Inspiration From Current Products

We looked into IoT product that was already serving similar functionalities in this problem space, and we found Google Hangouts “on-air” Light and Lock a good example to get inspiration from. (https://www.hackster.io/ptone/google-hangouts-on-air-light-and-lock-235c1d)

The “on air” has a mechanism that can automatically lock the door and turn a red lightbulb when the Google Hangouts meeting starts.

There are pros and cons to this product:

Pros:

1. The red light is a strong indication of room occupation.
2. Using the start of a Hangouts meeting to trigger the auto lock is a seamless action.

Cons:

1. The red light can send a mixed signal if people outside don’t know it means “do not disturb”.
2. People outside might still try to open the door because they won’t know what’s going on inside.