And the livin' is easy: Busch-Jaeger

Imagine a house not as a stationary object, but as an instrument that you can tune and adjust to your requirements: for example regulating the brightness and temperature of a room in relation to the time of day, the season or even your mood. There can be no doubt that for architects and interior designers the idea of networked management of living and working spaces is becoming increasingly relevant.

However, the focus here should not be on the technology itself but on simplifying the way we live and equip our homes. After all, the way we perceive a space is determined by some very basic elements. These include light, warmth and safety, in other words factors that people have always tried to influence in a way that benefits them most. Today, however, the possibilities available to us for this purpose are in a different league to those of the past.

In order to make the contemporary idea of the "smarter home" a reality, Busch-Jaeger has developed a range of products and services that are networked with each other and serve a single purpose: to make our homes more pleasant. And to do so in a way that integrates with our everyday lives as a matter of course by enabling intuitive operation and control of all the systems and devices in and around the house.

A crucial point here is the seamless and user-friendly control of systems and devices via a clear, intuitively understandable interface. Whether a smartphone, a tablet or an operating panel is used to control lights, the heating system or media, the pictograms and structure of the various interfaces need to speak the same language and be as easy to use for young users as they are for older ones.

This is precisely the aim of the product and interface design developed at Busch-Jaeger: the various icons and control bars are clearly visible on a black surface and can be adjusted in no time at all – by tapping an operating field, for example, or by swiping the screen. In other words, appealing to people with the kind of technology they already feel at home with.

Till Martensmeier, one of the designers at Busch-Jaeger, puts it in a nutshell: ‘In all usage scenarios, our basic principles in design are clarity and purposefulness, in order to make operations completely understandable and predictable. With this in mind, we are working towards the goal of increasing the quality of the user experience to such an extent that our customers even experience fun and pleasure in operating the system. And of course, in addition to finger-based input methods, voice control is also possible in many cases.

In order to provide information about all of its products, services and possibilities, Busch-Jaeger has set up a special website entitled yoursmarterhome.de. Regardless of whether users are looking for information on the control of blinds or heating systems, on lighting and ambient climate, or on networked door communication – the website uses a clear visual language and various sections to guide them to the relevant content.

Here it becomes clear how networked the entire Smarter Home system is, because it merges individual complexes such as the Busch-secure@home security system and the Busch-Welcome access system into one unit. However, the door communication system, for example, can also be used as a stand-alone solution for greater security, convenience and energy efficiency. And of course it is also possible while you are away, at work or on holiday for example, to make a quick check to see whether everything is okay at home – or perhaps whether a family member may have forgotten to switch off the lights.

A configurator on the website also makes it easier to choose which system is the best fit for a specific type and size of building. Suitable individual options and configurations can be put together in just a few minutes and with a few clicks of the mouse.

For architects, it should be particularly relevant that all hardware control elements have a clear, effective and timeless design language, but can also be selected in a variety of styles – from round to square, or from coloured to black and white. Switches, display units and control panels can accordingly be integrated into very different furnishing scenarios. As a result, interior designers and architects can choose freely from the range and then adapt the technology to their individual overall aesthetic concept.

© Architonic