Nest 2.0 : A Visual Design Experience

Since its launch early last month, the second generation of Nest Labs' increasingly popular Learning Thermostat has caused much buzz similar to the one caused by its predecessor (remember the Apple-like TV ad with a revised rendition of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Our House song?) and I'd like to preface by saying that my review is mostly of an esthetic nature rather than a technical, how-to demo, of which there are plenty. Although hurricane Sandy was scheduled to hit NJ that weekend, the gadget hound in me is not one to be discouraged by the opportunity to investigate for myself and so I decided to embark on a search for a store that carries this product and my endeavor landed me at my local Lowe's which happens to have a demo booth showcasing the latest and greatest from Nest. 

Product (Industrial) Design + Form Factor

At first glance, the first things I noticed were the streamlined design consisting of a slightly thinner case and the unibody bezel of the new one (20% thinner according to company specs). Gone also is the sensor grille that occupied the fascia of the first generation model and in lieu is a lens hooked up to a motion sensor (I have yet to further explore). Like its predecessor, it retains the simple hockey puck like form factor which makes perfect sense especially since most of what people do with thermostats is adjust the temperature which is easily done in this case by turning the ring (bezel) left or right. The bezel itself is made of solid stainless steel with a brushed metal finish that is smooth and responsive to the touch mirroring the surrounding colors of the wall it's installed on since the material and shape used picks up and reflects the colors around it. Aside from being rotatable, the bezel or outer ring is also clickable and as far as the quality of the fascia or screen is concerned, it's made of glass which naturally feels nice and sturdy.

Interface

Once I got past its good looks and technical features such as Wi-Fi connectivity along with a free iPhone app that acts as a remote control, I was surprised to find that its round, bright and nicely-lit screen easy to read and understand. The backdrop is black making all relevant information stand out since they're highlighted in white for text and tick marks, orange, blue and green for others. Displayed on the interface's primary level are tick marks surrounding the screen to easily indicate the set point as well as the current ambient temperature with colors assigned to both heating and cooling modes (orange for heat and blue for cool) and the intensity of the display's lighting itself adjusts according to how close the set point temperature gets to the current ambient temperature. For instance, the display turns bright blue when the set point temperature is far from the current ambient temperature while making them close to each other dims the screen to well, a more subdued blue. Also, I'll be remissed if I didn't mention the iPod-like click sound or the animated tick sweep that runs between the current ambient and set point temperatures which is not only cool but also nicely done. Another feature I found pleasing isn't exactly a feature but rather a design principle wherein the current temperature is communicated well using a big clean font that dominates a good portion of the device's visual real estate and unlike most modern day thermostats with digital displays, It's a relief not having to squint just to see the temperature let alone the other relevant information such as date & time etc. Like many modern day gadgets, there are no physical buttons to be found (not a single one) and although it's not a touch-enabled screen, diving into the menu system to adjust the settings is done by either pressing the screen or clicking the outer ring (see video). Once actuated, the user dives into the interface's secondary level where several adjustment options or modes are revealed namely Schedule, Energy, Settings, Away and Done. Each of which is quite self explanatory and straightforward with little previous thermostat experience needed. 

Conclusion

Overall, I find the second generation Nest Learning Thermostat very pleasing to the eyes both externally and internally. The materials used speak quality and considering that many of Nest Lab's engineers and designers along with its founder stemmed from Apple, it's no surprise to find the latter's design influence. The programmable thermostat is one of many automation devices that was usually taken for granted as far as Industrial + User Experience Design is concerned until now. At $250, it is pricey especially considering the competition's cheaper offerings but this is far better and for a device that sits on your wall visible to everyone, it can definitely hold its own (esthetically speaking).