01 Case study · Consumer IoT · Home appliances
Press start on a phone. The mill grinds.
Homa makes an IoT atta chakki for the home. Tailwebs built its full ecosystem: a customer mobile app, a backend and admin, device connectivity over MQTT and over-the-air firmware updates. Homa reached 5,000 active users in the first six months, on infrastructure built for 500,000 devices and scalable.
- Client
- Homa
- Built
- Mobile app, backend and admin, MQTT device link, over-the-air updates
- Engagement
- The whole ecosystem, built by Tailwebs
Press start
Start a grind, push an update, ask for service.
Three things the ecosystem does, one after the other. Pick one and watch the phone, the mill and the dealer.
- Start grinding
A tap on the phone sends "start" to the mill over MQTT. The mill grinds, then sends its status back, and the phone shows the grind as done.
- Push an update
New firmware goes out over the air to a fleet of mills. Each one updates in turn, with no visit to anyone's kitchen.
- Ask for service
The app shows a recipe card. A service request from the app reaches a dealer.
Dealer
Waiting
Recipe card on the phone: a sample recipe, shown here as an illustration.
0 of 12 mills updated (a sample fleet of 12, for illustration)
Ready. Press start on the phone.
This animation is an illustration of how the pieces fit together. The fleet of 12 and the sample values are not real device records.
03 The moves
What we did, move by move.
- Move 1
Research-led product strategy
What we saw A connected mill needs an app, a backend and tools for dealers and support, as well as the device.
What we did We led with research and set the product strategy.
The effect The strategy covers the app, the mill link and the service tools.
- Move 2
IoT and mobile architecture
What we saw The mill, the app and the backend have to talk to each other.
What we did We designed how the mobile app, the backend and the mill talk to each other: device connectivity over MQTT, and firmware updates sent over the air.
The effect A command from the app reaches the mill, and the mill can be updated over the air.
- Move 3
Recipes, gamification and service workflows
What we saw A mill in the home is used, sold and serviced by different people.
What we did The app gained recipes and gamification. We built workflows for dealers, support and warranty.
The effect Dealers and support each have a workflow in the system.
- Move 4
A backend built for 500,000 devices
What we saw A connected product depends on the backend behind it.
What we did The backend and admin were built for 500,000 devices, and are scalable.
The effect The platform is built to scale.
04 Results
What the moves added up to.
- 5,000active users in the first six monthsFrom moves 1, 3: Research-led product strategy; Recipes, gamification and service workflows
- 500,000devices the infrastructure is built for, and scalableFrom moves 2, 4: IoT and mobile architecture; A backend built for 500,000 devices
05 Book a call
Building a connected product? Talk to us.
You'll speak with Siddharth.
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