Project

Staytion

Year

2020 - 2022

Subject

Motion Design 3D + 2D
Prototype Design + Research
Branding Design
Marketing

Outline

Staytion is a hardware tech start-up challenging the traditional use of smart home devices though projected augmentation and AI assistance though a centralized home hub.

Overview

We wanted to unify all smart home appliances into one centralized control unit, which we call SPLIT. With SPLIT users can project any desired content anywhere in their home environment and transform previously unutilized surface space into functional visualized assistance ques.

Staytion is a technology start-up with a mission to create a screen-less smart home ecosystem. With our innovative smart hub projection system, users can receive not only auditory assistance but visualized assistance as well through projections.

My Role

I joined the team early on back in 2020 when our team was just 3 developers. Working directly under Staytions leadership, I was assigned the task of taking a hardware prototype concept + sketch and visualizing its current capabilities and eventual possibilities in both functionality and hardware appearance. Through research and collaboration, we went from first-pass alpha to multi-fabricated V0.1 hardware.

Staytion Branding

The Staytion brand is built upon a few key aspects, we believe in as a service-providing company. We want to enable new living opportunities by bringing people together and leveraging a new way of living. Our device acts as the beacon of light that brings them closer to those goals.

Brand Guide

Staytion Icon Set

Adobe Illustrator | After Effects | Photoshop | Figma

IconsI designed throughout my time working for Staytion Inc. These designs have various use cases from interface visuals to projection-aiding assets find them stationary or animated.

Bathroom
Bedroom
Kitchen
Livingroom
Back yard
Device pairing
Voice Que
Calibrating QR
Split unit
Unit paired
Lights toggle
Bedside light
Coffee brewing
Thermostat
Room AC
Microwave
Stove
Front door
Back door
Refrigerator
Fan
Netflix launch
Attractions
Liked
Restaurant
Sights
Map view
List view
Corner pin
Time estimate

UI + UX Hedging Avenues

While our main goal for Staytion was a smart home device-centered service as a company, we didn't stray away from additional avenues of venture. This led us down a lot of different prospects to tackle. From home sharing, real estate shopping, and even smart device control hubs. I was there to help visualize each direction.

Vertical Real-Estate

I and my lead came up with the idea of a vertical shopping experience after I had produced some presentation assets that involved going through a window leading the user from one space to a new space over and over again.

So we thought about how we could hedge our concept further and conceptualize a vertical real-estate shopping experience. Fully equipped with Tiktok-esk vertical scrolling and social engagement, but with a home-buying utilitarian perspective in mind. Tour homes live through real-estate agents, view buyers comments on their experience touring the listings. With the hopes of targeting a market of new young home buyers. This was just one of the few hedges we went for.

Gamification

My director approached me with the concept of bringing a gamified aspect to our travel/home share companion app. So in the direction of adding a collectible game aspect to our travel companion app. We came up with the idea of users collecting badges based on tourist-like activities. Completion of these activities was to "unlock" fun region-based projection content to show off in your home and also earn local exclusive discounts through company partners. Screens crafted in Figma, featuring a few animated elements created in After Effects and imported as gifs/sprite sheets.

Staytion x Cloud Apartments Promo

Cinema 4D | Octane | Adobe After Effects | Illustrator | Photoshop | Premier Pro

Staytion through its span has partnered with several companies LMNOP Design Inc., Ammunition Group, and Cloud Apartments. With our partnerships we were able to continue pressing forward with our concept direction. With Cloud we were able to pair their Cloud S unit with our device for presentation. We also recreated their Cloud S in Cinema 4D for SPLIT model showcasing to current and potential investors, partners, and team members.

SPLIT PROMO

Staytion SPLIT device promotional video. We wanted to highlight the use cases of our latest Ammunition Group-engineered device with a Cloud Apartments collaboration, featuring their Cloud S smart modular apartment design.

COLUMN PROMO

Additional promotional video featuring alternative device design in collaboration with Ammunition Group, and Cloud Apartments.

UNVAILING PROMO

Shot and Edited by Michael Smith
Features footage of SPLIT unit + asset content.

Staytion Tech Evolutions

Cinema 4D | Octane | Unreal Engine | After Effects | Premier Pro | Illustrator

CEILING PITCH

This video pitch highlights an early prototype device form factor. Our 20-degree cut ceiling cylinder takes on the form of a ceiling light and covertly is now your new home assistant.

FIRST GLIMPSE

Animated in Unreal Engine we showcase the first glimpse at our latest design hardware direction SPLIT. In its early development stages, this video showed the use case of hardware to further interest investors and inspire collaborators.

ALT IDEATIONS

Although we decided to go with the SPLIT model, we didn't stop exploring other hardware design form factors. Ultimately we went with SPLIT due to the fabrication cost restraints. Our Alt model is sleek and compact(as compact as you can get a useful lumen projector).

Early SPLIT

Animated an early proof of concept video, when we first stepped into the direction of SPLIT a concept we liked out of a handful of designs we and our engineering firm came up with. This video below was for internal visualization to investors and business partners to show what direction we were taking our hardware.

Studio Apartment Environments

Cinema 4D | Octane | Photoshop

Early on one of our main goals was to market to the hospitality industry which called for a studio apartment design direction. I ended up modeling several room designs as well as a fabrication of the Cloud S apartment design by Cloud Apartments.

Staytion Product Diviations

Cinema 4D | Octane | Unreal Engine | After Effects | Premier Pro | Illustrator

HOME SHARING

Early in Staytions business ventures, we explored the concept of leveraging the new changing world of WFH and steering it into a business model that leverages our centralized home HUB.

For my director that came in the form of Staytion-partnered home listings that you can buy, rent, and sell shares all managed by your newly configured Staytion HUB + app. Used for internal purposes only and being constrained from filming locations I was encouraged to leverage stock footage and online travel videos, as well as original motion graphics within our branding.

VIRTUAL BUILDING

My director came to me with an idea he wanted to build upon from a VC he had a meeting with and it regarded jumping on the Web3 bandwagon and utilizing our smart home concept by allowing users to generate 3D models of their own homes using Staytion and floor plan data. This venture never went beyond the conceptualization phases.

Device Projection Content

Cinema 4D | Octane | After Effects | Illustrator

Our device had a few actions it could execute, but we wanted those assistance ques to be paired with visual aids. Which is where I came into play. I created a set of response screens based on specific request parameters our device would hear and respond to. Below you can scroll through a few of my favorite response actions.

Pitch Deck Graphics

Cinema 4D | Octane | Photoshop

A few pitch deck assets I created for my boss to use during VC product proposals.

Facebook Advertising

Cinema 4D | Octane | Photoshop

I was requested to design a few short-form video ads for Facebook. I was instructed to use a variable company name and to design the ads to be vague in character to retain product secrecy. The goal was to use Facebook advertising analytics to chart user interest.