Moves With You
About
As the UX Strategy Lead, I spearheaded the development of Flora, an emotionally intelligent smart-home ecosystem designed to combat digital burnout for the next generation of knowledge workers. I led the end-to-end product strategy, integrating AI, IoT, and behavioral psychology to transform ordinary living spaces into responsive environments that proactively support deep focus and emotional balance. My work covered everything from primary behavioral research to the creation of a scalable DesignOps model and a 18-month strategic roadmap.
Impact
Flora is projected to redefine the "Ambient Intelligence" market, targeting a 60% user retention rate within the first year and $1M in ARR. By implementing a 4-step behavioral intelligence loop, the system is designed to increase user focus duration by 25% and improve emotional calmness by 20%. The strategy provides a sustainable path for growth through B2C subscriptions and B2B institutional partnerships, effectively turning human-centered design into a measurable business engine that fuels long-term habit maintenance.
Timeline
Sep 2025 - Nov 2025, 2 month
Task
Research
Design System
Prototyping
User Testing
Iteration
Team
Wenliang Huang(CEO)
Qi Luo (CPO)
Kasa Chan (CTO)
Dawna Zhang (CXO)
My Role
CXO & UX Strategy Lead
Product Vision: Defined the 18-month strategic roadmap and the core "Moves With You" value proposition.
Organizational Strategy: Established the DesignOps model and cross-functional collaboration frameworks between design, engineering, and data science.
Business Alignment: Developed the ROI framework to link user emotional well-being to financial KPIs and long-term sustainability.
Ethical Leadership: Spearheaded the "Privacy-by-Design" standards to ensure ethical AI integration and user trust.
Background
Flora - "Ambient AI" for sustainable productivity
Flora is a human-centered innovation company. To help the next generation of knowledge workers combat digital burnout and productivity loss in remote environments, they decided to create an "emotionally intelligent" ecosystem—integrating AI, behavioral design, and smart home technology to transform ordinary living spaces into immersive, growth-driven learning environments.
Challenge
Both Flora and knowledge workers want to achieve deep focus at home. But users struggle to stay productive because managing environmental distractions is HARD.
Goal
Developed an autonomous ambient intelligence system to help users enter deep focus, saving willpower and mental energy.
The Behavioral Intelligence Loop (The "How")
The Engine behind the "Moves With You" promise.
Instead of static automation, I designed a closed-loop feedback system that allows the home to learn and respond in real-time. This loop moves through four distinct stages:
01. Sense & Interpret: IoT sensors capture "thick data"—environmental signals (noise, light) and behavioral patterns (focus duration, phone pickups).
02. Decide: The AI engine interprets the context. Is the user struggling to start? Are they in deep flow? The system decides on the most supportive "micro-intervention."
03. Act: The environment physically responds. Lighting shifts to a warm "focus amber," spatial audio masks background noise, and the room temperature adjusts for cognitive clarity.
04. Learn: The system tracks the user's response to the change, refining their personalized "Natural Rhythm" profile to improve future accuracy.
The Three Pillars of User Needs (The "What")
The Three Pillars of User Needs (The "What")
We identified that focus isn't just a mental state; it's an environmental one. Our framework addresses this through three dimensions:
Atmosphere (Sensory Support): Using Adaptive Environment Recipes (lighting, sound, scent) to reduce sensory load and trigger biological focus cues.
Structure (Behavioral Support): Implementing Gentle Rituals (automated start/stop transitions) that replace the need for willpower with effortless environmental nudges.
Connection (Social Support): Creating Simulated Presence features to combat the isolation of remote work, providing a sense of shared community without the distraction of real-time chat.
Showcase
Impact
The story does nor end here...
Proprietary Hardware Phase Secured
As we validated the software layer's ability to drive focus, we have secured the roadmap for Phase 2: moving from third-party IoT integration to proprietary Flora hardware. This allows for even deeper environmental control and a truly seamless "Moves With You" experience.
Pioneering the "Intelligent Growth" Category
By linking emotional well-being to productivity metrics, we’ve moved beyond the saturated "Smart Home" market. Flora is now positioned as a leader in a new category, opening doors for high-value B2B partnerships in corporate wellness and higher education.
Takeaways
Something you can’t learn in a class
Designing the "Business of Design"
In a strategy lead role, I learned that a product is only as good as its business model. I had to move beyond pixels to understand ROI frameworks, 18-month roadmaps, and how to prove that "feeling better" translates into "staying longer" (CLV).
Balancing AI Innovation with Ethical Friction
In the fast-paced AI space, there is a temptation to "track everything." I learned the strategic importance of Privacy-by-Design. Choosing local-first processing wasn't just a technical choice—it was a strategic branding decision to build user trust that competitors couldn't replicate.
Leading Through "Systems Thinking"
Unlike standard UX design, UX Strategy requires managing the relationship between the user’s brain, the physical room, and the digital logic. I learned how to orchestrate cross-functional pods so that engineers, data scientists, and designers all spoke the same "Behavioral Intelligence" language.