The ultimate goal of technology is simplicity, and the pinnacle of user experience is “understanding me.”
“Why is it that these tech products at home are only usable by me, even though they seem simple?” This question has always troubled Tang Mu.
This product designer, who has been “lurking” in the tech circle, spent 10 years at Tencent focusing on user experience, during which he designed the first generation of classic QQ avatars and emojis. Later, he led the development of popular products like Xiaomi routers, Xiao Ai speakers, and Xiao Ai classmates during his 7 years at Xiaomi.
When designing products, Tang Mu strives to achieve the “simplest” user experience possible, with a clean and exquisite appearance, and functionality that can be executed in one step rather than two. “However, I found that no matter how hard I tried, there were still many users who bought routers but couldn’t set them up or didn’t know where to place them.”
Should these smart products serve just one or two people in the household, or should they cater to everyone, regardless of age or gender? Who spends more time at home? How can technology truly be human-centered?
Tang Mu wants to solve these problems. Last year, he left his position as General Manager of Xiaomi’s ecological chain to establish Ruying Smart, a company focused on whole-home smart experiences. Some people ask him, “Why leave Xiaomi when you were doing well? Why take such risks at over 40?” Others say, “How can a startup succeed in an industry that hasn’t figured it out for over a decade?”
This is indeed a risk, but Tang Mu believes that entrepreneurship requires imagination and a vision of a better tomorrow. He wants to create a company that maximizes user experience, “allowing users to truly experience the new lifestyle brought by technology products.”
And creating and manufacturing that vision of a beautiful experience, “is precisely what I excel at.”
The following is a transcript of a speech by Tang Mu, founder and CEO of Ruying Smart, at the “Geek Park x Douyin | Innovation Conference 2021,” co-produced by Geek Park and Douyin, edited by Geek Park:
Tang Mu, Founder & CEO of Ruying Smart | Geek Park
Leaving Xiaomi for a New Adventure
Hello everyone, I am Tang Mu, the founder of Ruying Smart, a technology company focused on whole-home smart experiences. I am a designer lurking in a tech circle filled with engineers. Those who have been online for a long time may know me because I designed the classic avatars and emojis for QQ at Tencent; later, many people recognized me for creating products that users love at Xiaomi: Xiaomi routers, Xiao Ai speakers, and Xiao Ai classmates. Perhaps you are using a product I designed right now.
Last year, I left Xiaomi, and many people asked me why I would leave a good position at my age. It is indeed a bit of a hassle and a risk, but as a designer, I want to create a technology company that places extreme importance on user experience, allowing users to truly experience the new lifestyle brought by technology products.
The Ultimate Goal of Technology is Simplicity, and the Pinnacle of User Experience is Understanding Me
While working on products at Xiaomi, I always strived to make the product experience as simple as possible, with a clean and exquisite appearance, and functionality that can be executed in one step rather than two. However, I found that no matter how hard I tried, there were still many users who bought routers but couldn’t set them up or didn’t know where to place them. I have seen a few cases where routers were placed in weak current boxes, which are natural signal shielding boxes. Imagine that experience; it’s no wonder it didn’t work well. Although this cannot be blamed on the product, the result is that users do not have a good experience; technology brings trouble instead of simplicity and fun.
Don’t even mention the elderly who struggle with electronic products; this has also happened with my wife. While I was on a business trip, the router at home broke down, and my wife called me, turning me into the chief remote customer service; when I couldn’t explain clearly, I would get scolded (after all, it was my product).
True technology should be human-centered, creating a sense of happiness | Geek Park
At such times, I often feel frustrated. Why are these tech gadgets at home only usable by me, even though I have made them very simple?
The question arises: should these smart products serve just one or two people in the household, or should they cater to everyone, regardless of age or gender? Who spends more time at home? The smart home we want to create is not a toy for geeky men but a better living experience for the whole family.
By now, you probably know what I am getting at. The term smart home has been thrown around for five or six years, yet it is still not practical and has not become widespread. Those willing to buy products, spend time tinkering, and connect various devices for a smooth experience are less than 5%. You might say that even if I make the product look and function great, if I can’t help users solve the last mile issue, what’s the point? What’s the use of making users buy a bunch of smart speakers that can only serve as remote controls?
Only Smart for the Whole Family is True “Whole Home Smart”
In my view, excellent smart home technology should be usable by all generations in the family, making it truly whole-home smart.
It needs to be foolproof. Anyone can use it, anywhere, and once installed, it should be intuitive and straightforward.
It needs to be intelligent enough. It should not only obey commands but also understand you, acting as a steward rather than just an assistant. An assistant only executes your commands, but a steward anticipates your needs, proactively suggests, and manages things you don’t need to handle or think about.
It also needs to adapt to you. Every family has a different definition of comfort and happiness. This customized experience needs to be carefully designed. Your actions, routines, and habits deserve to be well-served.
