Embedded UI · Electropeyk R&D · 2013–2015
The visual interface and interaction flow for a residential video door phone — designed for clarity, speed, and low cognitive load across a mixed-age household.
01 — Project Overview
VDP 1093 is the embedded touchscreen interface for a residential video door phone manufactured by Electropeyk. The device sits wall-mounted in the home and handles everything from live camera viewing to visitor intercom, internal resident-to-resident calls, recorded footage, and system settings.
My role covered interface design, icon system, and interaction structure — with a focus on clarity, speed, and low cognitive load in the moments that matter most: when a visitor arrives and a resident needs to decide quickly what to do.
02 — Problem & Context
Residential video door phones are everyday security devices used by people with very different levels of technical familiarity. The interface needs to support quick decisions during short and sometimes unexpected moments — responding to a visitor, checking the camera, or opening the entrance door.
Many existing systems at the time relied on complex menus, small touch targets, and technical terminology, making interactions slower and less intuitive. The challenge was to translate the technical capabilities of the device into a clear, reliable interface that residents of different ages could use quickly and confidently.
A mixed-age household doesn't need novelty. It needs predictable patterns, large targets, and calm visual hierarchy — especially under time pressure.
03 — Research & Insights
Video door phones are used in everyday home environments by people with very different levels of technical familiarity. Research into existing devices and typical household use revealed a consistent pattern: residents interact with the system in short, practical bursts rather than extended sessions.
Left: pain points mapped to design responses · Right: primary user scenario — visitor arrives
Left: secondary scenario — internal intercom call · Right: four interaction principles
Three key context constraints shaped every decision: the device is wall-mounted (no table support), interactions are often urgent (visitor at the door), and the household is mixed-age (elderly users alongside younger residents).
04 — Interaction Principles
05 — Information Architecture
The system is organised into clear groups — door panels, security cameras, gallery, video records, internal intercom, and settings — so users find key actions without confusion. Settings are placed in a separate section to keep main tasks simple and uninterrupted, while still allowing full control over device configuration.
Language toggle (FA/EN) and Exit are persistent toolbar actions available on all screens — not separate navigation destinations. This means users are never stranded.
Main IA: Device Wake → Main Menu → Door Panels · Security Cameras · Gallery · Video Records · Internal Intercom · Settings
Settings IA: Monitor Record · Intercom Config · Date & Time · Melody · Factory Reset — all accessible from a persistent sidebar
06 — Key User Flows
Three flows cover the core device experience. Each was designed so the primary action is always reachable from the current screen — no return to home required.
Flow A
Visitor Arrives
Device auto-wakes on doorbell. Resident sees visitor via live camera, speaks through intercom, then decides to open the door — all without returning to the home menu. Tap count reduced from 6 to 2.
Flow B
Records & Playback
Video and snapshot records are separated into a tab system — sequential scrubbing for video, spatial grid for photos. Each content type gets the interaction pattern it actually needs.
Flow C
Settings
Six settings categories in a persistent sidebar — all visible at once, no buried menus. Destructive actions (format, clear, reset) share a single consistent confirmation dialog: red icon, cancel left, confirm right.
Key design decision: the camera → call → unlock path requires no navigation. Each primary action is reachable from the current screen. This reduces tap count from 6 (existing devices) to 2 in the most urgent scenario.
07 — High-Fidelity UI
Final screens span the full device experience — visitor flow, records, and settings — designed for a 10-inch landscape touchscreen. A dark/light split mode keeps camera feeds immersive while menus stay calm and readable. One consistent blue accent colour signals all active states, primary buttons, and progress indicators.
Touch targets are sized for wall-mounted use, accounting for elderly users and time-pressured moments. Fourteen screens cover the complete interaction structure across all three flows.
Flow A: Visitor Arrives (Sleep → Home → Auto Wake → Live Camera → Active Call → Unlock Confirm) · Flow B: Records & Playback · Flow C: Settings
Dark Mode
Camera, intercom, and playback screens. Keeps visual focus on the live feed.
Light Mode
Home, records, and settings screens. Calm and readable for quick navigation.
Accent
Single blue across active states, primary buttons, progress bars, sidebar markers.
Touch Targets
Sized for wall-mounted use. Accounts for elderly users and time-pressured moments.
08 — Outcome & Reflection
This project taught me how constraints sharpen design thinking. A wall-mounted device with a mixed-age household as its user base leaves no room for clever navigation or decorative complexity. Every decision had to be justified by speed, recognition, or confidence — not visual novelty.
The most important choice was treating the camera-to-unlock path as the primary scenario and designing everything else around it. Once that was settled, the rest of the architecture followed logically.
"A mixed-age household needs predictable patterns more than it needs novelty. Consistency is the feature."