigation and camera control

👥 Collaboration & Iteration

• Partnered with 3D developers to align on scene rendering performance and asset optimization
• Prototyped in Figma and tested controls using actual iPad mirroring with user simulations
• Iterated quickly based on feedback from both the client and users.

• Conducted multiple usability tests across age groups to fine-tune control gestures and feedback timing

Impact

• Faster design decisions: Users were able to make confident layout changes 40% faster during live sessions
• Higher engagement: Walkthrough mode increased session time by 60% in demo environments
• Improved clarity: Visual simulation of sunlight and wiring paths led to fewer planning errors

• Client praise: The experience positioned SOREAL as a futuristic, premium design assistant

Reflection

SOREAL was a unique blend of spatial design, system thinking, and user empathy. It challenged me to design beyond the screen — to consider motion, space, and physical interaction. The most rewarding part was watching users physically “walk” through their dream homes with joy, surprise, and confidence. This project reminded me that the best design is one you can feel.