Therefore, having just the products is not enough; there must also be one-stop installation and maintenance services.
Finally, it should extend to surrounding family scenarios. What does that mean?
Smart homes usable by all generations in the family are the true whole-home smart | Geek Park
This March, we will collaborate with real estate in Kunming to create a smart community. Imagine this: when the owner drives home, the access control system already knows and immediately informs the smart steward: the owner is about to enter the house. Our smart steward Edison will instruct the air conditioning to turn on, the curtains to close, and the lights to turn on, preparing a comfortable environment for you five minutes in advance. Otherwise, imagine having to greet the assistant at the door, saying, “Hey, Xiao X, turn on the air conditioning, the living room lights, and close the curtains.” Even if the assistant acts immediately, five minutes later, the house is still cold.
Also, can children play in the community by themselves? Parents are often conflicted. They might give their child a smart watch, but that doesn’t guarantee 100% safety; watches can get lost. However, we have connected the community’s camera system to create an electronic fence, allowing monitoring of children’s or elderly’s activity trajectories through community interaction, which greatly enhances safety.
Moreover, gas and water leak alarms currently only notify the homeowner, but from a community perspective, if a neighbor has a gas leak, shouldn’t the surrounding neighbors be informed as well? This way, they can remind each other and look out for one another.
Entrepreneurship Requires Imagination and a Vision of a Beautiful Tomorrow
It is from such beautiful visions that I started exploring this path with Ruying, gradually launching products like the inSight home control, smart doors, and AIO Box whole-home smart sets, starting with “greater connectivity, better control.”
Some may say that ultimately, I am just telling stories, and an entire industry hasn’t figured it out for over a decade; how can a startup succeed?
During my seven years at Xiaomi, I experienced the complexities of the hardware industry firsthand. Turning ideas into valuable products for users is indeed not an easy task. Fortunately, I am not just a designer; I am also a product designer with a bit of technical engineering knowledge. I have assembled a strong team for smart hardware across the entire chain, and I firmly believe that someone will succeed in the whole-home smart space. If someone can succeed, why not us, who are the most prepared?
The beautiful stories of life I shared today may not become widespread immediately, and the high costs at the beginning may mean they can only serve a small portion of people. But historically, when has a product and experience revolution not started this way? The key is to have someone who can envision and create that good experience. This is precisely what I excel at.
The 13-inch dual-screen smart control inSight Pro launched by Ruying Smart | Ruying Smart
From “Obedient Assistant” to “Proactive Steward”
By now, do you think this sounds very sci-fi? No, I often wonder what the ultimate experience of smart living is like. While Musk dreams of dying on Mars, Chinese tech people shouldn’t just think about profiting from communities; you know the wealthiest top billionaires have drivers, stewards, and even Michelin chefs who arrange everything clearly for them. Of course, this idea is decadent, and exploiting labor is wrong; I mean everyone has a desire for considerate service.
Today, you might find it hard to imagine what this experience would be like. Just like two or three years ago, you wouldn’t have thought of having a robot vacuum cleaner at home, and now every household has one. What we want to do now is to exceed expectations in experience.
Host Gou Sheng and Tang Mu, founder of Ruying Smart, at the conference, with the Ruying Smart Coffee Master T series on the right | Geek Park
We have developed a robot coffee master that can make top-quality latte art coffee like a top coffee master. We selected the world’s best operational precision with an industrial robotic arm with a tolerance of ±0.1mm, using our self-developed motion capture technology to track, simulate, and AI-learn the latte art movements of top coffee masters, digitizing the entire process of making coffee.
The Ruying Smart Coffee Master can brew various coffees, complete latte art, and automatically clean itself | Geek Park
In the past, a barista could only serve customers in one coffee shop, but now we have replicated their skills in a robot to serve coffee lovers worldwide. Many industry experts have already experienced it; if you are curious, you can message them on Douyin, and I will also bring everyone a cloud coffee experience later.
But that’s not all; we have also developed a robot kitchen. In the future, you won’t need to travel far to explore various Michelin restaurants; the kitchen robot can help you cook gourmet meals at home, allowing you to enjoy Michelin M10 French steak or handmade sushi from the sushi master without leaving your home. This is not an unattainable dream; it is happening in our laboratory right now.
In this world, exquisite craftsmanship is always a scarce resource. But AI can replicate these experiences and skills, bringing top-tier experiences to more people.
Not Smart for the Sake of Being Smart, but Smart for a Better Life
Now that you see this robot coffee master beside me, you might ask, do we really need such complex gadgets at home? I must say we still have a lot of work to do, such as miniaturization, mobility, and most importantly, reducing costs! But these beautiful aspirations hidden in everyone’s hearts exist, and technology should make dreams a reality. All aspirations for a better life deserve to be addressed by Ruying.
Image source: Geek Park
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